PRESTON -- A 25-year-old Stewartville man will go to prison after being convicted of felony driving while under the influence.
Ryan Everett Hinze was sentenced March 21 to five years in prison. Fillmore District Court Judge Robert Benson also ordered Hinze to pay a $50 fine and undergo chemical dependency treatment while in prison.
According to court records, Hinze was found inside a vehicle that went off County Road 1 on April 22, 2004. A Fillmore County deputy said Hinze was unconscious and intoxicated when he was found slumped in the driver's seat. A test showed Hinze's blood-alcohol level at 0.18 percent. The legal limit is 0.10 percent.
Hinze also was convicted of driving under the influence in July 1997 and May 1999. He had his license revoked in November 1999 for refusing to test and in November 2003 for having a blood-alcohol level at or above 0.10 percent.
