Deputy Arrested, Charged with DUI

Mahnomen, Minn. (KFGO) — A Mahnomen County deputy is facing criminal charges after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and refusing to submit to a chemical test after his arrest Tuesday afternoon near Mahnomen.

Two state troopers responded to a call for assistance from a Mahnomen County deputy after determining a pickup had gone into a ditch that had been driven by off–duty deputy Rick Ohren of Hawley.

A patrol sergeant noticed the odor of alcohol coming from Ohren, who was in the back seat of a county SUV.

The criminal complaint  says Ohren had difficulty completing several field sobriety tests and said he’d consumed 10 vodkas.

A preliminary test showed a blood alcohol content of .284, which is more than three times the legal limit to drive.

He allegedly refused a second breath test at the Northwest Criminal Corrections Center in Crookston.

Sheriff Josh Guenther says Ohren was driving a personal vehicle and is on administrative leave.

He says the state patrol is handling the investigation.

Ohren was also arrested for drunken driving in November 2015 in Clay County when he was stopped by a Glyndon police officer.