Man gets charges for weekend Interstate 90 crash; Allegedly twice the legal blood alcohol limit
Published 8:30 am Wednesday, December 19, 2018
A Rochester man involved in a weekend crash on Interstate 90 that sent another man to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries received criminal charges on Tuesday in Mower County District Court.
Jacob Robert Kaput, 32, was charged with felony first-degree DWI-under the influence of alcohol, gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation-bodily harm-under the influence of alcohol, gross misdemeanor driving restrictions-limited license violation and misdemeanor no proof of insurance.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to the court complaint, law enforcement agents from the Mower County Sheriff’s Office, Grand Meadow Police Department and Minnesota State Patrol were dispatched at 7:38 p.m. on Saturday to a two-vehicle crash with injuries at milepost 193 of Interstate 90 in Dexter Township. When they arrived, a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado was facing south in the median and a 2018 Ford F-150 was facing east in the eastbound lane of Interstate 90. The Chevy had heavy rear-end damage and the Ford had heavy front-end damage.
The driver of the Chevy, Harvey Friederichs, 23, of Rochester was holding a sweatshirt to the back of his head and said he was bleeding, the complaint states. A deputy treated his wound with a gauze dressing and bandage. Friederichs indicated he was driving east on Interstate 90 at about 50 miles per hour when his vehicle was rear-ended by the Ford. He was then treated by Grand Meadow Fire and Ambulance personnel and transported to Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester. A passenger in the Chevy was uninjured.
Kaput, who was the suspected driver of the Ford, told law enforcement someone else was driving the Ford at the time of the crash and then fled the scene on foot, the complaint states. He said he was getting a ride back from a bar in Austin and was asleep in the passenger seat at the time of the crash; however, two witnesses stated they saw Kaput in the driver’s seat. Kaput also complained about shoulder pain and was found to have a cut on his left forearm.
Law enforcement searched the area and found no evidence of anyone fleeing on foot, according to the complaint. The driver’s seatbelt inside the Ford was locked up and hanging down and extended from being worn. The passenger side curtain airbag was deployed; however, the passenger side dash airbag had not deployed, indicating no one had been sitting in the passenger seat. Law enforcement also observed blood on the driver’s side and saw the vehicle was not equipped with an ignition interlock as required by Kaput’s license.
The complaint states Kaput’s eyes were bloodshot, he was slurring his speech and smelled of alcohol. When asked to perform field sobriety tests, Kaput refused and was arrested. While at the Mower County Jail, Kaput took a breathalyzer test and blew a 0.16.
A review of Kaput’s criminal history shows he is currently on probation for a felony DWI conviction out of Freeborn County and has other DWI convictions.