In Worthington, Minnesota last week, a repeat offense driver was caught driving the wrong way on Interstate 90. Drunk driving was suspected, and law enforcement officials came to find out that this particular driver has previous DWI convictions dating back to 1988.
Troopers of the Minnesota State Patrol were initially called to report a man driving a white minivan on the wrong side of the road down I-90 near Worthington. When a State Patrol trooper caught up with him, the man was identified as South Dakota resident, Alexander Valentinovich Sazonov.
The 50-year-old was said to be driving his white van several feet outside of the fog line. State Patrol reported that Sazonov has 12 previous DWI convictions. This was his 13th, as the trooper noticed a bucket full of empty beer cans in between the front seats of Sazonov’s vehicle, as well as a 24-pack of beer on the front passenger floorboard.
In his discussions with the state trooper, Sazonov allegedly admitted to drinking a couple of beers. The trooper had Sazonov perform multiple field sobriety tests, and placed him under arrest. Results from a breathalyzer test taken later on at the Nobles County Jail read his blood alcohol levels at 0.24, which is three times the legal limit.
Statistics reported by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving suggest that every two minutes, someone is injured in a drunk driving crash. In 2013, more than 28.7 million people admitted to drinking while under the influence. In other words, more than the entire population of the state of Texas has admittedly driven impaired.
Considering the circumstances, and the fact that Sazonov was driving in the wrong lane, it’s unknown the damage and injury that he could have caused, had troopers not stopped him when they did. In regards to his arrest, Sazonov was charged with second-degree DWI. His most recent previous DWI conviction was in 2013.