A White Earth man has been sentenced in Becker County District Court on a felony charge of first degree driving while intoxicated.
Anthony Randal-Ash Villebrun, 33, P.O. Box 382, White Earth, was sentenced to 75 months (6¼ years) in prison, with credit for 754 days already served, and fined $690. Additional charges including one count of felony DWI and a gross misdemeanor charge of driving after license cancellation were dismissed.
According to the criminal complaint, a Becker County sheriff's deputy responded to a report of a vehicle in the ditch near Coaley Bay Drive and County Road 149 in Becker County on dec. 24, 2010. When no vehicle was found, the deputy drove south on Coaley Bay Drive, and was nearing the intersection of Black Beauty Lane when he was a vehicle approaching from the west.
The vehicle failed to stop at the stop sign, turning south onto Coaley Bay Drive. When the deputy activated his lights and siren in an attempt to initiate a traffic stop, the vehicle continued to move forward for a short distance, before stopping in a driveway along Coaley Bay Drive.
When the driver got out and started walking toward the residence, he almost lost his balance. The deputy then ordered Villebrun to stop, at which point he told the officer that he was just trying to get the car out of the ditch.
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The deputy noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Villebrun, and when he showed multiple signs of impairment during a field sobriety test, the deputy initiated a preliminary breath test, which showed an alcohol concentration of .248. Villebrun was placed under arrest and taken to jail; when the deputy tried to read him the Implied Consent Advisory, Villebrun responded by swearing repeatedly.
He became increasingly combative, swearing and beating on the cell door, which led the deputy to consider his behavior as a test refusal. Villebrun, whose license had previously been canceled, had five DWI convictions on his record within the past 10 years, and two more prior to that, according to court records.
