On January 1, 2026, at approximately 8:45 P.M., state troopers were dispatched to locate a vehicle driving in Mendota Heights, Dakota County, Minnesota, based on reports that the vehicle was swerving in and out of lanes and holding up traffic. Dispatch was able to locate the vehicle on traffic cameras and observed it stop in the lane of traffic in front of a gas station and reverse backward almost hitting another vehicle. Dispatch observed the driver get out of the vehicle, and he appeared to be having an argument with the driver of the vehicle behind him.
A trooper was just south of the gas station when dispatch updated that the driver had gotten back in the vehicle and was headed south toward the trooper. The trooper observed a vehicle travelling southbound in the northbound lanes of traffic, and the trooper had to swerve to the shoulder to avoid a head-on collision. The trooper turned around and confirmed that this vehicle matched the description of the vehicle described by dispatch. The trooper activated his lights and siren and caught up to the vehicle.
The vehicle ended up turning into an apartment complex but driving off of the parking lot toward a walking path, where it was stuck in heavy snow. The driver immediately exited the vehicle and walked toward the trooper. The driver was identified as LORENZO FABIAN RODRIGUEZ [DOB REDACTED]. RODRIGUEZ was apologizing and stating that he was sliding all over the road due to poor road conditions. The trooper could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from RODRIGUEZ. The trooper performed the horizontal gaze nystagmus (“HGN”) test on RODRIGUEZ and observed multiple signs of impairment.
RODRIGUEZ refused to take a preliminary breath test. The trooper arrested RODRIGUEZ, at which point RODRIGUEZ started to physically resist and argued with the trooper. The trooper took RODRIGUEZ to the jail, where he read RODRIGUEZ the Breath Test Advisory. RODRIGUEZ would not respond to the trooper’s questions that were part of the advisory and continually talked over the trooper, often insulting him. Although RODRIGUEZ stated that he would take the breath test multiple times while talking over the trooper, he still would not answer the questions asked of him.
The trooper deemed RODRIGUEZ’s conduct to be a refusal of testing. RODRIGUEZ has a prior DWI conviction on February 21, 2018, in court file 19WS-VB-17-12549. The trooper later took a statement from the driver of the vehicle with whom RODRIGUEZ had gotten 2 19HA-CR-26-5 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 1/2/2026 into an argument in front of the gas station. The driver, an adult female identified herein as “Victim,” stated that she had seen a vehicle driving “all over the place” ahead of her on I-35E. She took the exit to take Highway 62 to Dodd Road and the same car was directly in front of her.
