Year after Minnesota woman was fatally run over at her mailbox, driver is charged

AITKIN, Minn. – A Deerwood man has been charged after the June 2016 death of an Aitkin County woman fatally struck by a vehicle near her mailbox in north-central Minnesota.

Timothy Paul Kostal, 61, was charged last month with a misdemeanor for careless driving on June 10, 2016, the day of the fatal incident. Kostal is scheduled for a Monday morning arraignment at the Aitkin County Courthouse. If convicted, Kostal could face a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.

Margaret Ann Johnson, 85, was fatally struck near her mailbox near Aitkin, Minn., on June 10, 2016. (Forum News Service" width="1391" />Margaret Ann Johnson, 85, was fatally struck near her mailbox near Aitkin, Minn., on June 10, 2016. (Forum News Service)

Margaret Ann Johnson, 85, was found dead on the shoulder of Minnesota 47 about 3.5 miles east of Aitkin. She was found near the end of her driveway by her mailbox.

Bonnie O’Neill, Johnson’s daughter, said because someone was charged with a crime in the death of her mother, the family can start the process of finding closure. Johnson’s family isn’t happy with the level of the charge Kostal faces, she said, but she knows her mother would want her family to forgive Kostal.

“She taught us always to forgive,” O’Neill said. “And this is something that it’s very hard to forgive someone (for).”

Forgiveness won’t come right away, O’Neill said, but the family is starting the process of trying to forgive Kostal. Johnson was a woman of faith and her church community meant a lot to her, she said, and with those things comes forgiveness.

Johnson was an avid Minnesota Twins fan and brought a “Circle Me Bert” sign to a game for her birthday one year. Her and her grandchildren made it on TV with their sign, O’Neill said, which was really exciting for her.

Johnson was active in her church, St. James Catholic Church in Aitkin, O’Neill said. She counted money once a month, was in the quilting group and served meals for funerals. Her volunteer streak extended to Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin, where she volunteered in the cafeteria as a cashier. It didn’t matter who went through Johnson’s line in the cafeteria, she gave everyone a smile and told them to enjoy their meal.

Johnson greeted people like she had known them forever, O’Neill said, often with a hug. The day she died, Johnson was making food for relatives coming to visit.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Aitkin County District Court, at about 12:57 p.m. June 10, 2016, a woman called and reported a person had just been hit on Highway 47. About one minute later, Kostal called the Aitkin County sheriff’s office and reported a woman lying along Highway 47 near the end of a driveway. The responding deputy saw a variety of cuts, bruises and scratches on Johnson, who was pronounced dead at 1:44 p.m.

On June 11, 2016, the Ramsey County medical examiner’s office determined Johnson’s cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries due to automobile-pedestrian collision.

A Minnesota State Patrol investigator spoke to Kostal, who said he saw Johnson lying on the side of the road and drove past her before he stopped. He then backed up and got out of his truck to check on Johnson. On June 16, 2016, Kostal told the investigator he did not think he ran over Johnson, but he must have.

Kostal gave the investigator permission to photograph the tires on his Dodge Ram pickup truck. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension lab determined the tire impressions on the back of Johnson’s pants and shirt were similar in general tread design to the tire from the photos.

On June 27, 2016, investigators interviewed Kostal. He said he did not realize until after speaking with officers that he could have run over Johnson “and expressed remorse at the possibility.”

The following day, Kostal told investigators he continued thinking about what happened to Johnson. He said he “had a sick feeling that I did it.”

A search warrant was issued for Kostal’s pickup. The BCA lab determined the largest impression on the back of Johnson’s left pant leg corresponded in general tread design and in general size and spacing to a single area on each of the known tires. A second impression on the back of Johnson’s right pant leg and the tire impression on the shirt also corresponded in general to the known tires.