All charges against a woman accused of trying to kill a motorcyclist on U.S. Highway 83 north of Bismarck four years ago have been dismissed.

Court documents indicate the moves came after suspect Dazechnae Willis underwent a mental health evaluation that Burleigh County State's Attorney Julie Lawyer said determined Willis was "actively mentally ill at the time of the offenses suffering from bipolar disorder with psychosis to an extent that her mental illness interfered with her ability to understand the harmful nature of her conduct."

Willis had faced felony charges of intentional murder, aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon, and reckless endangerment. She could have faced up to 20 years in prison on the attempted murder charge, and up to 40 years if convicted on all three counts.

Authorities alleged that Willis on Aug. 28, 2019, was driving an SUV with her two young children in the vehicle when she struck a motorcycle from the rear about 4 miles north of Baldwin.

Motorcycle rider Kelsey Schaefer, then 42, of Wilton, and the bike were thrown under the tandem axles of a semitrailer. He suffered a serious brain injury and multiple other injuries that required months of hospitalization and physical therapy, the Highway Patrol said in an affidavit.

Willis and her children were not injured. The 28-year-old Willis was living in Minot at the time but later moved to Denver. She wasn't charged until more than two years after the crash "due to the complex nature of the investigation and getting records to determine appropriate charges," Lawyer told the Tribune in late 2021.

Data downloaded from Willis’ vehicle showed she was going 107 mph and accelerating just before the crash, and there were no signs that she hit her brakes, Trooper Robert Moyle testified at Willis’ preliminary hearing in January 2022.

Lawyer at that hearing said the evidence showed the crash was "an intentional act," though she did not offer a possible motive. She said in a later court filing that "From the evidence, it appeared the defendant intentionally ran down Schaefer, although there is no evidence that the defendant even know who Schaefer was."

South Central District Judge Bonnie Storbakken in June 2022 ordered Willis to undergo a psychological evaluation.

Lawyer this past March moved to dismiss the attempted murder charge against Willis "for the reason that due to the information provided in the mental health evaluation, the state does not believe it would be able to prove intent."

Willis in March changed her plea on the two lesser felonies to not guilty due to lack of criminal responsibility. Storbakken three days later found Willis not guilty on those charges for that reason. The judge ordered Willis committed to a treatment facility and said the court would retain jurisdiction for up to five years.

Court documents show the two lesser charges against Willis were formally dismissed earlier this month, following a conference involving the judge and attorneys regarding the status of the case.

Willis' status is unclear. Storbakken's order dismissing the charges does not list any conditions. Willis is not listed as being in any facility in North Dakota under the control of the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Neither Lawyer nor defense attorneys Robert Quick and Kyle Weinberger responded to Tribune requests for comment.

Schaefer suffered permanent brain damage and "can no longer work in the capacity he did before the crash," Lawyer said in a court document.