ST. CLOUD, Minn. (KFGO/KFGO) – A central Minnesota man has been charged with DWI after two nine-year-old boys were injured in a Saturday watercraft accident on a lake near St. Joseph.
According to authorities, 42-year-old Ryan Willis of St. Joseph was driving a jet ski that was pulling a tube ridden by the boys. Willis told investigators he got too close to the shore, and the tube hit a dock.
The criminal complaint says one boy suffered serious injuries including a skull fracture, a bruised lung and a head laceration. He was airlifted to a Twin Cities hospital. The other boy was taken to a St. Cloud Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Stearns County Sheriff’s deputies say Willis showed signs of impairment before admitting he had been drinking. A preliminary breath test showed his blood alcohol level was .148, nearly twice the legal limit.
Willis was also charged with two counts of criminal vehicular operation causing great bodily harm.
His next court appearance is set for Sept. 1.
