INDUSTRIAL TOWNSHIP, Minn. - A sheriff's deputy escaped serious injury when his squad car was struck head-on by a suspected drunken driver in St. Louis County overnight.
Sheriff's officials say the sergeant was patrolling in Industrial Township on Highway 8 near Highway 33 shortly before midnight Tuesday when a vehicle approached him driving on the wrong side of the road.
The vehicle apparently failed to correct lanes and ran a stop sign. Authorities say the sergeant then stopped his patrol vehicle and began reversing to attempt to avoid a collision. Despite those evasive maneuvers and activating his emergency lights the patrol sergeant was hit head-on.
Investigators say the 25-year-old Saginaw man was highly intoxicated and was booked into the county jail. They also say the preliminary findings suggest that the driver's actions were intentional.
Neither man suffered serious injuries.
