Off-duty Washington County deputy suspected of consuming alcohol before head-on crash

An off-duty deputy is suspected of consuming alcohol before driving, which caused a head-on crash in Afton on Sunday.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has made the decision not to name the man yet, as he hasn’t been charged or booked into jail. A spokesperson for Washington County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the 58-year-old is a deputy.

The sheriff’s office sent KSTP the following statement:

“We are aware of the motor vehicle injury crash involving an off-duty Washington County deputy. The Minnesota State Patrol is currently investigating the incident, and we will take all appropriate actions in accordance with our policies and procedures pending the investigation’s outcome.”

According to an incident report from Minnesota State Patrol, the deputy was driving a Subaru Crosstrek northbound on Highway 95 at Scenic Lane when he crossed over the center line and hit another vehicle head-on.

Two occupants of the other vehicle, a Ford Expedition, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. State Patrol on Thursday added that there were five children in the car as well. They sustained non-life-threatening injuries, State Patrol said.

The deputy also received non-life-threatening injuries.

He is suspected of drinking alcohol before the crash, the incident report states.