After weeks of speculation, Amy Senser was charged today with one felony count of criminal vehicular homicide for her part in a hit and run crash in August that resulted in the death of Minneapolis chef Anousone Phanthavong.
Senser, 45, was booked on Thursday morning, with bail set at $150,000. If convicted, she faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. It is expected that she will make bail and be released later in the day.
The accused is the wife of former Minnesota Vikings player Joe Senser, who owns a chain of popular Joe Senser’s Restaurant and Sports Theater establishments at four locations in the Twin Cities.
Many believe that the family’s high-profile standing in the community afforded them special consideration, in a process that dragged on for three weeks before charges were filed.
The Senser’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, notified police a full 24-hours after the hit and run crime occurred, giving them the address where they would find the Mercedes-Benz SUV that was involved in the hit and run crash that occurred at 11:00 p.m. on August 23.
The identity of the SUV driver was not made known to police until the family lawyer paved the way for his client, Amy Senser, to released a statement on September 2, 2011, admitting that she caused a death and left the scene.
Phanthavong’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Senser family last week. Their attorney, Jim Schwebel, said on Thursday that the family is relieved that criminal charges have finally been filed.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled on Wednesday that the death was accidental.
Check out more photos taken after her release, and view a video report below:
Photos: Video Screen Grabs, Hennepin County Jail