Most drivers know that Minnesota law places the legal limit for alcohol for a Minnesota driver at 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration. However, Minnesota’s driving while impaired and implied consent laws also have other friction points related to a driver’s alcohol level.
For instance, a reading measuring 0.16 BAC or greater can increase the length of the license revocation period associated with the DWI arrest. If a breath, blood or alcohol test returns a result of 0.20 percent BAC, prosecutors can seek a gross misdemeanor level offense, even on a first-time DWI offense.
Recently, a Plymouth man was charged with third-degree DWI after a breath test allegedly registered a 0.24 percent BAC reading. A third-degree DWI in Minnesota is a gross misdemeanor level offense, which carries a potential sentence of up to a year in jail and a potential fine of up to $3,000. However, for the 40-year-old Plymouth man, the criminal allegations also include a felony charge on the claim that the driver fled from police in his car before his arrest.
Authorities allege that a Crystal Police officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop for an alleged speeding violation in Interstate 394 around 1:45 a.m. August 19. Crystal Police claim that the driver sped up to 80 miles per hour, and that the driver initially refused to stop. Law enforcement says that the Plymouth man drove onto the exit ramp for Louisiana, and pulled over at the top of the ramp.
During the traffic stop, the officer says that he conducted a DWI investigation, ultimately arrested the 40-year-old driver. He has been charged felony fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and gross misdemeanor DWI. The man reportedly was released from jail on a $25,000 bond and is reportedly next scheduled to appear in Hennepin County District Court September 19.
Source: Plymouth Patch, “Plymouth Man Charged with DWI, Fleeing Police at 80 MPH,” Betsy Sundquist, Sept. 4, 2012
