A woman crashed a van that had been taken without permission and left the scene on foot, according to charges. Police responded around 5:48 p.m. Sept. 6 to the 5900 block of Birchmont Drive Northeast in Bemidji.
Shawna Lynn Jones Wenell, 24, of Bemidji, is charged with felony motor vehicle theft, gross misdemeanor DWI and misdemeanor failure to notify the owner or police after damaging property in a crash.
Witnesses said the driver was bleeding from her head when she left the van. Officers found Jones Wenell near a tree line with abrasions and cuts, according to the complaint. She acknowledged being the van’s only occupant.
The driver had left the road, run over a mailbox and struck pine trees. A telephone box was also damaged. Officers found Jones Wenell’s license and an open bottle of vodka in the van, the complaint says.
An officer reported an odor of alcohol but did not administer field sobriety tests because of her injuries. Jones Wenell was taken to a hospital, where she declined a preliminary breath test. Police obtained a warrant and collected a blood sample around 7:19 p.m.; the complaint does not include a test result.
Around 9:48 p.m., a deputy received a report that the van had been stolen. The man who used it said he had been away for the day and discovered the van and some alcohol missing when he returned. He said Jones Wenell had been staying at his home but did not have permission to take the van.
The registered owner confirmed he had given the van to that man. A deputy later went to the hospital to interview and arrest Jones Wenell but learned she had already been discharged and did not locate her, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors cite a February 2026 DWI conviction in charging the new impaired-driving offense.
