Golden Valley police say a 33-year-old Northfield man who was being booked into jail on his fourth DWI arrest told them he would bail out and begin driving again soon.
Officials arrested Nicholas James Vititoe after he was found asleep in the driver's seat of his truck, which was running and still in drive, at the bottom of the exit ramp from northbound Highway 100 to westbound Highway 55 at 6:04 a.m. on Friday.
Two responding officers knocked on the window repeatedly to wake him, and they then asked Vititoe to put the car and park and open the window. When he did, police reported a powerful smell of alcohol.
According to the criminal complaint, Vititoe admitted to drinking, and his eyes were bloodshot and watery. Police said he also had difficulty putting words together, and slurred his speech.
When Vititoe was arrested, he refused to take a blood-alcohol test without his lawyer present and said that would take about two hours. When told that would take too long, he refused the test again.
As he was being booked into jail, police said Vititoe told them he would soon bail out and begin driving again.
Vititoe has been charged with first-degree driving while impaired and refusal to submit to a chemical test. Both are felonies. If convicted on both, he could face a maximum of 14 years in prison and up to $28,000 in fines.
Vititoe has three prior alcohol-related driver's license suspensions in the past decade, including convictions on:
- Oct. 31, 2003
- Aug. 13, 2005
- Nov. 1, 2005
The Department of Public Safety previously canceled his driving privileges as "inimical to public safety." They have not been reinstated.
Vititoe remains in custody.
