Hubbard County (trfnews.i234.me) — A Bemidji man faces a drug DWI charge after a Highway 2 stop.
Steven Christopher Mapes, 36, is charged with second-degree DWI, a gross misdemeanor.
The case is filed in Hubbard County District Court, Ninth Judicial District.
The court file is 29-CR-26-155.
The prosecutor’s file is 26CR01072.
Traffic stop on Highway 2
The complaint says a sheriff’s deputy stopped Mapes at about 3:53 pm on Feb. 23, 2026.
The stop was near Highway 2 and Beltrami Line Road.
The deputy reported partly blocked Alaska plates.
The deputy also reported registration that expired in 2023.
The deputy asked for registration and insurance, the complaint says.
The deputy reported long delays in Mapes’s answers.
The deputy described Mapes as unusually nervous.
The complaint lists two passengers in the truck.
They are David Newago Sr and Garrett Lee Racette.
Reported signs of impairment
The complaint says the deputy saw signs of impairment.
The deputy described watery eyes and fixed pupils.
The deputy also described droopy eyelids.
The deputy wrote that Mapes had rigid muscle tone.
Mapes first refused to discuss his passengers, the complaint says.
He later agreed to field sobriety tests.
The complaint says Mapes asked to “blow and go.”
The deputy said he did not suspect alcohol impairment.
The deputy reported clues on several tests, the complaint says.
Those tests included the eye test and the one-leg stand.
The complaint also lists a Romberg test and a walk-and-turn test.
The deputy arrested Mapes for DWI, the complaint says.
Warrant, urine sample, and charge
A judge approved a warrant for a blood or urine sample, the complaint says.
The deputy warned Mapes that refusal was a crime.
Mapes later provided a urine sample.
Mapes is charged under Minnesota law.
Prosecutors cite
Minn. Stat. § 169A.20
and
Minn. Stat. § 169A.25.
The complaint alleges a Schedule I or II drug, or its metabolite.
It excludes cannabis and hemp products.
The complaint also alleges at least two aggravating factors.
The complaint lists a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail.
It also lists a $3,000 fine.
Prior record and what’s next
The complaint says Mapes has two prior DWI convictions within 10 years.
It also lists a fifth-degree drug possession conviction.
Charges are allegations.
A defendant is presumed innocent in court.
Court records say Mapes may seek screening for the Hubbard County DWI Court program.
The Minnesota Judicial Branch explains how DWI treatment courts work.
For courthouse information, see the Hubbard County District Court page.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.