Crime blotter: directionally impaired

On January 14 at 3:34 a.m., Richfield police officer Robert Schletty was parked at the intersection of 67th Street and Portland Avenue South when he observed a 1995 Ford Escort pull into the lot. The driver, Andrew James Cole, proceeded to exit the vehicle and wave at the officer. Cole then approached the squad car and asked for directions to downtown Minneapolis. Schletty observed that the man's eyes were bloodshot and watery, and that he staggered back to his car. The cop proceeded to follow the Escort as it exited the parking lot and noticed that the vehicle was weaving in its lane. Schletty pulled over the car and the driver agreed to take a breathalyzer test. According to a criminal complaint filed this week in Hennepin County District Court, Cole blew a .20, or more than twice the legal limit. The 23-year-old resident of downtown Minneapolis is charged with driving while impaired.