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| Off-duty state trooper helps stop suspected drunk driver |
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| Wednesday, 18 November 2009 | |
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Cliff Buchan News Editor A woman from Hudson, WI, was arrested in Forest Lake for driving under the influence last Friday night thanks to the intervention of an off-duty Minnesota State Patrol trooper. The events unfolded shortly before 9 p.m. when an off-duty trooper traveling with his family on Lofton Avenue near Scandia observed a vehicle that was “all over the road,” according to Forest Lake police reports. The trooper followed the car west on TH-97 and told police that at times the vehicle was traveling west in the eastbound lane of TH-97. The vehicle finally stopped in the parking lot at the Old Log Cabin, 9726 Scandia Trail N. The trooper took the car keys from the driver and waited on scene until a Forest Lake officer arrived. The driver of the car, Shelly Lynn Bowling, 43, of Hudson, WI, told police she was heading for her home in Wisconsin. She said she had been at the Turtle Lake Casino in Wisconsin where she was drinking vodka, according to police reports. A preliminary breath test produced a reading of .320, police said. The legal limit in Minnesota is .08. She was arrested and taken to the Washington County Jail in Stillwater where she was booked on charges of third-degree driving under the influence, second-degree test refusal and driving after suspension. She has a previous DUI offense in Wisconsin, police said. Police here said Tuesday they are attempting to seize the Lincoln Navigator that the woman was driving under forfeiture laws. The vehicle is owned by a man from Hudson who told police the woman did not have permission to drive it last Friday, police said. School Burglary An early-morning alarm on Sunday had police converging on Southwest Junior High School, 943 SW 9th Ave. First officers arriving on the scene found a screen had been removed from a window on the south side of the building and the window was broken. Police believe entrance to the building was gained. Forest Lake officers, with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol and a canine unit from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, guarded entrances and searched the building but no one was found, Chief Quiring said. Early reports did not indicate that anything was missing from the school. Quiring said it is possible the alarm scared off the burglars. Vehicles Hit by Thieves Police in Forest Lake have received four reports in recent days of thefts from vehicles, some of which were left unlocked. Two reports were made last Friday. One involved the theft of an iPod from a vehicle parked on Lee Street and the other involved the theft of a Dell laptop computer from a vehicle parked in the 1500 block of S. Lake St. The laptop was taken after a window on the vehicle was smashed out. Two reports of thefts from vehicles were also made on Sunday. Tools valued at $1000 were taken from a vehicle parked in the 800 block of SW 4th St. and CDs and flashlights valued at $500 to $750 were stolen from a vehicle in the 700 block of SW 11th Ave. Both vehicles were unlocked, the chief said. Quiring advised that vehicles be locked at night and all personal items that may be targets for thieves removed from vehicles. Firearms Ticket A Forest Lake man has been ticketed for illegal discharge of a firearm in the city after police received a complaint from the public. Police went to 755 North Shore Drive at 3:37 p.m. on Sunday after receiving a report of a man shooting at ducks with a .22 caliber rifle. When police found spent .22 caliber shells and one dead duck, the man admitted that he was trying to scare off the birds and was using the rifle and not an airgun. He was ticketed for illegally discharging a firearm within city limits. Officers from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources also responded to the call. Business Fire A grease fire in the kitchen at Perkins, 1155 W. Broadway Ave., forced the restaurant to be evacuated for a short time on Saturday. City police and fire were called to Perkins at 4:35 p.m. when the small fire broke out in the kitchen. Forest Lake Fire & Rescue had the fire under control quickly. All employees and customers were safely evacuated, according to police department reports. Social Bookmarking ...       |
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