Hennepin County Sgt. Hagen, who arrested a man with 21 prior DWI convictions on New Year's Eve, according to a social media post from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office. (Supplied)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man with 21 previous DWI convictions is facing more charges after he allegedly fled deputies and crashed a pickup truck following a traffic stop on New Year's Eve.
New Year's Eve traffic stop
What we know:
The criminal complaint states that officers stopped a pickup truck they saw driving at least 55 mph in a 35 mph zone in Brooklyn Center on New Year's Eve.
Officers then stopped the truck near the intersection of Osseo Road and Queen Avenue.
The complaint states the driver, Michael James Bowser, 69, told officers he did not have any proof of insurance but did provide a driver's license.
Officers say they smelled alcohol on Bowser, but he denied having any that night.
Bowser was told he was under arrest after deputies found his driving privileges were canceled. The complaint states that Bowser then "put his leg back in the car and put his car in drive and drove away."
Officers say they began to pursue Bowser, but discontinued when they saw him driving between 70 and 80 mph.
Bowser then crashed the pickup truck, according to police, who "observed Defendant crash from a distance", according to the complaint. Bowser was then arrested after a short foot pursuit.
What we don't know: The results of Bowser's toxicology report for the New Year's Eve arrest are still pending.
Past DWI offenses
The backstory:
Court records show Bowser had 21 other DWI convictions before the incident on New Year's Eve.
Bowser's most recent DWI happened in Oct. 2020, which saw him sentenced to 37 months in prison with credit for 151 days served, meaning he spent about 1.75 years in prison because of Minnesota's rule stating most offenders serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison and one-third on supervised release.
Other convictions include interlock violating restrictions, refusing chemical tests, driving after cancelation and other aggravated violations since 1988.
The Source: A criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County Court.