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1,140 arrested in Labor Day weekend DWI enforcement; highest BAC was 0.44

By FOX 9 Staff
Published  September 13, 2023 4:12pm CDT
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MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - More than 1,000 people were arrested for impaired driving during the statewide Labor Day DWI crackdown, with several people having a blood-alcohol content more than double the legal limit.

In total, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said 1,140 motorists were arrested for driving impaired between Aug. 18 and Sept. 4.

At least 17 people had a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.3 or higher, which is more than three times the legal limit to drive of 0.08. The highest BACs recorded during the crackdown were: 

  • Nobles County Sheriff’s Office (0.44)
  • St. Paul Police Department (0.43)
  • Faribault Police Department (0.41)
  • Anoka Police Department (0.39)
  • Crosby Police Department (0.377)

Authorities highlighted a few arrests: 

  • The Becker County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle for speeding. The driver was arrested for a controlled substance DWI. Over 145 grams of methamphetamine and cocaine mixed with fentanyl were also recovered.
  • Blooming Prairie police arrested a driver for first-degree DWI. The driver had five prior convictions in the last 10 years.
  • The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office responded to a single-vehicle crash. Before deputies arrived, the passenger in the crash tried driving the vehicle from the scene. Both the driver and passenger were arrested for DWI.
  • A Minnesota State Patrol trooper in the Marshall district responded to a crash. An intoxicated driver rear-ended another vehicle at a stop sign. A breath test showed the driver had a 0.330 BAC. They were taken to detox due to the level of intoxication.
  • Oak Park Heights police arrested two different drivers for DWI. One from a road rage incident and the other from a wrong-way driving complaint.
  • The Winona County Sheriff’s Office arrested the same driver twice in three days for DWI.
  • Minnesota State Patrol troopers stopped a driver for going 107 mph in a 70 mph zone. They arrested the driver for DWI with a 0.14 BAC. Another driver was speeding 99 mph in a 60 mph and was arrested for DWI with a 0.13 BAC

The agency that made the most DWI arrests during the crackdown was the Minnesota State Patrol in Golden Valley, which made 84 arrests. St. Paul Police Department came in at No. 2 with 42 arrests, followed by the Minnesota State Patrol in Oakdale, which made 33 arrests. In greater Minnesota, the agencies that made the most arrests were the Minnesota State Patrol in Duluth (23 arrests), the Minnesota State Patrol in St. Cloud (22 arrests), and the Morrison County Sheriff's Office (23 arrests). 

So far this year, law enforcement officers have arrested 19,035 motorists for DWI, that's up from last year at this time when 18,223 motorists were arrested as of Sept. 11, 2022. Crash data show alcohol-related crashes contribute to an average of 376 life-changing injuries each year.