15-05-2025
Rochester man facing charges after admitting to drunk driving
May 14—ROCHESTER — A Rochester man is facing charges after colliding head-on with a vehicle and admitting to law enforcement that he was drunk driving.
New charges filed in Olmsted County District Court revealed that David De Los Santos Aparicio, 26, is facing two felony counts of criminal vehicular operation after the two-vehicle crash in January near Highway 52 and 6th Street Southwest in Rochester.
An active warrant is out for Aparicio's arrest.
According to the criminal complaint, the Minnesota State Patrol responded to a two-vehicle crash around 11 p.m. on Jan. 13 near Highway 52 and Sixth Street Southwest in Rochester.
Upon arrival, it appeared that a Ford Explorer was traveling southbound in the northbound lane when it crashed head-on with a Honda CRV. Both vehicles were "heavily damaged," the complaint said.
The criminal complaint said the driver of the Honda CRV told law enforcement she was traveling at about 60 mph when she saw a vehicle traveling southbound heading directly toward her. The driver attempted to evade the Ford Explorer, but it crashed into her.
The Honda CRV driver sustained a lacerated liver, a brain bleed, several fractured ribs and multiple cuts and bruises, the complaint said.
A trooper identified the driver of the Ford Explorer as David De Los Santos Aparicio.
Aparicio was asked whether he knew he was driving the wrong way. He said, "no, but I'm drunk," according to the complaint.
Aparicio said he consumed eight or nine beers before getting behind the wheel. According to the complaint, a preliminary breath test revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.247.
In the complaint warrant, the state requested an alcohol monitor be placed on Aparicio as part of his release conditions.
