Kristine Marie Lyons, 59, the chairwoman of the Moose Lake School Board, was sentenced Monday to 90 days in jail for her third DWI charge in the last six years. She was convicted of one gross misdemeanor count of second-degree driving while impaired, while another other charge of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol was dismissed.
Under the terms of the staggered sentence issued by Judge Robert Macaulay, Lyons must serve 30 days in the Carlton County Jail (with credit for one day already served) and then report back for a review hearing on Sept. 9 before serving the additional 60 days. She was also sentenced to two years of supervised probation and must pay a fine of $1,500 and legal fees of $115.
As part of the conditions of the sentence, Lyons must abstain from the use or possession of alcohol or controlled substances, submit to random testing, attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, a DWI clinic, and a victim impact panel, have no alcohol-related traffic offenses and comply with the guidelines of the Ignition Interlock program.
Lyons was arrested on August 15, 2012, and charged with two counts of second-degree driving while impaired, the latest in a string of similar offenses that stretch back as far as 1992. Lyons was stopped by Minnesota State Trooper Dave Vereecken at 11:47 p.m. after Carlton County dispatch received a call about an erratic driver on Interstate 35. According to the complaint filed in the incident, Vereecken located Lyons' vehicle and stopped the car after observing her driving pattern. He reported that Lyons had difficulty responding to his commands and acknowledged that she had consumed alcohol.
Vereecken said he smelled a strong odor of alcohol in Lyons' car and she showed signs of impairment on an initial sobriety test. When the trooper tried to have her perform more sobriety field tests, Lyons attempted to go back to her car. Lyons appeared too inebriated for further tests, he wrote in his report. A preliminary breath test showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.151 percent, according to the criminal complaint. By law, a driver is considered impaired with blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent or above.
ADVERTISEMENT
Lyons was taken to the Carlton County Jail, where a blood test put her blood-alcohol content at 0.18 percent, the complaint said. According to court records, Lyons was first charged with DWI in 1992 and later found guilty of a lesser charge of blood alcohol content of over .10. She was placed on two years' probation.
In April 2007, she was charged with two misdemeanor counts of DWI. She later pleaded guilty to one count and the other was dismissed. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail, which was stayed for two years and she was placed on probation.
Then, on Aug. 28, 2009, Lyons was arrested again and charged with two gross misdemeanor counts of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving. Lyons later pleaded guilty to one count of DWI as well as reckless driving, and the third count against her was dismissed. She was sentenced to one year in jail, with 11 months stayed for two years. The judge ordered her to serve 48 hours in the Carlton County Jail and the balance on electronic monitoring. She was also ordered to serve two years of probation.
