Thief River Falls, MN (trfnews.i234.me) – On June 30 at about 1:26 p.m., the sheriff’s office received a report of an accident near the intersection of Center Street and 240th Avenue Southeast. The caller reported seeing a van in a ditch with two people standing by the roadside, who appeared to be unharmed.
Dangelo William Benais, 24, of Redby, has been charged with second-degree DWI and driving after revocation. He was arrested at the scene.
As the deputy approached, he saw a van matching the caller’s description driving west on Center Street. The van was covered in mud and grass, dropping dirt all over the highway. Upon pulling over the vehicle, the driver claimed he had just picked up Benais, who had driven into the ditch after falling asleep. Benais appeared to be asleep when the deputy arrived and saw multiple open containers on the vehicle’s floor. Both individuals allegedly had revoked driver’s licenses.
Benais awoke during the investigation and admitted to driving the van into the ditch, saying he was tired and might have been on his phone. He displayed signs of impairment and failed field sobriety tests. A preliminary breath test revealed a BAC of 0.321, and a subsequent DMT test at the jail showed a BAC of 0.30. Benais was transported to Sanford Medical Center for medical clearance before being incarcerated. The complaint noted a prior DWI conviction within the last 10 years.