Beltrami County ( trfnews.i234.me ) — Bemidji Man Arrested After Being Found Asleep in Running Car
A Bemidji man is facing a second-degree DWI charge after police found him passed out in a running vehicle outside a liquor store on the city’s north side. According to a criminal complaint filed in Beltrami County District Court, Christian Jeremy Couch, 50, was arrested on September 27, 2025, after officers discovered his blood alcohol concentration was three times the legal limit.
According to the Bemidji Police Department, officers were called around 7:46 p.m. to Northern Liquor on Bemidji Avenue North after a report of a man asleep in his vehicle. When Officer Holt arrived, he found Couch slumped over in the driver’s seat of a running car with the headlights on.
After several attempts to wake him, Couch eventually opened the window. Officers reported that his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, his speech slurred, and there was a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle. When asked if he had been drinking, Couch said he had “a bit of vodka three hours ago” and believed he was sober enough to drive.
Officers noted that Couch struggled to maintain his balance after stepping out of the vehicle. He refused field sobriety tests but agreed to take a preliminary breath test, which showed a 0.229 BAC. Officers also found an open bottle of vodka in the passenger seat and another open container in the cup holder.
Couch was arrested and taken to the Beltrami County Jail, where he consented to a formal breath test. The result showed a 0.24 blood alcohol concentration at 8:33 p.m.—three times the legal limit of 0.08 in Minnesota.
Prior DWI Offense
According to court records, Couch’s driver’s license was previously revoked on September 8, 2025, following a DWI incident that occurred two months earlier, on July 8, 2025. That prior offense elevated the current charge to second-degree DWI under Minnesota Statute §169A.25.
Possible Penalties
A second-degree DWI is a gross misdemeanor in Minnesota, carrying a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail, a $3,000 fine, or both. Aggravating factors in this case include Couch’s extremely high BAC and his recent prior DWI offense.
The case remains pending in Beltrami County District Court.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
