Mahnomen County (trfnews.i234.me) – A Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Deputy, Richard Douglas Ohren, 52, of Hawley, is facing a gross misdemeanor DWI charge after crashing his pickup into a ditch Tuesday, July 8. He refused a chemical test and reportedly admitted to consuming 10 vodka drinks the same day.
Deputies responded to the crash at 270th Street and 200th Avenue and found Ohren in the back seat of his truck, lodged in a ditch. Upon realizing he was involved, Sheriff Josh Guenther called in the Minnesota State Patrol, since Ohren is one of their own.
Ohren, who’s been with the sheriff’s office since 2012, was off-duty at the time. A preliminary breath test showed his BAC at 0.284%, over three times the legal limit. He refused a breath test at the jail.
Records show four prior DUI convictions in Minnesota and North Dakota dating back to 1998. He served no jail time in the 2001 or 2015 cases. Ohren was released from the Northwest Regional Corrections Center on bond.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.