On December 3, 2025, at approximately 3:02 PM, Deputy Brindley of the Washington County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to respond to a report of a vehicle that had swerved off of the road and was in the ditch in the area of Dellwood Road North and Jamaca Avenue North in the city of Grant, County of Washington, State of Minnesota. The deputy arrived on scene and made contact with the driver, fully identified to be TESSA RENEE DUFFNEY-BARTEL [DOB REDACTED], "Defendant" herein. The deputy observed Defendant's eyes appeared watery/glassy, her speech was slurred, and the deputy smelled a strong odor of consumed alcoholic beverage emitting from the vehicle.
Defendant admitted to having consumed two Captain and Cokes prior to driving. The deputy asked Defendant for proof of motor vehicle insurance but Defendant was not able to provide it. Deputy Schipp administered standardized field sobriety tests, during which Defendant performed poorly and multiple clues of impairment were observed. Defendant provided a sample for a preliminary breath test, the result of which indicated she had a 0.246 BAC. Defendant was placed under arrest and transported to the Washington County Jail.
Defendant was read the Minnesota Implied Consent Advisory and was provided with an opportunity to consult with an attorney, she subsequently agreed to submit to an evidentiary breath test. Defendant was administered a Data Master Transportable (DMT) breath test at approximately 4:29 PM, the final reading of which indicated she had a 0.20 BAC. A review of Defendant's records shows one prior impaired driving related conviction from July 12, 2024 (court file 62SU-CR-23-4072).
