Charges: Woman Drove Drunk, Nearly Hit Pedestrian In St. Cloud

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 20-year-old Shafer woman is accused of driving drunk and possessing drugs after nearly hitting a pedestrian, speeding and going over a curb in St. Cloud on Thursday, according to charges filed in Stearns County Court.

Alexis Rene Gibson was charged with two counts of DWI and fifth-degree drug possession in connection with the incident.

According to the charges, St. Cloud police were patrolling downtown St. Cloud at about 1:42 a.m. Thursday when an officer observed a vehicle almost hit a pedestrian crossing the road. The car also hit a curb and was speeding.

The complaint states the officer stopped the vehicle at the intersection of West St. Germain and 7th Avenue North. Gibson was identified as the driver, and while speaking with officers, they noticed she had a Miller Lite plastic cup sitting in the center console holder. She told police the cup had a Long Island iced tea. She also told officers she had consumed two Long Island iced teas before driving.

According to the complaint, she failed field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath test showed her blood alcohol content as .158, nearly twice the legal limit for driving in Minnesota. She was arrested, and then Gibson told officers she had cocaine in her right hip pocket.

Gibson agreed to a later test, which showed a blood alcohol content of .09. She told officers she had also taken a dose of Tramadol, cocaine and had used marijuana on Wednesday. She then had several drinks at a St. Cloud bar.

If convicted, she faces more than a year in jail and $5,000 in fines.