HASTINGS — A West St. Paul man is now charged with dragging a friend who authorities say tried to stop him from driving drunk.

Twenty-four-year-old Jason Lee Schultz is charged in Dakota County with criminal vehicular operation, a felony, and third-degree driving while impaired, a gross misdemeanor.

Authorities say a friend had tried to stop Schultz from driving last Friday by reaching into his pickup truck to remove the keys. Twenty-four-year-old Kyle Kissinger of St. Paul was dragged about two blocks as he hung out the driver’s side window.

Police say Kissinger, an Army veteran, suffered severe brain trauma. He remains at Regions Hospital, where his condition has been upgraded from serious to fair.

Schultz was released from jail last weekend after posting $75,000 bail. No attorney is listed for him.