St. Paul Man Pleads Guilty to Running Over Boy at Airport

A St. Paul man accused of running over a 6-year-old boy who was arriving at the airport, appeared in court Monday morning.

Sixty-one-year-old Tommy Rodriguez pleaded guilty to one count of criminal vehicular operation in connection with the Dec. 16 incident.

According to a criminal complaint, witnesses saw Rodriguez's SUV traveling at unsafe speeds in a parking ramp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport before the vehicle hit 6-year-old Zachary Drew of Coon Rapids, dragging him several feet.

Drew, who broke several bones, was at the airport with his mother and siblings to greet his father, who was returning from a tour of duty in Iraq with the Oklahoma National Guard.

Rodriguez was taken to a local hospital, where he agreed to give a blood test. That test, which occurred about two hours after the incident, showed Rodriguez's blood alcohol content to be .07 percent, according to the complaint. Authorities believe his blood alcohol content would have been at least .08 at the time Drew was hit.

Rodriguez later told authorities he'd ended up at the airport after following a faulty GPS device, according to the complaint. He admitted he'd seen the Drew family walking and said he did not slow, swerve or apply the brakes to avoid hitting the boy.

Rodriguez has a previous DUI conviction from 2004.

Rodriguez will be sentenced Nov. 16.