Kandiyohi County deputy accused of DUI enters plea deal

KANDIYOHI COUNTY, Minn. — A central Minnesota sheriff’s deputy accused of crashing his squad car while driving under the influence of alcohol has agreed to a plea deal, according to court records.
Christopher Flatten will plead guilty to fourth-degree driving under the influence in exchange for a charge of third-degree test refusal being dropped, a petition filed Tuesday states. Sentencing would amount to 90 days in jail, stayed for two years, plus two years of probation. The court has not yet accepted the deal.
Flatten was found unresponsive in his crashed squad car on July 18 in Gennessee Township, according to a criminal complaint. Witnesses said he ran a stop sign in his squad car and swerved “all over the road” before the crash. Another witness said he saw the squad car roll five or six times.
Flatten was airlifted to a hospital, where he allegedly refused a blood sample. A state trooper at the hospital observed “an odor of alcoholic beverage” coming from Flatten and that he had slurred speech and bloodshot, glassy eyes, the complaint states.
In August, Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson said Flatten has been on critical incident leave since the crash and will continue to be pending the outcome of an internal investigation and criminal proceedings.