A 32-year-old Minneapolis woman will spend 5 years in jail and 3 years on supervised release after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide.

Mellisa Heus entered her guilty plea in September. She was charged with 1 count criminal vehicular homicide and 1 count criminal vehicular operation. Heus also had two prior DWI convictions. The circumstances of the case likely lead to what is considered a slightly higher than average sentence for Minnesota's general trends.

Heus caused a multi-vehicle accident on Highway 252. She was allegedly speeding in excess of 80mph at the time of a crash. The crash occurred on December 13, and though many cars were involved, only one caught fire. That car was driven by 37-year-old James Wolter. He was trapped inside the vehicle and perished there. His family gave an emotional testimony in the court's sentencing hearings.

One notable fact of this case is the extremely high BAC recorded for Heus. She was believed to have a .36% alcohol level, which may be lethal in some cases. In fact, .40% is the LD50, meaning it is lethal for 50% of all adults. Known alcoholics may survive at elevated blood alcohol levels, and many feel Heus suffers from problems with alcohol.