DIGGING DEEPER: Legal history of twins accused of deception in deadly Amish buggy crash

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Now that criminal charges are filed against the Petersen twins, the Kellogg women accused of a coverup in last fall’s deadly Amish buggy crash in Fillmore County, KTTC is digging deeper into the 35-year-olds’ legal history.

Authorities said one sister, Sarah, claimed to be the driver in the crash that killed two children on September 25, 2023. According to court records, Sarah was covering for her identical twin, Samantha, who was allegedly on drugs at the time of the collision on County Road 1 in Sumner Township.

Below are the most recent jail booking photos for Samantha Petersen and Sarah Petersen. They date back to 2016 and 2017.

There are no current jail photos as neither sister has been arrested in connection with their alleged involvement in the 2023 death investigation. The Petersens are charged, but haven’t been booked, which is a decision a judge can make when signing off on criminal charges.

The twins have proven to be difficult for law enforcement to tell apart and not just because of their physical similarities. According to online court records, the sisters have tried to fool officers on several occasions by pretending to be one another.

One such instance happened in September 2017, in a criminal complaint filed in Fillmore County against Sarah. It stemmed from a traffic stop in Spring Valley. According to the document, the driver told the sheriff’s deputy her name was Samantha. However, while running the driver’s information, another deputy told the responding officer, “Sam Petersen has a twin sister named Sarah, who has given Samantha’s name in past interactions with law enforcement.” When later confronted by the deputy, Sarah admitted to lying about her identify, stating she didn’t have a license and couldn’t afford a ticket or to be arrested. She told the deputy she was “sorry and should never have done this.”

From 2014 to 2021, Sarah has had 11 state cases filed against her. According to court records, she’s seen 16 state court convictions of misdemeanor offenses, ranging from drug charges to driving without a license or insurance, and providing a false name to authorities. Those charges were out of Fillmore, Mower and Olmsted counties. Three were for giving a false name to law enforcement. Sarah also has a 2022 federal drug conviction, for which she remains on probation.

Samantha has had 15 state cases filed between 2007 and 2023. Court documents indicate those cases have resulted in 19 misdemeanor convictions for drug charges, speeding, driving without a license or insurance, and disorderly conduct. Like her twin, Samantha has appeared in Fillmore, Mower and Olmsted District Courts. She has one conviction tied to providing law enforcement with a false name.

Both Samantha and Sarah have had an arrest warrant issued after failing to appear on a court summons in the past. Again, pertaining to last week’s charges, neither sister has been arrested, with the judge instead signing off on summonses for their respective first court appearances on March 25 and April 1. Together, the Petersens face 37 charges, mostly felony charges, for last fall’s traffic crash that took the lives of Irma Miller, 11, and Wilma Miller, 7, of rural Stewartville.

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