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Mother Of Hit-And-Run Driver Charged With Being An Accomplice

By Bill Hudson, WCCO-TV and By Edgar Linares, NewsRadio 830 WCCO

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The mother of the man accused of intentionally running over four people in Dinkytown has been charged for helping to cover up the crime.

On a rainy day in a middle-class Roseville neighborhood the shock and sadness is still very raw. Residents have been following the news stories of Timothy and Diane Bakdash, but find it difficult to comprehend.

"It's a sad situation for everybody, I'm sure. It's too bad people were hurt and families torn apart," said a woman who asked for anonymity.

An argument at the Library Bar is what police say motivated Timothy Bakdash, 29, to allegedly run down the group of University of Minnesota students on April 15.

Bakdash's mother, Diane Bakdash, 66, was arrested Monday night when she attempted to visit her son in the Hennepin County Jail.

Court papers say witnesses heard Diane Bakdash tell Timothy to get rid of the car that struck a total of four people, including Ben Van Handel, who died of his injuries. Timothy is charged with second-degree murder for the incident.

Investigators say witnesses told them she also signed over the car's title and sold it for $1,500 to another party.

"We wouldn't have had anything on this unless citizens came forward and told us what they saw and heard," said Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan.

Diane Bakdash is charged with being an accomplice after the fact of the crime.

The Bakdash family was well-known and well-respected, as both parents are medical professionals. Suddenly, a family already torn apart by a divorce is now dealing with both mother and son in jail.

"The case is just beginning," said defense attorney Joe Tamburino. "Whenever there's such heated attention in the media about a serious crime, like this, you really have to wait and see and have patience. Obviously, it's a very serious case and very tragic case."

But the case became even stranger when it was confirmed by the university that the defendant's father, Bashar Bakdash, is a professor and director of the Division of Periodontology in the School of Dentistry.

Unlike his former wife, the elder Bakdash is not implicated in his son's case.

Diane Bakdash works part-time as a registered nurse at the Stone Creek Psychiatric Clinic in Chanhassen.

Her first court appearance will be Wednesday afternoon. Timothy Bakdash appeared in court Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

WCCO's Dave Lee Interviews Chief Tim Dolan

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