Dan Mackey, fire chief for the city of Biwabik, was charged Monday with two gross misdemeanor counts of driving while impaired following his early morning arrest Saturday, June 13.
Charging documents allege Mackey, 38, recorded a 0.18 on a breathalyzer test around 1:38 a.m., more than twice the 0.08 legal limit.
Mackey is the second fire/EMS leader in Biwabik to face DWI charges in the last few months. Ambulance Director Ashlee Larson was charged with DWI in early April following a Jan. 24 arrest. She has since pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree DWI and given a year of unsupervised probation.
Biwabik Mayor Steve Biondich declined comment, noting they were not on city time or using city vehicles when the incidents occurred.
According to the charges, a Minnesota State Trooper observed Mackey’s vehicle at 12:32 a.m. The officer said he saw the car earlier in the day, ran the plate, and the registration showed it was revoked through a plate impound.
The blue Ford Expedition with plate numbers 506FD was the same vehicle Larson was driving during her January arrest. Minnesota statute says a plate impound can be put on a vehicle involved in a previous DWI.
Biwabik City Administrator Michael Schultz confirmed to Iron Range Today that the Expedition is not a city vehicle.
When the trooper approached the car, he noted Mackey had “a blank stare, slurred and mumbled speech, bloodshot and watery eyes, and a moderate odor of breath alcohol.” Mackey allegedly told the trooper he had “four or five drinks.”
A field sobriety test was performed and Mackey was given a Probable Breath Test, which read .17. He was taken to St. Louis Count Jail in Virginia where another breath test was administered.
After being Mirandized, the charging documents allege Mackey said “he felt the effects of what he drank but did not think it affected his ability to drive.”
Mackey has no prior DUI charges according to court records, and only a speeding ticket in 2018 for driving 66 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone.
He was released from jail Monday without bail and is scheduled to make his next appearance June 24 in front of Judge Robert C. Friday.
This story was updated at 12:27 p.m. to reflect Mackey’s release and new court date.
