Charges: Woman on Phone Before Crash That Killed Officer

WAYZATA, Minn. (AP) _ Prosecutors have charged an unlicensed driver who struck
and killed a Wayzata police officer who was trying to remove debris from a
highway last week.

Fifty-four-year-old Beth Freeman of Mound was charged with two counts of
criminal vehicular homicide. Freeman is due in court Tuesday.

Authorities allege Freeman was under the influence of drugs and using her
cellphone moments before the crash that killed Officer William Mathews on
Friday. The 47-year-old Mathews had pulled over to the side of eastbound Highway
12 to remove a chunk of metal when he was struck by an SUV.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety says Freeman's license had been canceled because of her poor driving record.

Mathews' funeral will be held Thursday in Plymouth.