MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 29-year-old Eagan man is accused of driving drunk for at least the sixth time since 2002, according to charges filed Thursday in Dakota County Court.
James Michael Fossen was charged with four counts of driving while impaired and one count of driving after canceled license inimical to public safety in connection with his arrest, which happened last Saturday.
According to the charges, Eagan Police spotted a vehicle being driven by Fossen at about 7:44 p.m. last Saturday speeding, traveling 56 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone near Yankee Doodle Road and Surrey Heights Drive.
The officer, after discovering Fossen’s license was canceled inimical to public safety, was placed under arrest. The officer could detect a strong smell of alcohol from Fossen. He told police he had not been drinking. Fossen then either failed or refused to take a series of field sobriety tests, according to the complaint.
He took a breath test, where he recorded a blood alcohol level of .15, nearly twice the legal limit for driving in Minnesota. A look into Fossen’s criminal record showed has at least five previous drunk driving convictions. They came in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009. The 2007 and 2009 convictions were both felonies, and he went to prison for the 2009 conviction. He was released on Jan. 18, 2011. His license had been canceled as of Dec. 6, 2012.
If convicted on the latest offense, Fossen faces up to 29 years in prison and $59,000 in fines.
