Minneapolis Woman Charged With Child Endangerment, DWI After Crash With Three Children in Vehicle
Hennepin County Jail Booking Photo
Published: August 14th, 2026.
MINNEAPOLIS: A Minneapolis woman is facing multiple gross misdemeanor charges after prosecutors allege she drove while impaired with her three young children in the vehicle before crashing into a utility trailer.
Kiana Monique McConnell, 29, has been charged in Hennepin County with child endangerment, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and refusing to submit to a court-authorized chemical test.
According to the criminal complaint, Minneapolis police were dispatched to a residence at approximately 6:18 p.m. on July 14 after receiving a report that a vehicle had crashed into the front yard.
A witness, who told police he was an emergency doctor and lived at the residence, reported hearing the crash and immediately going outside. The complaint alleges McConnell's vehicle had struck a utility trailer parked along the street, pushing the trailer into a hill in the witness's yard.
The witness told officers he saw a woman exit the vehicle and remove several young children. He assisted them and reported that the woman appeared to be impaired, according to the complaint.
Police identified the driver as McConnell. Officers reported that she was slurring her speech, appeared unsteady on her feet and initially refused to provide her name or answer questions.
The complaint alleges McConnell physically resisted when officers attempted to arrest her. Police reported smelling an alcoholic beverage coming from her as they restrained her. After she was handcuffed, officers said she refused to sit in a squad car and had to be physically placed inside.
Three children, ages 7, 5 and 1, were at the scene and were being cared for by bystanders. Child Protection later determined that McConnell was their mother, according to the complaint.
The children were taken to a hospital for evaluation and later released to their father. One of the children suffered a cut to the lip, the complaint states.
Police documented extensive evidence from the crash scene, including deployed airbags. According to the probable cause statement, tire marks indicated McConnell's vehicle had traveled on the opposite side of a boulevard separating lanes of traffic before crossing through the greenway and striking the utility trailer.
An officer later obtained a search warrant authorizing the collection of a blood or urine sample from McConnell. Prosecutors allege she was advised that refusing to provide a sample was a crime but refused to comply.
McConnell is charged with three gross misdemeanors. The child endangerment charge alleges she intentionally or recklessly placed her children in a situation likely to substantially harm their physical health or cause death. The DWI charge alleges an aggravating factor was present.
McConnell was out of custody at the time the criminal complaint was filed.
The allegations contained in a criminal complaint are accusations and have not been proven in court. McConnell is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.