City Councilman Borzyskowski drunk at the wheel

WINONA, Minn. – Veteran City Council member George Borzyskowski was arrested for drunken driving on his way home from “a couple bars” about 1:20 a.m. A city police office had followed Borzyskowski eastbound on Sarnia Street and then followed him south on Mankato Avenue. The officer said he was weaving from lane to lane and signaled twice to turn west but didn’t turn. This was between Sarnia through the Highway 61 intersection to Old Homer Road. The officer who made stop didn’t recognize Borzyskowski, but as soon as Borzyskowski identified himself as a Councilman, the officer radioed the police dispatcher to send a sheriff’s deputy to take over. The officer didn’t want to be caught in a chain-of-command imbroglio. The City Council oversees the city police department but has no jurisdiction over the county sheriff’s office. The officer noted that Borzyskowski, age 70, didn’t come across at all as pulling rank but rather as understanding that the officer had a job to do.

Sheriff’s deputy report

The deputy who took over said Borzyskowski smelled drunk, and  had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech and failed field sobriety tests. These tests involve tasks like walking a straight line and touching a finger to the to the tip of the nose. Borzyskowski admitted to three drinks in the previous hour, the deputy said. He was alone in the vehicle and about six blocks short of his home driveway on Lohse Drive behind Sugar Loaf.

Jailhouse details

At the jailhouse Borzyskowski’s blood-alcohol level tested at 0.09% — about 12% more than legally allowed. He was charged with fourth-degree drunken driving, the lowest DWI category which usually indicates no previous record for impaired driving. He was not allowed to drive home but was turned over to someone else to take home.