01-03-2025
Grand Forks man charged after damaging gravestones in Sauk Centre cemetery
Feb. 28—SAUK CENTRE, Minn. — Several grave markers were knocked down after a man drove his car through a Sauk Centre cemetery, according to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office.
Steven Sawatzky, 52, of Grand Forks, North Dakota, is facing a charge of fourth-degree driving while intoxicated, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. The DWI charge is a misdemeanor.
The crash occurred at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, near the intersection of County Road 17 and County Road 185 in Sauk Centre Township, according to the release. That is the location of Greenwood Cemetery.
According to the news release, Sawatzky was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado when he failed to stop at a stop sign at County Road 185. The sheriff's office says he drove into the cemetery, striking a chain-link fence and hitting several gravestone markers.
Sawatzky was taken by ambulance to a hospital for injuries, according to the news release. The Minnesota State Patrol and Sauk Centre Police Department also responded to the scene.
Court records indicate that Sawatzky is facing two additional driving-while-intoxicated charges.
