Charges: Woman Drove Drunk With 9-Year-Old In Car
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 38-year-old St. Louis Park woman is accused of driving drunk and fleeing police with her 9-year-old daughter in the car, according to charges filed Tuesday in Hennepin County Court.
Anna Elizabeth Nyenhuis was charged with one felony count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and one gross misdemeanor driving while impaired in connection with the Jan. 2 incident.
According to a criminal complaint, Nyenhuis was stopped by Minnetonka Police at the intersection of Minnetonka Boulevard and McGinty Road West because the license plate registration on her car was expired. After pulling into a business parking lot, she told the officer she did not have her license or registration, but that the car had insurance.
She was told to stay in her vehicle, but as the officer went back to the patrol car, she sped off and was going as fast as 65 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone. During a pursuit, the complaint states Nyenhuis was driving into oncoming traffic, forcing cars to the shoulder to avoid a head-on collision.
She eventually stopped her car and was placed in the officer's vehicle after the officer noticed a strong scent of alcohol. A preliminary breath test showed she had a blood alcohol content of .144, well above the .08 legal limit for driving. Nyenhuis later told police she fled because she had been drinking, knew she had no driver's license, no insurance and her tabs were expired.
Nyenhuis has a previous DWI conviction in 2009, according to the complaint.
If convicted, Nyenhuis faces up to four years in prison and $8,000 in fines.
