Bemidji Man Charged With Second-Degree DWI After Test Refusal

Joseph William Folstrom, 44, of Bemidji, faces up to seven years in prison after prosecutors say he refused a breath test at the Bemidji Police Department not once but twice.

Folstrom is charged in Beltrami County District Court with first-degree DWI for test refusal, a felony, and with driving after cancellation as "inimical to public safety," a gross misdemeanor. The case, filed under court number 04-CR-26-534, stems from a traffic stop on February 25 at about 9:47 p.m.

The stop began after a Ford F-150 was connected to a hit-and-run earlier that day. An officer later spotted a similar truck on Jefferson Avenue. According to the complaint, the driver did not stop right away when the officer attempted to pull him over. The truck went through a roundabout and turned into the Dollar General parking lot before the stop concluded.

At the police department, the complaint says Folstrom kept refusing to submit to chemical testing. An officer read the Minnesota breath test advisory twice. Prosecutors say Folstrom still refused to provide a breath sample.

The felony count carries a maximum of seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine. The gross misdemeanor license count carries up to 364 days in jail and a $3,000 fine.

Court filings list prior DWI convictions in 2009 and 2021, along with other unspecified offenses.

The detailed complaint filed under case number 04-CR-26-534 describes the DWI count as first-degree for test refusal and labels it a felony. An earlier brief notice described the charge as second-degree DWI. The filing is publicly accessible through the Minnesota Judicial Branch's court records system.

Criminal charges are allegations. Folstrom is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.