Bemidji (trfnews.i234.me) Derek James Hunt has been charged in Beltrami County after a vehicle struck Lakes Liquor in Bemidji, according to a criminal complaint.
The complaint says the crash happened around 12:30 p.m. on November 10, 2025. It says a tan GMC Yukon drove over a parking barrier and hit a wooden beam that supported an awning outside the business on Irvine Avenue Northwest. The beam was broken and fell to the ground, according to the filing.
What the complaint says happened
According to the complaint, surveillance video showed a man driving the Yukon. A woman was also in the vehicle. The complaint says the SUV left the scene soon after the impact.
Investigators later tracked the Yukon to a used car lot on Fairgrounds Road. The vehicle owner told law enforcement the SUV had just returned from a test drive, the complaint says. Authorities then went to a home in Beltrami County and found Derek James Hunt there.
The complaint says Hunt told authorities he had a broken ankle and that caused him to hit the post. The filing also says his driver’s license was canceled as inimical to public safety.
According to the complaint, a preliminary breath test showed an alcohol concentration of 0.0. The filing says Hunt showed signs that led investigators to suspect drug impairment. The complaint says a search warrant was obtained for a urine sample.
Charges filed in court
Hunt is charged with first-degree DWI and driving after cancellation. The felony DWI count alleges his body contained a Schedule I or II controlled substance, or its metabolite, other than marijuana. The second count is a gross misdemeanor.
The complaint also points to a prior felony DWI conviction from 2016. It lists several other past convictions, including drug, fleeing, theft, and driving-after-cancellation offenses.
What comes next
The case was filed in Beltrami County District Court. A complaint is only an accusation. The charges must still be proven in court.
Readers can review the official Minnesota DWI law, the driving after cancellation statute, search public records through Minnesota Court Records Online, or visit the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
Thats bemidji for u lol
Dan Garrison dont take offense no ones pointing fingers at a specific someone. bemidji has a high population of alcoholics and people suffering from addiction. Most of crime in bemidji is alcohol or drug related. If youre in denial of that then maybe take a walk around town and see for yourself. I know plenty of people that are just working people caring for kids, which is a good population. But you’ve obviously never seen the bad side of bemidji, which most good honest people haven’t, but from my experience, and I have a lot experience of alcoholism, there a very much dark side of this town that people tend to brush off and ignore. Im sure you’ve seen an occasional addict here and there but if you’ve never walked with them you would NOT understand how dark the energy this place has. TO THIS DAY even tho im sober people stray away from me because of how I look. TEENAGERS ride by me on Irvine yelling the n word at the top of their lungs or “BUM” or “TWEAKER”. Its just the bad energy this place has that affects people’s OPINIONS, I cant stress this enough, OPINIONS of our town
Smashed the bank in Ackley and now the liquor store in Bemidji. Never a dull moment up here…
Mayb he thought it was a drive through. 😉😉
Wrong turn .how does one not see
Go Bemidjiiiiii!
He needs to get charged good . Going to kill somebody .