AUSTIN — An Austin woman pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that she was driving negligently when she crashed her car last May and seriously injured one of her passengers.
Jazmin Claudia Portillo, 19, pleaded not guilty in Mower County District Court to felony charges of criminal vehicular operation resulting in great bodily harm-under the influence of a controlled substance and criminal vehicular operation resulting in great bodily harm-gross negligence. Portillo also pleaded not guilty to reckless driving-great bodily harm, a gross misdemeanor.
Judge Christa Daily ordered that Portillo be released on conditions that she not possess any drugs or alcohol and that she submit to random testing.
Portillo’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 24.
Minnesota State Patrol was called around 4:10 p.m. on May 14, 2018, to a report of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of U.S. Highway 218 and County Road 2 in Lansing Township. A 2001 Chevy Cavalier collided with a 2017 Chevrolet pickup and a 17-year-old girl in the car was seriously injured.
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A trooper spoke with the driver of the car, identified as Portillo, who said that she did not see the pickup truck. The trooper reportedly detected an odor of marijuana coming from inside the car and saw a marijuana bud in the driver’s seat next to Portillo’s left leg, according to court documents.
Portillo told the trooper that she had smoked marijuana but was not currently high, documents read.
Witnesses reported that Portillo’s westbound car had pulled out in front of a southbound pickup from County Road 2. The driver of the pickup, {span}Burton Jay Iversen, told troopers he was southbound and saw the car stopped at the stop sign on County Road 2 and then the car took off across the highway and he struck it.
"Iversen believed he was traveling less than 60 mph at the time of the crash and he was not injured," court documents read. "Iversen said he saw the defendant’s car stop at the stop sign and he believed he could drive by safely … since it was stopped, but the car pulled out in front of him and he could not avoid the collision."
Portillo’s passenger was taken by ambulance to the hospital and then airlifted to Mayo Clinic Hospital – Saint Marys for treatment of life-threatening injuries, according to court documents.
Portillo was taken to the hospital. While there, her blood was drawn following a search warrant. The sample was sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension lab for analysis, according to court records.
