A former Wadena County social worker awaiting trial on six sex crime charges had another run-in with the law over New Year's.
According to police reports, Todd Michael Anderson, 29, of Verndale, is suspected of driving a red pickup truck in Wadena and running into a light pole, then taking off on foot to flee the scene. The incident was the night of New Year's Eve on Irving Avenue Southwest in Wadena.
Police tracked Anderson down through the vehicle's registration, and went to question him. The officer noted in his report that Anderson was slurring his speech and stumbling as he talked to him. The officer reported Anderson admitted to crashing the truck and said the panicked, and that's why he ran away.
According to the report, Anderson said he had
"a couple" shots of Bacardi 151 before driving. The 151 refers to the alcohol's proof, meaning it's more than 75 percent pure alcohol. A preliminary breath test showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.177, more than double the legal limit to drive.
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Anderson has a previous charge of impaired driving from June 2011. He is on active probation and is subject to conditions of release, so he was held in custody at the request of the county attorney. He was charged June 3 with third-degree DWI.
The Wadena electric department reported more than $1,100 in damage to the light pole.
It was a previous DWI charge June 4 that led investigators to the sex crimes faced by the former drug and alcohol assessor for the Wadena County Human Services Department. A car crash at that time led to two young men who were being counseled by Anderson. Those two told police Anderson had made sexual advances at them and supplied them with alcohol. Those cases are still pending in Wadena County District Court.
Anderson is set to appear again for an omnibus hearing on Jan. 31 on all of the charges he still faces, which include six counts of criminal sexual conduct related to him being in a position of authority over the people he counseled, and one count of furnishing alcohol to minors.
