- Danny Lee Bettcher, 64, has been arrested for his 28th DUI
- The western Minnesota man was first arrested in the 1980s and has served prison time in the past
- Police have long attributed the state’s DUI record to Bettcher, and he keeps adding to it
- If convicted he could face a maximum sentence of seven years and five years probation
Danny Lee Bettcher, 64, has been arrested for a record-setting 28th DUI
A 64-year-old Minnesota man has been arrested for a record-breaking 28th DUI.
Danny Lee Bettcher was charged in Otter Tail County District Court last week with felony-level drunken driving and refusing a breathalyzer test.
An off-duty officer allegedly saw Bettcher drinking at a bar in New York Mills.
An on-duty officer followed Bettcher, who allegedly ignored a stop sign and drove onto Highway 10 at 10mph while swerving.
He continued traveling for 200 yards before he was pulled over by police.
The criminal complaint says his eyes were bloodshot and watery and a beer can was spotted behind the passenger seat.
Bettcher gave the officer a health identification card that included an alcohol restriction.
He then refused a field sobriety test.
‘I am way over,’ he said, according to the complaint. ‘Take me to jail.’
If convicted, Bettcher’s maximum sentence is seven years with two-thirds spent in prison and the rest on supervised release, along with five years of probation.
Bettcher was last convicted of a first-degree DUI in 2010 and served about five years in prison.
When he appeared in court in 2010 for his 27th arrest, the handyman said: ”I drink to get drunk.’
In a court filing from a previous conviction, Bettcher said he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the military.
‘I’m trying to get my life back on track before I am released,’ the 2014 filing said.