Rosemount Police Nab Man for 4th Alcohol Offense

An Eagan man has been charged with felony DWI after police stopped him in Rosemount last week and determined his blood-alcohol content to be three times the legal limit.

Zachary Scott Lathrop, 26, is charged with two counts of first-degree driving while impaired, each of which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, a Rosemount police officer stopped Lathrop about 1:45 a.m. Sunday as he was driving north on Hwy. 3 near Connemara Trail.

The officer said Lathrop was weaving over the center line and back into his lane; after watching Lathrop weave back and forth “multiple times,” he stopped Lathrop’s car, the complaint says.

Lathrop had bloodshot, watery eyes, and the officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol, according to the complaint. He told the officer he was coming from a local bar and that he had had “a couple of drinks.”

Lathrop also admitted that he was taking oxycodone for pain after having his jaw wired shut, the complaint says.

“Lathrop searched his wallet for over a minute and had difficulty locating his license, despite the fact that the officer could clearly see it in the wallet,” the complaint says.

Lathrop failed sobriety field tests and a preliminary breath test, according to the complaint. He took another breath test at the Dakota County Jail, which showed a .25 blood-alcohol content.

According to court records, Lathrop has had his driver’s license revoked three times in the last 10 years for alcohol-related offenses, in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

Lathrop remained in the Dakota County Jail last Thursday on a $50,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled Oct. 24 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.