An unfamiliar terrain and over consumption of alcohol resulted in the destruction of a $12,500 Yellow Medicine East LED sign previously located out in front of the Yellow Medicine East High School where it was positioned at the T-intersection of 9th Ave. and Granite Street.
According to the Granite Falls Police Department report, a pair of Granite Falls residents were stopped, facing west at the intersection when, shortly after midnight Wednesday morning, they noticed a Dodge Ram pickup approaching at excessive speeds and without the customary blinker required at the T.
Heading north, where the road ends, the pickup jumped the curb and drove head-on into the LED sign knocking it from its foundation and resulting in front-end damage to the truck. In response, the two residents said the driver of the Dodge reacted to the collision by putting the car in reverse and driving off down 9th Ave. in a westward direction, eventually turning left onto sixth street.
According to the police report, one of the witnesses remained at the scene while the other exited the car, hoofed it to the jail and reported the incident. The truck then reappeared a short time later at 6th St. and 9th Ave. and was subsequently pulled over by a Yellow Medicine County Deputy.
The Ram was found to be occupied by three individuals. Driver: Tony Fiedler, 47, Parkers Prairie and passengers: Daniel Bladow, 60, Battle Lake and Daryl Wojcik, 51, Burtrum.
The three stated they had been at a local pub and were returning to their temporary residence located on a nearby abandoned farm site north of town. They said they are in the area working on the Highway 7 road construction project.
Wojcik and Bladow were reported to be sleeping in the backseat when Fiedler ran into the sign. Neither passenger was injured, but Fiedler’s head was thrown against the windshield during impact. He was reported to have refused medical care.
Shortly after the accident, Fiedler failed field sobriety tests and then registered a .208, over two times the legal limit, on a breathalyzer.
Fiedler told the deputy that he drove off after hitting the sign because “he was tired and needed to go bed but said he would have called to report the incident in the morning. He said he hit the sign because he was not familiar with area.
That Wednesday Fiedler pled guilty to two charges at the Yellow Medicine District Court. Charges included a third degree DWI – operating a motor vehicle under the influence with an alcohol concentration over .08 within two hours, and a charge of leaving the scene of a traffic accident. A reckless driving charge was dropped.
Bail was set at $12,000 with conditions. He will be sentenced on July 1.
