Woodbury woman sentenced for crash that killed former Lakeland Shores mayor

Gabrielle Lombard, Pioneer Press
·1 min read
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A Woodbury woman who fatally struck a former Lakeland Shores mayor along Interstate 94 in 2019 has been sentenced to jail for three segments of about 80 days each.

Brenda Hafemann, 54, who pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in May, was ordered to serve the jail time between September and November this year, next year and in 2024. The months fall within the dates of Randy Kopesky’s birth and death.

Hafemann was headed west on I-94 on Nov. 3, 2019, when her Kia Sorrento struck Randy Kopesky on the shoulder of the highway near the St. Croix rest area, just west of the Wisconsin border. Kopesky, the 65-year-old Lakeland Shores city council member and former mayor, had stopped to adjust a strap on a snowmobile trailer he was towing with his Chevrolet.

In keeping with a plea agreement, Washington County District Judge Douglas Meslow sentenced Hafemann to five years of probation and four years in prison. The prison sentence was set aside as long as she does not violate the terms of probation, which include making restitution and not driving.

Hafemann has a lengthy history of traffic infractions, including speeding, driving after suspension and careless driving, according to court records in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Her vehicle was involved in more than 30 driving-related complaints or traffic stops between 2015 and 2019, including three non-fatal crashes in 2018, according to the criminal complaint filed in Washington County District Court.

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