Zae Yang

On August 30, 2025, at 11:50 P.M., a South Saint Paul police sergeant was on routine patrol northbound on Concord Street near Annapolis Street when he observed a southbound vehicle driving with the driver’s side tires on the centerline of Concord Street. The sergeant turned around to follow the vehicle that was now already a great distance ahead of him, indicating to the sergeant that the vehicle was traveling faster then the posted 35 mile-per-hour speed limit. While now following the vehicle, the sergeant observed the vehicle cross the fog line on three separate occasions.

The driver of the vehicle increased its speed and almost hit the curbed median and then crossed the fog line. The Sergeant paced the vehicle with his squad car as traveling between 48 and 50 miles per hour in a posted 40 mile per hour zone. Based upon the sergeant’s training and experience, he believed the driver of the vehicle might be impaired based upon the driving conduct. The sergeant then activated his vehicle’s emergency lights to stop the vehicle. The vehicle came to a stop at Concord and Concord Exchange Street in the City of South Saint Paul, Dakota County, Minnesota.

He made contact with the driver and lone occupant, the defendant herein, Zae Yang. The sergeant noticed that the defendant’s eyes were bloodshot and watery. The defendant admitted driving 45 miles per hour in a 40 mile-per-hour speed zone. The sergeant also noticed the defendant’s speech was slurred when he spoke. The defendant admitted to consuming one beer five minutes before the traffic stop. A patrol officer arrived at the traffic stop and administered field sobriety tests to the defendant, some of which he passed, some of which he failed.

Upon conclusion of the tests, the officer placed the defendant under arrest for driving while impaired. The officer searched the defendant incident to arrest and found two pills in the defendant’s pants pocket, not inside of any packaging. The defendant later admitted the pills were Ecstasy. The pills were tested at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the test indicated the presence of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and they weighed.679 grams. At the South Saint Paul Police Department, the defendant submitted to a Data-Master Breath Test.

The result of that test indicated the defendant had a blood alcohol concentration of.10.