By Janice Gregorson
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

Authorities say a Wisconsin man was intoxicated and headed to a "sober house" when he drove the wrong way on U.S. 63, causing a multi-car accident in which several people were injured Sunday night.

Now, Peter Norman Overlien, 35, of Black River Falls, Wis., is charged with nine felony, gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor counts. Unconditional bail is set at $30,000 and conditional bail at $10,000. He returns to court Nov. 5.

The charges stem from an accident at 7:30 p.m. Sunday on U.S. 63 South, just south of Interstate 90.

The State Patrol said Overlien was driving northbound in the southbound lane of U.S. 63 and collided head-on with a vehicle driven by Daniel Chase, 44, of Stewartville. A southbound vehicle driven by Mendela Goldsmith, 29, of Ostrander, slowed for the accident and was hit in the rear by a vehicle driven by Otto Kitzmann, 84, of Stewartville, pushing Goldsmith's vehicle into Chase's vehicle. In all, five people suffered minor injuries, State Patrol said.

The complaint said Overlien told the trooper that he was coming from rehab in LaCrosse and headed to Minneapolis to a sober house. The trooper said he could smell a very strong odor of alcohol coming from Overlien and asked him if he knew what happened. He said he did not.

The trooper then asked Overlien how much he had to drink and he said "probably too much." A preliminary breath test administered at the scene showed Overlien had a .304 alcohol concentration -- more than three times the legal limit for driving. A blood sample was taken after his arrival at Saint Marys hospital. Results of that test are not yet available.

The complaint said that just prior to the accident, Overlien had tried to purchase beer at a Kwik Trip convenience store just south of the crash scene. Troopers found an empty vodka bottle and an empty bottle of orange juice in the front seat of the vehicle. The trooper said there was a coffee mug with a liquid in it that appeared to be orange juice and vodka mixed together.

The complaint said Kitzmann suffered cracked ribs and his wife, a passenger, had two broken ankles, Chase had a minor injury to his foot, and Goldsmith had a head injury.

Overlien is charged with four felony counts of criminal vehicular operation, four gross misdemeanor counts of criminal vehicular operation and one misdemeanor count of driving while impaired.

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