The driver of a van that struck a school bus in a crash that left four students dead in rural southwestern Minnesota was arrested Thursday, officials said.

Alianiss Nunez Morales, 23, of Minneota, was booked into the Lyon County jail in Marshall on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation.

County Attorney Rick Maes said he hoped to file formal charges against Morales on Friday after reviewing additional reports from law enforcement, including witness statements.

Authorities were continuing to investigate the crash Thursday but were sending Maes information as they obtained it, said Lt. Brian West of the Minnesota State Patrol. The criminal vehicular operation charge means "driving conduct contributed to the death of another human being," West said.
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It remained unclear whether Morales had a valid driver's license, and West declined to comment. She was convicted in 2006 of driving without a valid driver's license, according to court records.

Morales was driving a van on Tuesday afternoon heading east on County Road 24, which has a stop sign as it intersects with state Highway 23, the road the bus was traveling. The van struck the bus, which rolled over onto a truck.

The driver of the truck told a Twin Cities newspaper that he saw the van run the stop sign.

"I saw the maroon van run a stop sign, it blew over the railroad tracks and hit the bus, sending it sliding into me," James M. Hancock, 45, of Marshall, told the newspaper from his hospital bed in Sioux Falls, S.D. "The next thing I knew, they were hauling kids out and it was chaos."

Hancock, who remained in fair condition, did not want to give interviews Thursday, said Kenyon Gleason, a spokesman for Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls, S.D.

West said he couldn't say whether Morales ran the stop sign and wouldn't discuss the circumstances of the crash.

"We've been examining as much information as we can, but we're not able to discuss that at this point," he said.

Before the arrest, Morales could not be reached for comment and did not have a listed phone number.

There are six levels of criminal vehicular operation under Minnesota law, and all but one are considered serious felonies. The charge comes when someone causes harm to another person while operating a vehicle in a grossly negligent manner or when under the influence of alcohol.

The crash killed brothers Jesse Javens, 13, and Hunter Javens, 9, both of Cottonwood; Reed Stevens, 12, of Marshall; and Emilee Olson, 9, of Cottonwood. They were among the 28 students on the Lakeview School bus. At least 14 other people were hurt.

Top left: 13-year-old Jesse Javens and brother 9-year-old Hunter Javens of Cottonwood.
Bottom left: 9-year-old Emilee Olson of Cottonwood and 12-year-old Reed Stevens of Marshall

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