A Rochester mother who drove drunk and crashed with five small children in her vehicle won't have to serve anymore jail time for the crime. But she will have an almost year-long sentence hanging over her head if she doesn't follow the rules set down by Dakota County District Judge Joseph Carter at her sentencing hearing Wednesday.

Kyra L. Lindsey, 31, pleaded guilty Nov. 19 to criminal vehicular operation and child endangerment, both gross misdemeanors, in connection with the crash on Feb. 28, 2011. According to the criminal complaint, she lost control of her car on Hwy. 52 south of Hampton, in southern Dakota County, about 2:45 a.m. She hit a guardrail on the right side of the road, then careened across both lanes of traffic and ended up in a ditch in the median. The children, ages 3 months to 9 years, were not seriously injured.

Lindsey told investigators she was returning home after visiting a friend, the complaint said. The trooper who responded to the crash noticed an "overwhelming odor" of alcohol when he stepped into the ambulance to talk to Lindsey. She claimed to have hit a patch of ice, but the trooper noted in his report that the road was dry.

On Wednesday, the judge stayed a one-year jail sentence and gave Lindsey credit for five days she spent in custody. She was ordered to serve a year of probation, use no alcohol or drugs, undergo random testing and a chemical-dependency evaluation, and participate in a victim-impact panel. She also was ordered to spend 15 days on electronic home monitoring.

PAT PHEIFER