Fisher Stop Leads to 0.20 DWI Charge
FISHER, Minnesota — (trfnews.i234.me) — A North Dakota woman faces a gross misdemeanor DWI charge after a June 5 traffic stop.
Rachel Ann Kuhn, 44, of Cavalier, North Dakota, is charged with third-degree driving while impaired.
The case was filed in Polk County District Court under case number 60-CR-26-789.
The charge remains an allegation. Kuhn is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Traffic Stop on Highway 2
According to the complaint, a state trooper was patrolling U.S. Highway 2 at about 8:58 p.m.
The trooper reported seeing a light blue Buick traveling above the posted speed limit.
Radar showed the vehicle moving at 85 mph in a 65 mph zone, the complaint states.
The trooper stopped the Buick as it turned into Fisher.
Kuhn was the driver and only person inside the vehicle, according to the court filing.
The complaint says Kuhn told the trooper she did not realize she was speeding.
The trooper reported seeing bloodshot eyes and smelling a strong odor of alcohol from the vehicle.
Kuhn could not show insurance information because her phone was dead, the complaint states.
She also said her North Dakota license was restricted. She reportedly lacked the required paperwork.
Breath Tests Reportedly Show High Alcohol Level
The complaint says Kuhn first denied drinking alcohol.
She later said she drank Smirnoff around noon that day, according to the filing.
The trooper asked Kuhn to complete several field sobriety tests.
The complaint alleges she failed those tests.
A preliminary breath test reportedly showed an alcohol concentration of 0.217.
Kuhn was then arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired.
She was taken to the Northwest Regional Corrections Center.
The complaint says Kuhn received the Minnesota Implied Consent Advisory.
She said she understood the advisory and declined to contact an attorney, according to the filing.
Kuhn then agreed to an official breath test.
That test reportedly showed an alcohol concentration of 0.20 at 10:03 p.m.
Charge Carries Possible Jail Time and Fine
Minnesota law classifies third-degree DWI as a gross misdemeanor.
The complaint lists a maximum sentence of 364 days in jail and a $3,000 fine.
The charge involves an alleged alcohol concentration of 0.16 or higher.
Readers can review Minnesota’s third-degree DWI law through the state Revisor of Statutes.
Public case information may be available through Minnesota Court Records Online.
The complaint provided for this report does not list a conviction.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.