Driver Accused of Causing Motorcycle Crash While Drunk

Jun 1

A Becker County man is facing felony charges after a woman was left unconscious and on a ventilator following a Memorial Day motorcycle crash that investigators say involved alcohol.

Jacob Jerome Riggle, 26, is charged with two counts of criminal vehicular operation resulting in great bodily harm.

The charges allege Riggle caused the crash while operating a motorcycle under the influence of alcohol and with a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit.

FREE > Sign up for the MN CRIME newsletter

According to the complaint, deputies responded to a report of a crash involving two people on a motorcycle around 8:20 p.m. on May 26 near County Highway 56 and County Road 117 in Becker County. A woman, identified as the passenger, was found lying in a swamp, unresponsive and vomiting. She was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Fargo, where she remains sedated and unconscious as of May 28, according to investigators.

Two deputies interviewed Riggle at the scene. He initially said he didn’t know if he was the one driving but admitted the motorcycle was his and he had purchased it about a week earlier. One deputy noted the odor of alcohol on Riggle and observed that his eyes were bloodshot. Riggle told law enforcement he had consumed three beers and two shots “a long time ago.”

READ MORE > Becker County coverage

Riggle provided a preliminary breath test which registered a 0.138 BAC, and a blood sample was collected by warrant at the emergency room to be tested by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The woman’s condition was described by her parents as critical. On May 27, her mother reported she was on a ventilator. The following day, both parents told investigators she remained unconscious and under medical sedation.

Riggle has a prior DWI conviction from 2020 and multiple pending drug and DWI-related cases in Becker and Mahnomen counties.

Riggle was initially charged by warrant, but was taken into custody and appeared in court on May 29. Bail was set at $150,000 without conditions or $60,000 with conditions, which include no alcohol or drug use, random testing and GPS and alcohol monitoring. According to court records, Riggle posted the $60,000 bond with conditions and was released.

> See more of our latest coverage