Suspected drunk driver charged in White Bear Lake crash that killed biker

A suspected drunk driver is now charged with vehicular homicide after hitting a motorcycle, killing its driver, in White Bear Lake.

According to White Bear Lake Police, the crash was reported around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday near Highway 61 and Highway 96. When first responders arrived, they saw a Jeep and motorcycle had crashed.

The biker, a 31-year-old Stillwater woman, was taken to the hospital, where she later died due to her injuries, police say.

Court documents say that 63-year-old Robert Marines Rodriguez, the driver of the Jeep, told troopers that he had a blinking yellow arrow to turn left and didn’t see the motorcycle. As a result, he turned in front of it.

Troopers noted that Rodriguez smelled like alcohol and had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes, charging documents add. After doing “poorly” on a field sobriety test, a preliminary breath test showed Rodriguez’s blood-alcohol content as .27 — more than three times the legal limit.

After the test, Rodriguez said he’d had a Bloody Mary and a shot of Fireball.

He was arrested and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Friday.

Court filings show that Rodriguez was convicted of DWI in 2021. He now faces up to 10 years in prison.

The crash remains under investigation.

Police haven’t yet publicly identified the victim.
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