Kenneth Todd Rodriguez, 63, of Cass Lake, has been charged in Beltrami County District Court with refusing to submit to a chemical test after a suspected impaired driving incident.<\/p>\n
The charges were filed in the 9th Judicial District Court of Minnesota. Rodriguez faces two gross misdemeanor counts related to DWI test refusal.<\/p>\n
Traffic Stop Leads To DWI Investigation<\/h2>\n
Court documents state the incident happened on June 30, 2026, in Bemidji.<\/p>\n
According to the criminal complaint, a vehicle was stopped after officers observed equipment violations on U.S. Highway 2 near Animal Land Drive SE.<\/p>\n
The complaint states the vehicle had a non-working license plate light, a non-working passenger-side tail light, and a suspended object inside the vehicle.<\/p>\n
The driver was identified as Kenneth Todd Rodriguez.<\/p>\n
Investigators reported Rodriguez showed signs that suggested possible impairment. Those signs included watery eyes, glassy eyes, difficulty sitting still, and repeated fidgeting.<\/p>\n
Rodriguez reportedly denied drinking alcohol and said he was traveling from Cass Lake to Bemidji.<\/p>\n
Field Tests Conducted<\/h2>\n
The complaint states that Rodriguez completed several standardized field sobriety tests.<\/p>\n
According to court records, Rodriguez showed multiple indicators during the tests.<\/p>\n
Officials reported problems during the walk-and-turn test and the one-leg stand test.<\/p>\n
A preliminary breath test showed a result of 0.000, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n
Investigators believed Rodriguez may have been impaired by a controlled substance rather than alcohol.<\/p>\n
![\"Kenneth](\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/RodriguezKenneth.png\")
Kenneth Todd Rodriguez booking photo.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nChemical Test Refusal Alleged<\/h2>\n
Rodriguez was taken into custody and transported to Sanford Hospital for chemical testing.<\/p>\n
Court documents state that a judge approved a search warrant for blood or urine testing.<\/p>\n
The complaint states that Rodriguez had mentioned recently taking gabapentin.<\/p>\n
After initially agreeing to provide a sample, Rodriguez allegedly refused both blood and urine testing.<\/p>\n
The complaint states that Rodriguez said he was refusing because it would \u201clook bad\u201d if drugs appeared in the results.<\/p>\n
Previous DWI Convictions Listed<\/h2>\n
Court records show Rodriguez has previous DWI convictions within the past ten years.<\/p>\n
The complaint lists a 2020 conviction for second-degree DWI refusal and a 2018 gross misdemeanor DWI conviction.<\/p>\n
The current charges include allegations of refusing testing after a valid search warrant was issued.<\/p>\n
All charges are allegations. Rodriguez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.<\/p>\n
More information about Minnesota court cases can be found through the Minnesota Judicial Branch website<\/a>.<\/p>\n