FARGO – A Cass County Sheriff's corporal who pulled over a woman for speeding was dragged for 25 feet as the woman drunkenly tried to drive away, charges filed Friday in Cass County District Court said.
Nicolle Jean Koehler, 32, was charged with felony reckless endangerment and four misdemeanors: fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer, preventing arrest or discharge of other duties, DUI, and refusing to submit to chemical testing.
Koehler was speeding in Mapleton when Cpl. Keenan Zundel pulled her over, according to Zundel's report of the incident. When she rolled her window down she started yelling at Zundel, who noticed a mostly empty shot bottle of liqueur on the passenger seat.
When Zundel ordered Koehler to get out of the vehicle, she seemed to go for the car's shifter, so Zundel reached in to stop her from driving away, according to his report. She shifted into drive and went about 25 feet, with Zundel hanging halfway out of the car, before the corporal put the car into park.
Koehler was crying, yelling and rambling and refused to take a field test or a breath test, the report said. A deputy later recovered an open bottle of whiskey from her car.
ADVERTISEMENT
Zundel was not seriously injured. Koehler was booked in Cass County Jail. Her arraignment is Monday.
