A woman suspected of drunk driving tore through a stretch of Northfield on Monday evening, slamming into two homes and three vehicles before police finally stopped her near Second and Plum streets — and two officers were hurt in the process of arresting her. The chaos unfolded around 6 p.m. and left residents dealing with damaged property even as authorities say no one in the community suffered more serious injuries.
According to KROC News, the trouble began near the intersection of Highway 3 and St. Olaf Avenue, where a vehicle collided with another car and left the scene. From there, the driver kept going, striking two homes and two vehicles along Second Street West before hitting a third vehicle on Plum Street South, where officers finally caught up with her, according to a criminal complaint cited by Southern Minnesota News.
Southern Minnesota News identified the woman as Katherine Anne Niles of Northfield, though Northfield police did not publicly identify her, release her age or hometown, or describe the severity of the officers' injuries. FOX 9 reports that police said the woman became “physically combative” during testing following her arrest, and that is when the two officers were hurt.
Breath Test and Expected Charges
Police said the woman was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired. The same account notes that a preliminary breath test registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.155%. Police said the Rice County Attorney's Office is expected to file charges, with an anticipated list that includes two counts of fourth-degree assault, felony criminal damage to property, leaving the scene of an accident, and DWI — though police cautioned that the expected charge list is incomplete.
Under Minnesota law, physically assaulting a peace officer performing official duties is a gross misdemeanor, but it is a felony if the assault inflicts demonstrable bodily harm, according to the excerpt published by the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes. The excerpt also gives the maximum imprisonment and fines for both classifications.
Woman Remained in Custody Tuesday
As of Tuesday, Northfield police said the woman remained in custody. Officers also said the crashes caused no more serious injuries to anyone else in the community, even as the string of collisions damaged homes and vehicles across multiple blocks. Police wished both injured officers a speedy recovery, per the department's statement.
The case was also covered by MN Crime, whose case page lists charge entries including assault, obstructing the legal process, DWI-related counts, and failing to stop for a collision. It remains unclear whether all of those listed counts will stay in effect as the case moves through the Rice County Attorney's Office.
