Lakeville Woman Charged with Felony Drunken Driving

A Lakeville woman charged with felony DUI was arrested Thursday morning on a warrant issued earlier this week.

Charlene Renae Hanson, 29, faces two felony charges of first-degree DUI, each of which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine.

Hanson remained in the Dakota County Jail Thursday. She is scheduled to make a first appearance on the charges Friday morning in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.

According to the criminal complaint, a officer on routine patrol early Monday morning near Upper 206th Street West and Holyoke Avenue spotted Hanson’s car, southbound on Holt Avenue, drifting to the right and almost hitting the curb.

Hanson didn’t stop for a stop sign at the Intersection of Holt and 207th Street West, and the officer stopped her. “The officer reported that the vehicle took several moments to react to the emergency lights, but eventually pulled into a parking lot,” the complaint says.

Hanson “appeared to be intoxicated,” and an “extremely strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” was coming from inside the car, according to the complaint. Hanson’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, and her speech was “severely slurred,” the complaint says.

When the officer asked Hanson how much she had had to drink, she replied, “Plenty,” the complaint says. She also admitted that she didn’t have insurance on her car.

The officer checked Hanson’s license and found that it was valid, but that it had a “B card” restriction.

Under Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) rules, a person whose driver’s license has been canceled for a third impaired driving violation within 10 years—or a fourth in a lifetime—and has successfully completed a treatment program can apply for a restricted B card license. The driver must sign a sworn abstinence statement, agreeing never to consume alcohol or any other controlled substance, before receiving a B card license.

Violating the abstinence restriction—which means no alcohol at all, even if the individual isn’t driving—invalidates the license, according to DPS rules.

The officer had Hanson perform three standard field sobriety tests, all of which she failed, according to the complaint. A breath test performed at the Dakota County Jail showed a blood-alcohol content of .26, more than three times the legal limit of .08.

Hanson was previously convicted of DUI in 2004, 2007 and 2009.