Cocktail Of Meds, Revoked License, And Grandson In The Backseat
A thirty-six-year-old Albert Lea man is accused of driving on a revoked license under the influence of a cocktail of medications with his three-year-old grandson in the backseat.
Jeremiah Vanriper has been charged in Freeborn County Court with gross misdemeanor counts of DWI and operating a motor vehicle with a controlled substance present.
Vanriper was driving westbound on I-90 when a concerned caller reported to 911 dispatch that the vehicle he was driving was swerving over the fog and center lines. The caller then followed Vanriper up an off-ramp and out of concern knocked on his window after seeing Vanriper slumped over in the driver’s seat.
Vanriper told the concerned caller that he was having mechanical issues with his car and was going to a gas station for a tow. State troopers then arrived at the gas station in Alden and found Vanriper sitting on the ground next to the building.
Vanriper started off telling the troopers that someone else had been driving the vehicle but finally admitted it was him driving. He also told troopers his 3-year-old grandson was the only other occupant in the vehicle. He denied any alcohol, marijuana, or drug use to law enforcement. Vanriper did, however, admit that he was prescribed several medications.
According to Southern Minnesota News blood tests by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension showed that Vanriper had tested positive for oxycodone, oxymorphone, clonazepam, and a metabolite of clonazepam, all are schedule I or II substances.
According to this Albert Lea Tribune Freeborn Court recap, Vanriper’s license had been revoked from a previous driving under the influence in February 2016.