Felony Charge Filed Against Driver Involved in SW Rochester Crash

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - One of the drivers involved in a head-on injury crash on the southwest edge of Rochester on Tuesday is now facing a felony charge.

30-year-old Jordan Elk River Heimer of Rose Creek was arraigned in Olmsted County Court today on a felony count of criminal vehicular operation and a gross misdemeanor DWI charge. His conditional bail was set at $12,000.

According to the criminal complaint, Heimer was driving an SUV that crashed into a minivan on 40th Street Southwest in Rochester Township shortly after 11:30 AM on Monday. It is alleged that he had been "huffing" and was driving impaired at the time of the crash. The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office says the three occupants of the minivan, an adult woman and two children under the age of five, appeared to have suffered broken bones as a result of the collision. They were transported by ambulance to St. Mary's hospital for treatment.

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The court document says, prior to the crash, the Sheriff's Office was alerted that someone driving the same model and color SUV had stopped in the middle of Highway 63 and the driver appeared to be passed out or sleeping. Moments later, it was reported that the SUV was traveling north on Highway 63 and was "swerving all over" at speeds of up to 75 mph.

The charges indicate several deputies and a corporal from the Sheriff's Office responded to the crash and observed, in plain view, a can of an aerosol electronics cleaning product on the driver side floorboard that was very cold to the touch and appeared to be about half full. The court document indicates three more cans of the aerosol product were spotted on the rear seat of the vehicle.

One of the deputies is a trained Drug Recognition Evaluator who subjected Heimer to Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and took a blood sample from Heimer for testing. The charges state that Heimer appeared "confused and lethargic," which along with the timeline of events and the evidence found at the scene, suggests that he allegedly ingested the aerosol dusting product and was likely impaired by the substance.

The criminal complaint also indicates Heimer was convicted of a DWI charge in Olmsted County in March of last year and previously lost his driver's license in Hawaii due to an impaired-driving offense in 2015.

Heimer's next court appearance is scheduled for later this month.

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