{"id":73315,"date":"2026-11-13T14:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T20:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=73315"},"modified":"2026-11-13T12:57:58","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T18:57:58","slug":"bemidji-man-charged-with-driving-without-interlock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/bemidji-man-charged-with-driving-without-interlock\/","title":{"rendered":"Bemidji Man Charged With Driving Without Interlock"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Beltrami County<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\">trfnews.i234.me<\/a>) \u2013 A Bemidji man faces a gross misdemeanor charge after an October 25, 2026, traffic stop.<\/p>\n<p>Apolinar Morales Femat Jr., 23, allegedly drove a vehicle without a required ignition interlock device.<\/p>\n<p>According to court documents, Femat had a restricted driver&#8217;s license requiring the device in any vehicle he operated.<\/p>\n<p>The criminal complaint also cites three previous alcohol-related driving convictions.<\/p>\n<h2>Traffic Stop Leads to Arrest<\/h2>\n<p>According to the complaint, a Beltrami County deputy was monitoring traffic on Roosevelt on October 25.<\/p>\n<p>The deputy observed a vehicle with expired registration and initiated a traffic stop.<\/p>\n<p>The driver was identified as Apolinar Morales Femat Jr. of Bemidji.<\/p>\n<p>During the investigation, the deputy learned that Femat was required to use an ignition interlock device.<\/p>\n<p>However, the vehicle he was driving reportedly did not have the required equipment.<\/p>\n<p>Femat allegedly told the deputy that an ignition interlock device was installed in his other vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities arrested Femat and transported him to the Beltrami County Jail.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is an Ignition Interlock Device?<\/h2>\n<p>An ignition interlock device requires a driver to provide a breath sample before starting a vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>The system is designed to prevent a vehicle from starting when alcohol is detected above its programmed limit.<\/p>\n<p>Some Minnesota drivers must use these devices as a condition of their restricted driving privileges.<\/p>\n<p>Under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revisor.mn.gov\/statutes\/2026\/cite\/171.09\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minnesota Statute 171.09<\/a>, violating an ignition interlock restriction can result in a gross misdemeanor charge.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_60975\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60975\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FematApolinar.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-60975\" src=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FematApolinar.png\" alt=\"Apolinar Morales Femat Jr.\" width=\"210\" height=\"215\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-60975\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Apolinar Morales Femat Jr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Three Previous Convictions Listed<\/h2>\n<p>The criminal complaint identifies three previous alcohol-related driving convictions in Femat&#8217;s criminal history.<\/p>\n<p>Those convictions include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Case 04-CR-25-510:<\/strong> Driving while impaired conviction in Beltrami County.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Case 11-CR-24-560:<\/strong> Driving while impaired conviction in Cass County.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Case 04-CR-22-578:<\/strong> Underage drinking and driving conviction in Beltrami County.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The complaint does not provide the conviction dates or sentences for these earlier cases.<\/p>\n<p>These previous convictions were cited as part of the investigation into the October traffic stop.<\/p>\n<h2>Gross Misdemeanor Charge Filed<\/h2>\n<p>Prosecutors charged Femat under Minnesota Statute 171.09, subdivision 1(g).<\/p>\n<p>The charge involves operating a motor vehicle without the required functioning ignition interlock device.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint lists a maximum sentence of 364 days in jail, a $3,000 fine, or both.<\/p>\n<p>The filing identifies the alleged offense as a gross misdemeanor.<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revisor.mn.gov\/statutes\/2026\/cite\/171.306\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ignition interlock law<\/a> explains the requirements for drivers participating in the program.<\/p>\n<h2>Case Filed in Beltrami County Court<\/h2>\n<p>The case is listed in Minnesota&#8217;s Ninth Judicial District under number <strong>04-CR-26-2679<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The supplied complaint includes an order of detention.<\/p>\n<p>It does not establish a final verdict, plea agreement, or sentence in the current case.<\/p>\n<p>Readers can search for public case updates through <a href=\"https:\/\/publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us\/CaseSearch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minnesota Court Records Online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The charge remains an allegation unless proven in court.<\/p>\n<p>Femat is presumed innocent of the current charge unless proven guilty.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m Adrian Cole reporting for <a href=\"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\">TRF News<\/a><\/p>\n<p><small>Copyright 2026 TRF News. All rights reserved.<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Bemidji man with three prior alcohol-related driving convictions faces a new charge after an October traffic stop in Beltrami County, court records say.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":73317,"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":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"","timeOption":"","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":""},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12],"tags":[32311,1212,1224,883],"trf_mt_town":[29430],"trf_mt_county":[29512],"trf_mt_topic":[29493],"trf_mt_series":[],"class_list":["post-73315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","tag-apolinar-morales-femat-jr","tag-beltrami-county","tag-bemidji","tag-dwi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73315","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=73315"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73320,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73315\/revisions\/73320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73315"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_town","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_town?post=73315"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_county","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_county?post=73315"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_topic?post=73315"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_series?post=73315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}