Plymouth DWI Victim Honored During Warrant Crackdown

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office kicked off a crackdown on people with outstanding drunken driving warrants Tuesday by honoring an off-duty deputy killed in Plymouth by a drunk driver in 2003.

Deputy Jon Niemann worked in Scott County and often volunteered for patrol work aimed at combating drunken driving. This month marks the 10th anniversary of his death.

The Hennepin County Sherriff's Office and more than a dozen local law enforcement agencies honored him during an early morning roll call launched a warrant sweep.

Allie Niemann—Niemann’s mother and a member of Mothers Against Drunk Driving—joined Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek at the roll call.

"My life has never been the same because my world was turned upside down when my son was killed," a news release quoted Niemann,  "The crash and my son's death were no accident, they are always preventable. Someone just has to make the right choice."

The countywide warrant sweep involves more than 40 Sheriff’s Office deputies and 30 police officers. It’s specifically targeted at finding people with active search warrants related to drunken driving offenses.

In addition to Allie Niemann, Stanek was joined at the roll call by Hennepin County Judge Kerry Meyer with the 4th Judicial Court and Jon Cummings of Minnesotans for Safe Driving. Stanek said the enforcement effort will help hold DWI offenders accountable.

"Many of the offenders we are looking for have multiple DWI arrests or convictions.  Today, we are sending a big message--we will not tolerate drunk drivers killing innocent people on our roadways," the release quoted Stanek.