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Minn. Trooper Accused of Covering Up Car Crash Resigns

The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A state trooper who was charged with misconduct for allegedly lying to cover up her own high-speed crash with a private car has resigned.

Trooper Jennifer Lee Schneider resigned Thursday just before she was to testify as part of an internal affairs investigation, KMSP-TV reported.

Schneider, 26, allegedly told investigators that she was chasing a motorist who ran a red light while on her way to watch her husband play in a hockey game. While pursuing the vehicle, she said she collided with the private car in Eagan.

After further investigation, police found that Schneider was not in a pursuit, but she was taking an off-duty colleague to the hockey game when the Dec. 18 accident occurred. Prosecutors say Schneider used the squad car’s lights and siren and reached speeds up of to 126 mph before the crash.

Schneider was charged with one count of misconduct of a public employee, a gross misdemeanor, and three lesser misdemeanors in Dakota County District Court.

Although her resignation ends the State Patrol’s internal investigation, the criminal investigation remains open.