Kandiyohi County deputy charged with DWI after crashing squad car

A Kandiyohi County deputy is accused of crashing his squad car into a ditch while drunk driving on duty last month, according to new criminal charges.

Christopher Todd Flatten, 39, of Atwater, was charged with driving under the influence and failing to submit to a chemical test and blood draw in connection with the crash.

Flatten is not in custody; however, his first court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 4.

According to the criminal complaint, Minnesota State Patrol troopers were sent to County Road 4 near the intersection of 1st Avenue East in Gennessee Township on July 18 at approximately 6:21 p.m. for the report of a single-vehicle rollover accident involving a squad car.

The squad car appeared to have lost control and rolled multiple times into an adjacent field, the charges state.

Troopers arrived on the scene and found Flatten unresponsive inside the squad vehicle, which was heavily damaged and lying on its passenger side.

Flatten was taken out of the car and airlifted from the scene for medical treatment.

According to the complaint, one trooper observed Flatten smelled strongly of alcohol, had slurred speech, and that his eyes were bloodshot and glossy.

The other responding trooper obtained a search warrant for a blood sample, which Flatten refused to provide despite being warned his refusal was a crime, charges state.

Flatten also declined to provide a statement.

One witness told investigators he saw the squad car being driven "all over the road," miss a stop sign, cross the center line, cross the fog line, and travel onto the grass shoulder of the road, the complaint details.

Flatten is accused of swerving and traveling at estimated speeds over 60 miles-per-hour before turning southbound on County Road 4, according to the complaint.

Another witness said the squad rolled five or six times before coming to a rest in the ditch.

Flatten joined the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office in April of this year after previously serving as an officer with the Willmar Police Department.

Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.

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