ST. CLOUD — A 42-year-old St. Joseph man is facing criminal charges after admitting to drinking before a tubing incident that injured two 9-year-old boys, one critically.
Stearns County man charged in tubing incident that injured two boys, one critically
He admitted to drinking before driving a water scooter and pulling two 9-year-olds on a tube; the boys hit a neighbor's dock.
July 11, 2023 at 6:10PM
Ryan J. Willis was charged Monday in Stearns County District Court with two felony counts of criminal vehicular operation and one misdemeanor count of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
According to court documents, Stearns County deputies were dispatched to a report of a watercraft accident on Watab Lake, just north of St. Joseph, at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday. Willis told the deputies he was pulling the two boys on a tube behind a water scooter when he got too close to the shore and the tube hit the neighbor's dock, documents state.
One of the boys was airlifted to a children's hospital and reportedly suffered a skull fracture with a large laceration on his head, a bruised lung and bruising on his body; the other child was brought to St. Cloud Hospital for pain and a possible concussion, documents state.
A field sobriety test showed indicators of impairment and a preliminary breath test showed Willis had an alcohol concentration of 0.148%, according to court documents. The legal blood alcohol concentration limit for operating a motor vehicle, including watercraft, is 0.08%.
Court records show Willis was also convicted of a misdemeanor DWI in Sherburne County in 2009. His first court hearing was Tuesday, and his next is scheduled for Sept. 1.
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