Union Hill Bar & Grill owner pleads guilty in DWI crash

Union Hill Bar & Grill owner Ryan Klein of New Prague pled guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, and admitted to crashing his vehicle shortly after leaving his bar on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 28, according to a Le Sueur County Sheriffs Office incident report and court records obtained.

A 911 call was received by Le Sueur County Sheriff’s dispatch at approximately 11:32 p.m. from a party who came upon an incident where a full-sized pickup truck that had rolled over a number of times in a soybean field on the west side of Le Sueur County 31/201st Avenue about a mile south of Union Hill in Derrynane Township.

The caller was unable to provide a good location because of a language barrier, but a resident and friend of Klein, according to the report, heard the incident inside the house, drove to the scene, and was able to give dispatchers the location.

New Prague fire and police were dispatched to the scene, with a request of help from Scott County Sheriff, due to the distance of Le Sueur County Sheriff officers and there being noted injuries.

Klein stated to his friend, according to the report, that he wanted to go home to his wife, and the friend took him home. The report states that the friend noted that Klein was “bleeding everywhere” and that “he was very delusional and would assume that he was intoxicated.”

New Prague fire and police arrived on scene after Klein had been taken home and were searching for the driver and any possible passengers that may have been ejected, then Le Sueur County Sheriff’s deputy arrived on scene.

Information was given that Klein was the lone driver of the vehicle, and that he had been taken to his home. A deputy from the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office went to Klein’s home and made contact with Klein and his wife, where the report said that Klein was observed holding a towel covered in blood against his forehead. It also stated that the deputy “observed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage,” and that he appeared to have “bloodshot and watery eyes.” The report states that Klein initially started to say that he was the driver but was interrupted by his wife, Dana Klein, stating that she was driving and had “swerved to miss a deer,” causing the vehicle to go off the roadway. The deputy stated in the report though that Dana Klein did not appear to have any injuries.

The deputy at the home of the Kleins offered to have an ambulance come for Ryan Klein but he refused. Dana Klein then drove the her husband to Mayo Clinic Health Systems hospital in New Prague, and the deputy followed to continue his questioning, according to the report. While at the hospital, the deputy acquired a search warrant to obtain blood samples from Ryan Klein, which he agreed to. The results later came back with a blood-alcohol content of .187/100 mL of blood, over twice the legal limit, according to the report.

Dana Klein, in the report, then admitted that she hadn’t been driving or in the vehicle, and she “explained that she went with this story as her family would have so much to lose.”

Records show that Ryan Klein had no prior DWI convictions in the state of Minnesota, and only minor unrelated convictions dating from 1995-2004.

Court records show that a third degree charge was dismissed, and that Ryan Klein entered a guilty plea to Fourth-Degree Driving While Impaired, a misdemeanor.

Ryan Klein was sentenced to a complete chemical assessment, and to abide by the recommendations for treatment and aftercare; to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving Impact Panel, to remain law-abiding, submit to random testing, serve probation for one year, and to pay a fine of $300, according to court documents.

Help for those struggling

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcoholism, there are help resources available. Alcoholics Anonymous has assessments, answers to questions, and more at aa.com.

For any type of crisis you are facing, you can call or text 988 at any time of day or night, 365 days of the year — free. If you have an emergency, call 911 to get assistance.

Le Sueur County also has various resources for substance and mental health. See what is available at lesueurcounty.gov/194/Adult-Services or visit the Le Sueur County Government Center, 88 South Park Ave, Le Center, MN 56057.