WINONA, Minn. — During a stop for running a red light, a police officer spotted open containers of potable alcohol inside the vehicle. “Been drinking?” Yes, responded Asher Allen Merkel, 25, of Winona, the officer said. He wasn’t surprised. Merkel’s eyes were bloodshot and watery and his speech slurred. A roadside test showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.l9%, almost 2-1/2 what’s allowed. This was about 9 p.m. at Second and Wilson streets on the Near West Side.
Merkel. DWI charged at elevated recidivist level