( CNN ) -- A North Dakota woman who police say was using Facebook on her cellphone when she crashed into another car is accused of negligent homicide in the death of a great-grandmother during the May accident . Abby Sletten , 20 , appeared in Traill County District Court on Wednesday to face a count of negligent homicide , court documents said . Sletten is accused of driving 85 mph on a North Dakota highway May 27 while using her cellphone when her car rear-ended an SUV . Jennifer Meyers was driving the SUV with her daughter and 89-year-old grandmother , according to an affidavit . A witness told police he saw Meyers ' brake lights and turn signal when Sletten 's Ford Escape plowed into the car on Interstate 29 . Sletten did not brake and nearly hit the witness ' vehicle after striking Meyers ' SUV , according to the affidavit . Meyers ' grandmother , Phyllis Gordon , a Minnesota resident , was a passenger in the front seat and died on the scene , the affidavit said . Meyers and her daughter Paige , who also live in Minnesota , were treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries , the court documents said . Investigators later obtained a warrant to search Sletten 's phone and determined she was looking at photos on her mobile Facebook app at the time of the crash , according to the affidavit . She had also sent text messages while driving . The lack of skid marks on the road suggested Sletten did not see Meyers ' car in front of her , the documents said . Police obtained a warrant and arrested Sletten on August 27 . North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt . Bryan Niewind said it is against state law to compose or read electronic messages while driving . Although many car accidents happen because of distracted driving , it 's difficult to determine whether cellphone usage is the cause unless officials are able to search the suspect 's phone , as they did in Sletten 's case , Niewind said . `` We do get behind vehicles and all of a sudden they 're weaving on the road , '' Traill County Sheriff Mike Crocker told CNN affiliate KVLY/KXJB . `` We do initiate a traffic stop and try to find out what 's going on . Texting and driving to me ... is becoming a very serious problem . '' The North Dakota texting and driving law , enacted in 2011 , prohibits drivers from reading , writing and sending electronic messages , including email , KVLY/KXJB reported . The law carries a $ 100 fine , but Crocker said a tougher law was needed . `` We got ta have a reason for them to not text and drive , '' the sheriff told KVLY/KXJB . According to a 2011 survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , drivers between 18 and 20 have the `` highest incidence of crash or near-crash experience , '' and report the highest level of phone involvement at the time of a crash or near crash . At least half the drivers said talking on a phone made no difference in how they drive . Two out of 10 drivers said they drove more slowly when talking on the phone , according to the NHTSA survey . Sletten , a resident of Hatton , is to appear in court October 8 . Her lawyer , Bruce Quick , declined to comment . Traill County State Prosecuting Attorney Stuart Larson was out of town and unavailable for comment . According to Paulette Bowersox , clerk of Traill County District Court , bail was set at $ 5,000 . Survey : Adults text more than teens while driving .
Abby Sletten charged with homicide after she crashed car while using her phone . Phyllis Gordon , 89 , was killed in the May 27 collision on a North Dakota highway . Investigators say Sletten was viewing Facebook photos at time of accident .