DWI Arrests Spike for Second Straight Year in Olmsted County

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- Impaired driving arrests spiked across most categories in Olmsted County for the second straight year. 

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That’s according to the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office’s annual report, which divides impaired driving arrests into seven different categories. 

Six of the seven categories saw an increase in arrests for the second straight year.

In a message included in the annual report, Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson pointed out that 2024 was the first full year of marijuana legalization in Minnesota. He says the sheriff’s office will continue to track the impacts. 

Drug DWI Arrests Triple in 2024 in Olmsted County, MN, Increases Reported in 6 of 7 Categories

Deputies made 262 arrests on suspicion of DWI or criminal vehicular operation last year. That’s up from 173 in 2023 and 123 in 2022, the report says. 

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Drug DWI arrests more than tripled last year from 18 in 2023 to 60 in 2024, drug and alcohol combination DWIs doubled from seven in 2023 to 14 last year. Those arrests were at eight and seven respectively in 2022, according to the report. 

Arrests made on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation nearly doubled in 2024 from 33 in 2023 to 62 in 2024. Deputies made 12 criminal vehicular operation arrests in 2022, according to the sheriff’s office. 

 Alcohol-related DWI arrests increased from 113 in 2023 to 126 last year. DWI-related crashes stayed flat last year, matching the 2023 total of 25, the report says. 

In addition to impaired driving arrest, deputies also issued more than 1,000 speeding citations last year, the highest amount in the past three years. Four tickets were written for motorists clocked at over 100mph last year. The figure dropped from 10 to 1 from 2022 to 2023.