Crime blotter: Sloshed in South St. Paul

At approximately 6:46 p.m. on July 10th, South St. Paul Police received a call reporting that a visibly intoxicated gentleman was about to climb into a maroon sedan outside Big John's Bar on Southview Boulevard. A few moments later, according to a Dakota County criminal complaint, the driver, subsequently identified as Erasmo Martinez Carrera, plowed the sedan into a parked car. He apparently hit the parked vehicle with sufficient force to propel it into the car in front of it. Carrera then allegedly drove across the street and ran into a tree. At this point, according to the complaint, he exited the vehicle and began running down 3rd Street. By the time officers arrived on the scene the 28-year-old driver had been apprehended by a citizen. After being transported to the South St. Paul police station, Carrera blew a .31 blood-alcohol content--nearly quadruple the legal level for operating a vehicle--on his breathalizer exam. Yesterday Carrera was officially charged with driving under the influence. He has been convicted of DUI on three prior occasions in the last five years.