County helps repeat DWI offenders stay sober

Why does McLeod County have an above-state-average percentage of repeat drunken drivers?

“I would like to think it’s because we have great law enforcement,” said Terry Sandquist, a county probation officer.

According to Sandquist, the statewide average of DWI offenders with prior convictions is about 33 percent. McLeod County stands at 44 percent, he believes, because county and local law enforcement are just that much more vigilant.

The county is also on the forefront of combating repeat DWIs, with a program Sandquist said is one-of-a-kind in the state.

The Repeat Offender Alternative Response or ROAR program is in its third year. This past December, it was honored by the Association of Minnesota Counties with a County Achievement award, “in recognition of innovations in government that have improved the quality of life in Minnesota.”

“It was a great pat on the back,” Sandquist said. “In this industry we don’t often receive a lot of accolades, but it was very much appreciated.”

How ROAR works
When a McLeod County DWI offender falls into a cycle of repeat offenses, the judge orders them to complete the ROAR program.

“Some in the ROAR program have just one DWI,” Sandquist said, “but their history is well-known enough to the judge or probation officer that they recommend it.”

In exchange for reduced jail time, the ROAR program client is monitored for about two years to make sure they don’t drink or set foot in a bar. After serving a jail term, the client is placed on 15 additional days of home electronic alcohol monitoring.

Curfews are imposed and Sandquist, two-off duty law enforcement officers and a pastor become the client’s new best friends. They turn up at the client’s home unannounced to administer breathalyzer tests.

Sandquist and his team of monitoring specialists are persistent. He recalls one instance when one of the officers stopped by a client’s home on a weekend, and learned from a family member that the client had gone ice fishing. The officer went out to the lake and visited the client at his fish house for a breathalyzer sample.

To learn more about the ROAR program and its success stories, see the full story in the print edition of Tuesday's Leader.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)