Wrong-way driver charged after hitting trooper north of St. Cloud

A Minnesota State trooper and a wrong-way driver collided Thursday night just north of St. Cloud.

According to a Minnesota State Patrol crash report, a trooper responded to a 1999 Mercury Sable that was traveling west in the eastbound lanes of Highway 10 near Rice at about 10:45 p.m.

The trooper attempted three stops of the Mercury but it continued to flee the wrong way, a criminal complaint states. Stop sticks were also deployed but the Mercury continued until it hit another trooper.

The driver of the Mercury — 22-year-old Trevor Douglas Reiter, from Sauk Rapids — was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries that aren’t considered life-threatening, the crash report states. After he was released from the hospital, he was booked in the Benton County jail.

Friday afternoon, Reiter was charged with two counts of criminal vehicular operation and one count of fourth-degree DWI. A preliminary breath test showed he had a blood-alcohol content of .229, nearly three times the legal limit, according to the complaint. A blood draw was also taken and sent for analysis.

The trooper who was hit also went to the hospital for treatment of injuries that aren’t considered life-threatening.

The crash is still under investigation.

Reiter has a bail hearing set for Monday morning.