Bemidji Man Charged After DWI Test Refusal

Beltrami County (trfnews.i234.me) — A Cass Lake man is facing DWI charges after authorities say he refused chemical testing following a traffic stop in Bemidji.

Kenneth Todd Rodriguez, 63, of Cass Lake, has been charged in Beltrami County District Court with refusing to submit to a chemical test after a suspected impaired driving incident.

The charges were filed in the 9th Judicial District Court of Minnesota. Rodriguez faces two gross misdemeanor counts related to DWI test refusal.

Traffic Stop Leads To DWI Investigation

Court documents state the incident happened on June 30, 2026, in Bemidji.

According to the criminal complaint, a vehicle was stopped after officers observed equipment violations on U.S. Highway 2 near Animal Land Drive SE.

The complaint states the vehicle had a non-working license plate light, a non-working passenger-side tail light, and a suspended object inside the vehicle.

The driver was identified as Kenneth Todd Rodriguez.

Investigators reported Rodriguez showed signs that suggested possible impairment. Those signs included watery eyes, glassy eyes, difficulty sitting still, and repeated fidgeting.

Rodriguez reportedly denied drinking alcohol and said he was traveling from Cass Lake to Bemidji.

Field Tests Conducted

The complaint states that Rodriguez completed several standardized field sobriety tests.

According to court records, Rodriguez showed multiple indicators during the tests.

Officials reported problems during the walk-and-turn test and the one-leg stand test.

A preliminary breath test showed a result of 0.000, according to the complaint.

Investigators believed Rodriguez may have been impaired by a controlled substance rather than alcohol.

Kenneth Todd Rodriguez booking photo.

Chemical Test Refusal Alleged

Rodriguez was taken into custody and transported to Sanford Hospital for chemical testing.

Court documents state that a judge approved a search warrant for blood or urine testing.

The complaint states that Rodriguez had mentioned recently taking gabapentin.

After initially agreeing to provide a sample, Rodriguez allegedly refused both blood and urine testing.

The complaint states that Rodriguez said he was refusing because it would “look bad” if drugs appeared in the results.

Previous DWI Convictions Listed

Court records show Rodriguez has previous DWI convictions within the past ten years.

The complaint lists a 2020 conviction for second-degree DWI refusal and a 2018 gross misdemeanor DWI conviction.

The current charges include allegations of refusing testing after a valid search warrant was issued.

All charges are allegations. Rodriguez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

More information about Minnesota court cases can be found through the Minnesota Judicial Branch website.

I’m Adrian Cole, reporting for TRF News.