Police: Drunken Driver Nearly Hits Pedestrians, Fights With Officers

Steven Donald Oestreich faces charges of DUI, refusal to submit to a chemical test and obstructing the legal process with force.

A Hopkins man whose blood alcohol level is thought to have been more than three times the legal limit is accused of nearly running over a man and his children and then fighting officers who arrested him, according to charges filed Tuesday. Steven Donald Oestreich, 55, came to officers’ attention at 5:07 p.m. Sunday when a Hopkins Tavern on Main employee reported that a drunken man had driven away from the bar, according to charging documents written by Hopkins Detective Renee Meuwissen. The employee said he’d tried to take the man’s car keys but the man “took a swing” at him and drove away in a Dodge pickup. A credit card receipt indicated that the man was Oestreich. Police Sgt. Michael Glassberg later spoke with a man who said a Dodge …

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Designate a Sober Driver on Super Bowl Weekend

Super Bowl parties often start early and run late, so designate a sober driver in advance of kick-off.

(The following news release comes from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.)   Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek is advising motorists to have a game plan for a sober ride for Super Bowl festivities. Super Bowl parties often start early and run late, so designate a sober driver in advance of kick-off. “We know how to prevent alcohol-related crashes,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, “Take the time to make a plan and stick to it on game day.” Each year in Minnesota, alcohol-related crashes account for up to 200 traffic deaths and more than 35,000 motorists are arrested for DWI.

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Vehicular Manslaughter Convict Charged with Drunken Driving

Steven Allen Ableman Jr. has been charged with first-degree driving while impaired.

Prosecutors on Tuesday filed a drunken driving charge against a Hopkins man previously convicted of killing another man in a 2003 drunken driving incident. Hopkins Police encountered Steven Allen Ableman Jr., 28, at 1:52 a.m. while patrolling near the intersection of First Street North and 10th Avenue North, according to charging documents written by Officer Kevin Frederick. Officers noticed Ableman driving without headlights and stopped him. The officer noted that he pulled over but continued rolling forward. After failing several field sobriety tests, he took a preliminary breath test that registered .192 percent—or more than twice the legal limit of .08 percent. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension analysis of a blood sample found …

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Editor's Notebook

Hate and Forgiveness in the Parking Lot

Who's the real bastard?

I hated the bastard. The man was drunk when he pulled into our parking lot at about 3:15 p.m. Sept. 14. He hit the wrong pedal, accelerated over a parking stop, raced through 50 yards of grass, rolled over another parking stop and slammed into my wife’s parked Mitsubishi. The crash was so violent it pushed her SUV into the Oldsmobile Cutlass sitting next to it. Of course, the driver didn’t stop. He put his car into reverse and coaxed it over to a spot on the other side of the lot—limping along with one wheel flat. He opened his trunk, grabbed a white plastic bag and tottered up to his own apartment. He later told officers he planned to leave a note but didn’t because he was having dinner. The breath test would show a blood alcohol level of…

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