Charges against Carolyn Mortensen for leaving the scene of an accident, will be dismissed, Ben Smith, Sac County Attorney, announced today. The charges were filed against Mortensen, 56, of Wall Lake following an incident in which a school bus struck and injured a seven-year-old Odebolt girl.
Smith noted "The Sac County Sheriff’s Office did an excellent job investigating this matter and the resulting criminal charges were certainly appropriate; however, the decision whether to pursue a criminal conviction rests solely with the county attorney.”
“It is our (Sac County Attorney’s Office) policy to consider the totality of the circumstances and make this decision based on common sense and fairness, rather than a bare application of law to facts,” Smith added.
Smith ended by stating “A one-size-fits-all approach to the law cannot account for a split second decision made in the midst of the chaos and confusion that followed the accident. The ends of justice would not be served by prosecuting someone who had zero criminal intent and who has dedicated her life to caring for and protecting children.”
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