Fergus Falls woman charged with DWI, chemical test refusal
A Fergus Falls woman was charged after a June traffic stop, including a chemical test refusal that can bring up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.
Melissa Jane Warren, 38, of Fergus Falls, was charged in Otter Tail County District Court after a June traffic stop led to two DWI-related counts, including refusal to submit to a chemical test. The case is filed under court number 56-CR-26-1511.
Under Minnesota’s implied-consent law, a driver arrested on suspicion of impaired driving is required to submit to a chemical test of breath, blood or urine. If the driver refuses, the officer reports that refusal to the state and to prosecutors, and the refusal can be charged separately.
For a first refusal, Minnesota law classifies the offense as a gross misdemeanor. That can carry up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $3,000, along with the driver’s license consequences that follow an implied-consent case. The refusal also leaves the state to prove impairment without a chemical result.
Warren’s case will move through Otter Tail County District Court in Fergus Falls, the county seat and the local court for criminal and traffic matters filed in the county.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
