14 arrested in Mower, Austin DWI campaign; Driver nabbed going 126 mph

Published 10:33 am Thursday, September 17, 2015

Austin police and Mower County deputies arrested 14 people during the latest drunk driving enforcement period a few weeks ago during the Labor Day holiday.

Deputies made six DUI arrests from Aug. 21 through Sept. 7, while Austin police arrested eight.

“We are trying to educate the public that they cannot be drinking and driving because accidents and fatalities do happen more often when there’s alcohol involved,” Police Chief Brian Krueger said.

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Statewide, law enforcement arrested 1,513 during the enforcement period, up from 1,340 in 2014, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

One of those arrests included a drunk driver who sped at 126 mph in a 70 mph zone in Mower County.

A trend statewide shows that fewer people are losing their lives because of drunken driving. In 2014, 88 people died from drunken driving-related crashes, a 21 percent decline compared with 2010, when 112 people were killed.

The extra enforcement is part of the state’s Toward Zero Deaths program.