11th DWI nets man 5 years in prison

A 47-year-old Rochester man who pleaded guilty to his 11th driving while impaired (DWI) charge on Feb. 29, has now been sentenced. The incident was reported last July in Vermillion Township.

On Friday, April 6, Dakota County District Judge Tim Wermager sentenced Michael Allan Andrist to 60 months in prison.

Since his arrest, Andrist has been housed in the Dakota County Jail in Hastings.

According to the criminal complaint, deputies had been called to the area of Highway 52 and 160th Street on the report of a vehicle having a hard time staying on the road. The truck, with Andrist driving, was stopped. Andrist got out of the truck, had no shoes on, and said he had not been drinking, and had taken no drugs. He later changed his story and said he had taken some prescription drugs, but was not able to tell the deputy which one. He performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. A drug recognition test was completed on Andrist and he was taken to Regina Medical Center for a blood test. He told officers he had used meth, but was now using bath salts because they were cheaper. The blood tests determined he was using an illegal stimulant which had just been banned by Minnesota legislation

Three other felony DWI charges and a misdemeanor fleeing a police officer charge were dismissed against Andrist.

Andrist has 10 prior DWI convictions (this was his second felony conviction).

“This is an offender with a lengthy history of endangering the public while driving impaired,” said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom. “We are pleased to have held him accountable for his latest criminal violation.”

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