Charges: Drunk Driver Caused Rochester Head-on Injury Crash

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Rochester man was arrested earlier this week following a head-on crash on one of the city's busier roads.

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The criminal complaint, filed in Olmsted County Court on Thursday, says the crash happened around 11:30 Wednesday night. A car and SUV were involved in the crash.

First responders were dispatched to the crash near the intersection of 3rd Ave. and 13th St. Southeast. A witness told police the car was traveling north in southbound lanes of 3rd Ave. when it collided head-on with the SUV.

Rochester Man Accused of Causing an Injury Crash While Drunk Driver in the Wrong Lane

The man driving the SUV complained of neck and shoulder pain but refused medical attention, the charges say. Responding officers identified the driver of the SUV as 27-year-old Apolinar Severino Villa.

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The Rochester police officer reported Villa was showing signs of impairment and smelled of alcohol, the complaint says. Villa told police he had a few beers at his friend’s house but refused to comply with field sobriety testing.

He became belligerent and directed slurs and curse words at the officers, the complaint says. Villa was evaluated by a Mayo Clinic Ambulance crew at the scene and at a St. Mary’s Hospital.

TSM photo by Aaron Galloway. Stock image

He was then taken to the Olmsted County Jail. Investigators were granted a search warrant to obtain a sample of Villa’s urine.

Villa also submitted to a breath test at the jail about 3.5 hours after the crash. The court document says the test measured his blood alcohol concentration at 0.214, which is more than double the legal limit.

Villa complaint. Olmsted County Court

The results from the urine sample are still pending. Villa is charged with two counts of gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation, third-degree DWI and driving without insurance.

He was released without bail on Thursday and is due back in court next month.

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