Man Suspected of Fourth DWI in Four Years

Hopkins police arrested a Minneapolis man on suspicion of his fourth drunken driving offense in about four years.

Officers stopped 40-year-old Erich Jacob Beck on the 1200 block of Cambridge Street on Tuesday, Detective Renee Meuwissen wrote in the criminal complaint. They arrested him after noticing that his speech was slurred, he was unsteady on his feet and there was an odor of alcohol.

A breath test at the department showed Beck had a blood alcohol content of .17 percent—just over twice the legal limit of .08 percent.

Beck was previously convicted of refusal to take a breath test in October 2008, July 2010 and April 2012, according to court records.

Because those convictions count as “qualified impaired driving incidents within 10 years,” he’s been charged with first-degree driving while impaired, a felony. If he’s convicted, he could be sentenced to between three and seven years in prison and fined $4,200 to $14,000, plus a conditional release term.

Beck is being held in Hennepin County jail on $100,000 bond. He’s scheduled to appear in court at 11 a.m. Monday.

Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our free daily newsletter | Check out Patch’s Pinterest boards