Rochester Man Sentenced For DWI Injury Crash

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man has been sentenced to 10 days in jail for driving drunk and causing a crash that injured several people.

Forty-year-old Jose Benito Gonzalez Ramos was charged last year in connection with a two-vehicle collision that occurred in late October 2024. Olmsted County court documents say he was accused of fleeing on foot after the vehicle he was driving crashed into the back of another vehicle on the 55th Street Bridge.

None of the injuries suffered in the crash were described as serious.

Kept Foot on Gas After Crash

Three victims and a witness told Rochester police that, after the rear-end collision, Ramos continued to press the accelerator until he finally exited the vehicle and ran away. The criminal complaint also says that an officer found Ramos near his residence and detected signs of impairment.

Blood Test Indicated Impairment

The court document says a preliminary blood test put his blood alcohol concentration at more than .14. Another blood sample was taken about five hours after the crash and measured his BAC at .071; however, a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension analyst estimated that it was likely around .16 at the time of the crash.

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Guilty Plea

Ramos was charged with three counts of gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation and two gross misdemeanor DWI charges. He recently entered into a plea agreement and admitted to one of the criminal vehicular operation charges in exchange for the dismissal of the other charges.

In addition to his 10-day jail sentence, he has been placed on probation for four years and fined $900.