A Richfield man is facing two counts of felony DWI after an alleged February 9 hit-and-run car accident at the intersection of Highway 7 and County Road 101. Minnetonka Police responded to a report of the car accident and spoke to witnesses at the scene. The people gave law enforcement a description of a vehicle that the witnesses claim rear-ended a second vehicle and the fled from the scene.
Police claim they located a vehicle matching the witnesses’ description and tried to conduct a traffic stop. Law enforcement says the driver sped off, but later pulled over. Based upon what officers claim to have observed after speaking with the driver, police believed the driver may have been under the influence. A preliminary breath test at the roadside stop reportedly returned a 0.061 reading and police took the man into custody.
The man is now accused of first-degree driving while impaired. Authorities apparently had a blood sample drawn after the DWI arrest, and results of that test remain pending. The man was booked into the Hennepin County Jail and bail was set at $100,000. Authorities say that the man also had outstanding warrants from DWI charges in Golden Valley and in a domestic case in Richfield.
The defendant has two previous DWI convictions, according to reports in the media. The prior convictions reportedly were entered last year.
The current felony DWI charges carry stiff potential penalties and harsh consequences under Minnesota DWI and implied consent laws. The man may face up to seven years in prison and up to a $14,000 fine, if convicted of felony DWI.
Source: Minnetonka Patch, “Minnetonka Police Arrest DWI Suspect After Hit-and-Run Crash,” Betsy Sundquist, Feb. 17, 2012