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Accused hijacker agrees to mental evaluation

By Sara QuamJewel Stands, the 18-year-old woman accused of hijacking a bus north of Luverne, agreed in a Monday hearing to be committed for further mental evaluation.It was her first court appearance for the alleged Feb. 17 crime.Luverne attorney Ben Vander Kooi is representing Stands.Vander Kooi and Assistant Rock County Attorney Terry Vajgrt came to an agreement on the commitment evaluation.Stands was reportedly on the Jefferson Lines bus from Minneapolis to visit her grandmother in Sioux Falls. Dispatchers received a call from a passenger at about 3 p.m. saying that a passenger had a four-bladed knife and was threatening the bus driver.Several squad cars from Rock County and Minnesota State Patrol caught up with the bus just north of Luverne. The bus continued south through town at about 50 to 60 mph, with officers in front and behind.Rock County Sheriff Mike Winkels said the bus came through town just minutes before school dismissal, so he took extra precautions at intersections.Officers from nearby South Dakota communities were also involved in the stop, just west of Beaver Creek on Interstate 90.Two passengers and the driver were injured.Stands will probably be charged this week with terroristic threat and assault. There is no specific charge for "hijacking."

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