Thief River Falls, MN (trfnews.i234.me) – A Grand Forks, N.D woman was sentenced on Monday, June 17, in Pennington County District Court for a 2023 drunk-driving crash that injured both drivers involved.
Regina Ruth Dahl, 46, received a sentence for a felony DWI charge. A gross misdemeanor charge of criminal vehicular operation–bodily harm was dismissed. For the felony charge, Dahl was sentenced to 36 months in prison, stayed for five years. She was ordered to serve 180 days in jail, with credit for two days served. Her sentence may be served in a different jail at no cost to Pennington County. Work release and Sentence to Serve privileges were granted. She will also serve five years of supervised probation.
Dahl must serve 30 days of alcohol monitoring each year, beginning on or before the anniversary of her sentencing date. The first 30 days started on June 17. She is required to complete a comprehensive assessment within 60 days of sentencing and follow through with the recommended level of treatment and aftercare. Dahl was also ordered to pay $490 in fees and fines. The right to restitution has been reserved, with the state having 30 days to file a certificate of restitution and the defense having 30 days to object.
The crash occurred on August 28 at about 3:07 p.m. at the intersection of Greenwood Street and Highway 32 in Thief River Falls. Both vehicles were on fire, and both drivers were transported to the hospital by ambulance. According to the complaint, a witness saw Dahl’s pickup truck go into the west ditch on Highway 32, then drive out and continue swerving at a high rate of speed. Dahl’s truck struck Jeremiah Toso’s van, pushing it into a traffic signal post, causing both vehicles to catch fire. Both Toso and Dahl escaped their vehicles. Toso sustained scrapes and bruises on his face, chest, and arms.
Dahl’s significant other told the trooper that she didn’t have a driver’s license due to prior DWI convictions and had a drinking problem, having been through treatment and jail previously. A search warrant for a blood sample revealed a BAC of 0.281. Dahl’s criminal history includes charges of fourth-degree DWI in 2017, third-degree DWI in 2020, and second-degree DWI in 2022, with the former two charges from Roseau County and the latter from Pennington County.