{"id":21099,"date":"2026-03-05T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=21099"},"modified":"2026-03-01T17:22:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T23:22:05","slug":"bemidji-drug-dwi-charge-after-hwy-2-traffic-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/bemidji-drug-dwi-charge-after-hwy-2-traffic-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"Bemidji: Drug DWI Charge After Hwy 2 Traffic Stop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hubbard County (trfnews.i234.me<\/a>)<\/strong> \u2014 A Bemidji man faces a drug DWI charge after a Highway 2 stop.<\/p>\n

Steven Christopher Mapes<\/strong>, 36, is charged with second-degree DWI, a gross misdemeanor.<\/p>\n

The case is filed in Hubbard County District Court, Ninth Judicial District.<\/p>\n

The court file is 29-CR-26-155.<\/p>\n

The prosecutor’s file is 26CR01072.<\/p>\n

Traffic stop on Highway 2<\/h2>\n

The complaint says a sheriff\u2019s deputy stopped Mapes at about 3:53 pm on Feb. 23, 2026.<\/p>\n

The stop was near Highway 2 and Beltrami Line Road.<\/p>\n

The deputy reported partly blocked Alaska plates.<\/p>\n

The deputy also reported registration that expired in 2023.<\/p>\n

The deputy asked for registration and insurance, the complaint says.<\/p>\n

The deputy reported long delays in Mapes\u2019s answers.<\/p>\n

The deputy described Mapes as unusually nervous.<\/p>\n

The complaint lists two passengers in the truck.<\/p>\n

They are David Newago Sr and Garrett Lee Racette.<\/p>\n

\"Steven
Steven Christopher Mapes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reported signs of impairment<\/h2>\n

The complaint says the deputy saw signs of impairment.<\/p>\n

The deputy described watery eyes and fixed pupils.<\/p>\n

The deputy also described droopy eyelids.<\/p>\n

The deputy wrote that Mapes had rigid muscle tone.<\/p>\n

Mapes first refused to discuss his passengers, the complaint says.<\/p>\n

He later agreed to field sobriety tests.<\/p>\n

The complaint says Mapes asked to \u201cblow and go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The deputy said he did not suspect alcohol impairment.<\/p>\n

The deputy reported clues on several tests, the complaint says.<\/p>\n

Those tests included the eye test and the one-leg stand.<\/p>\n

The complaint also lists a Romberg test and a walk-and-turn test.<\/p>\n

The deputy arrested Mapes for DWI, the complaint says.<\/p>\n

Warrant, urine sample, and charge<\/h2>\n

A judge approved a warrant for a blood or urine sample, the complaint says.<\/p>\n

The deputy warned Mapes that refusal was a crime.<\/p>\n

Mapes later provided a urine sample.<\/p>\n

Mapes is charged under Minnesota law.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors cite
\nMinn. Stat. \u00a7 169A.20<\/a>
\nand
\nMinn. Stat. \u00a7 169A.25<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The complaint alleges a Schedule I or II drug, or its metabolite.<\/p>\n

It excludes cannabis and hemp products.<\/p>\n

The complaint also alleges at least two aggravating factors.<\/p>\n

The complaint lists a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail.<\/p>\n

It also lists a $3,000 fine.<\/p>\n

Prior record and what\u2019s next<\/h2>\n

The complaint says Mapes has two prior DWI convictions within 10 years.<\/p>\n

It also lists a fifth-degree drug possession conviction.<\/p>\n

Charges are allegations.<\/p>\n

A defendant is presumed innocent in court.<\/p>\n

Court records say Mapes may seek screening for the Hubbard County DWI Court program.<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Judicial Branch explains how DWI treatment courts<\/a> work.<\/p>\n

For courthouse information, see the Hubbard County District Court<\/a> page.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hubbard County (trfnews.i234.me) \u2014 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… Continue reading Bemidji: Drug DWI Charge After Hwy 2 Traffic Stop<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12],"tags":[346,1224,848,4065,772,1191,5285,883,8945,3702,3406,818,14450,14451,1334,1222,1644,1219,14452],"class_list":["post-21099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","tag-after","tag-bemidji","tag-charge","tag-court-complaint","tag-crime","tag-drug","tag-drug-dwi","tag-dwi","tag-highway-2","tag-hubbard-county","tag-hwy","tag-minnesota","tag-schedule-i","tag-schedule-ii","tag-second-degree-dwi","tag-stop","tag-traffic","tag-traffic-stop","tag-urine-test","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21099"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21107,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21099\/revisions\/21107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}