A Hastings man pulled over in May for having a blood alcohol concentration more than four times the legal limit to drive and his 2-year-old daughter in the car was sentenced this week.
Matthew Reno Quade, 36, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Washington County District Court to one count of gross misdemeanor second-degree driving while intoxicated in connection with the May 10 traffic stop in Cottage Grove. In exchange for the guilty plea, Judge Douglas Meslow dismissed a child endangerment charge and a charge of DWI-two aggravating factors.
Meslow gave Quade a year in the Washington County Jail, but then suspended that sentence and ordered him to complete 30 days in a sentence-to-serve program. He was also put on supervised probation for years with conditions — no alcohol use, random testing and completion of a chemical dependency evaluation.
Cottage Grove police pulled over Quade near the northbound U.S. 61 off-ramp at 80th Street just after 5 p.m. after seeing him swerving outside his lane, following cars too closely and nearly causing rear-end crashes, according to the charges.
Quade smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech and glossy, watery eyes, charges say. His 2-year-old daughter was the lone passenger in the car, according to police. Bottles of Phillips, Smirnoff and Taaka vodka were found in the car.
After field sobriety tests, Quade was taken to the Washington County Jail on suspected drunken driving. He consented to a breath test, which showed a 0.38 BAC, charges allege. The legal limit to drive in Minnesota is 0.08.
In October 2005, Quade was pulled over by University of Minnesota police on suspicion of DWI. Less than a month later, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DWI charge and was sentenced to two years of probation, court records show.
Calls made to Quade and his attorney Friday for comment were not immediately returned.