Minneapolis Man Whose Vehicle was Hit by a Train is Convicted of Felony DWI in Beltrami County
Twincities.com reports that a Minneapolis man was convicted of felony DWI in Beltrami County after being involved in a near-fatal accident with a train. The man’s vehicle came to rest on train tracks and apparently was struck by a train while the man was in the vehicle. Deputies found the man lying half outside the badly damaged vehicle.
This was the man’s fourth DWI incident in 10 years. The court adjudicated him guilty of felony DWI and sentenced him to serve 180 days in jail, with 36 months of prison time hanging over his head for seven years of probation, […]
2,573 DWI Arrests in December According to Minnesota DPS
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety recently released the results of its December “enhanced DWI enforcement campaign” in Minnesota. Law enforcement agencies from around the state reported a total of 2,573 DWI arrests. The State Patrol, which reportedly has 591 uniformed troopers, accounted for 606 arrests.
In the Twin Cities, the Minneapolis P.D. arrested the most drivers – 62 arrests. The Bloomington P.D. and St. Paul P.D. finished tied with 52 arrests, followed by Eden Prairie P.D. (42), Carver County Sheriff’s Office (32), Robbinsdale P.D. (30), Crystal P.D. (29), Edina P.D. (24), and Maplewood P.D. (22).
Considering that 29,918 DWI arrests occurred […]
Appellate Court Affirms Felony DWI Enhancement Based on Prior Misdemeanor CVO Conviction under 609.13
In the published opinion of State v. Coleman filed on January 3, 2012, the Court of Appeals ruled that the defendant’s 2010 DWI incident was enhanceable to felony DWI based solely on defendant’s 1990 conviction for criminal vehicular operation (“CVO” – DWI involving great bodily harm), which by operation of law became a misdemeanor on defendant’s record in 1995. In 1990, the defendant was convicted of the felony-level offense of CVO, and the court imposed a “stay of imposition,” which meant that upon successful discharge from probation in 1995, the offense level decreased from a felony […]
Minnesota Supreme Court Grants Review of Important DWI Forfeiture Case
On January 17, 2012, the Minnesota Supreme Court granted review of an important DWI forfeiture case that the Minnesota Court of Appeals decided in favor of the vehicle’s owner. The case is Patino v. One 2007 Chevrolet.
In October 2011, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that the court must order the return of the seized vehicle if the alleged offender appears in court and is not convicted of the alleged DWI offense triggering the initial forfeiture (usually First or Second Degree DWI/Test Refusal). The Court of Appeals […]