A 55-year-old school Superintendent is facing a potentially career-ending charge after he was allegedly found drunk in a district vehicle. The man has been placed on paid suspension by the school board. It is unclear whether he has retained criminal defense counsel to...
drunk driving
When Is It Better to Refuse a Blood, Breath or Urine Test offered at the Police Station?
Minnesota is one of only a handful of states that makes it a crime to refuse to submit to an official blood, breath or urine test after being arrested on suspicion of DWI / DUI. While that basic idea sounds simple, there are many misconceptions about how the crime is...
Sleeping it off in your car counts as DWI in Minnesota
You have had beverages and you think your blood alcohol is above the legal limit. Maybe you also had a long day at work before your first drink. Before driving home, would it be wise to climb into the back seat of your car and take a nap? Would the police give you a...
Derek Patrin wins boating DWI for his client
Derek Patrin was able to create another success story if you’re one of our clients recently in Dakota County. Our client was charged with boating while impaired on the river after a Fourth of July celebration in Hastings. There was a dispute about whether he was the...
2021 Changes to DWI Law in Minnesota
Every year we see some kind of tweaking and modification of Minnesota’s DWI laws, usually to make penalties harsher. This year had a mix of changes that seem small but will have a big impact on many people who are arrested for DWI. There were also some long-awaited...
Can self-driving cars create more drunk drivers?
A Forbes article argues that smart cars may make drunk drivers more dangerous and common, at least for the near future. The author believes technology is now creating an era of especially hazardous drunk driving that will continue until more advanced autonomous cars...
Is community service better than jail?
An arrest for drunk driving can be a wake up call for some, but it may also result in serious hardships, perhaps for years to come. A conviction for driving while impaired carries potential penalties that may include fines, license suspension and the possibility of...
DWI laws keep getting tougher, but do they work?
You may agree that drunk driving is a problem in Minnesota and nearly every state in the country. In fact, about 10,000 people die in alcohol-related accidents each year, and millions of people admit to having driven under the influence of alcohol at least once....
Michigan investigates Michigan’s breathalyzers for fraud
Like Minnesota and a disturbing number of other states, Michigan faces problems with the breathalyzers it uses during drunk-driving stops. This January, the state stopped a $1.3 million-a-year contract with the company that watches its breathalyzer machines for...
Common questions about field sobriety tests
Getting pulled over can make anyone’s stomach drop. Even if the person is sober or well below the legal limit, field sobriety tests can be unreliable. While many are beginning to question the accuracy of chemical tests, some are beginning to wonder whether field...