Charge: Woman was drunk when she crashed into watery Twin Cities ditch, killed 1-year-old son

A woman was drunk when she caused a high-speed rollover crash into a watery ditch that killed her 1-year-old boy, and injured two other sons and an adult, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.

Rachale Francine Peloquin, 28, of St. Paul was jailed and charged in Ramsey County District Court with criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the wreck that occurred about 6:30 p.m. Saturday near Hwys. 61 and 36 in Maplewood, killing Revon Melvin Anthony Todd of St. Paul.

Taken to Regions Hospital with noncritical injuries were Devon Todd, 6, and Drevon Todd, 5, both of St. Paul; and Kenneth Alex Williams Jr., 32, of Mounds View, the State Patrol said.

Law enforcement gave Peloquin a preliminary breath test that measured her blood alcohol content soon after that crash at 0.172%, the criminal complaint read. That’s twice the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.

Peloquin remains in custody in lieu of $250,000 bail ahead of a court hearing Tuesday. Court records do not list an attorney for her.

Paublo Ortega said he was driving to a friend’s party when he saw the crash scene and stopped to help the occupants of the upside-down SUV.

“Another person and I tried to move the car out of the way, but he couldn’t,” said Ortega, whose recollection was translated from Spanish by his son for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

According to the complaint and the patrol:

Peloquin’s SUV was heading east on Hwy. 36 and exiting south onto Hwy. 61 when Peloquin “appeared to lose control on the exit ramp while traveling at a high rate of speed,” a patrol statement read. The SUV rolled into a ditch about 30 feet from the road and landed wheels up in 1 to 2 feet of water.

Fire Department personnel got the SUV out of the water and removed Revon from the wreckage. Emergency responders declared him dead at the scene.

Peloquin, suffering from cuts to her arms and legs, repeatedly said, “Save my baby,” the complaint quoted her as saying.

She told a state trooper that she was taking her children to see their grandmother and lost control of the SUV.

Despite dry weather conditions at the time, Peloquin insisted the road was wet from rain. She also said her tires were somewhat bald.

The trooper smelled the odor of alcohol coming from Peloquin, who admitted smoking marijuana that day and having a couple of shots of alcohol the previous night.