Connect with us

Washington

Off-duty Washington County deputy had been under the influence of alcohol when he crashed into car full of children, charges say

Published

on

Off-duty Washington County deputy had been under the influence of alcohol when he crashed into car full of children, charges say


AFTON, Minn. — An off-duty Washington County deputy crashed into a car full of children while under the influence of alcohol, charges filed on Thursday reveal.

Campbell Blair, 58, is charged with one count each of criminal vehicular operation causing substantial bodily harm while under the influence of alcohol and carrying a pistol while under the influence of alcohol, according to the criminal complaint filed in Washington County.

The Minnesota State Patrol says the crash occurred Sunday around 10:39 a.m. in Afton on Highway 95 at Scenic Lane. 

Blair had been driving a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek northbound on the highway when he crossed over the center line and collided head-on with a 2022 Ford Expedition, the patrol said. Troopers believe both vehicles involved had been going around 55 mph at the time of the crash and report that no brake marks were observed.

Advertisement
campbell-blair.jpg
Campbell Blair

Washington County Sheriff’s Office


The driver and passenger in the Ford, a 38-year-old Lake Elmo man and 36-year-old Woodbury woman respectively, suffered injuries not considered life-threatening. There were also five children between the ages of 2 and 9 in the car at the time of the crash who were not injured. One of the victims told investigators they had been on their way to the apple orchard to celebrate her youngest child’s birthday.

Blair, who was off-duty, was wearing a Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputy uniform and had his pistol in the front passenger seat, charges say. He told a trooper that he had worked at Regions Hospital from 9 p.m. the night prior until 7 a.m. the day of the crash. He claimed he had been called to return to work at Regions.

Later, investigators learned that Blair had not been called back into work and was not scheduled to work again until later that evening.

Advertisement

“It was unknown why Defendant was in full uniform with his duty vest and pistol,” the complaint says.

Charges say Blair was observed by several witnesses weaving over lane lines and driving erratically prior to the crash.

At the hospital, Blair denied drinking any alcohol. He agreed to give a preliminary breath test, and “provided a weak sample with a result of .092,” charges say.

A search warrant was obtained to take Blair’s blood sample.

“We are aware of the motor vehicle injury crash involving an off-duty Washington County deputy,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement shared with WCCO. “The Minnesota State Patrol is currently investigating the incident, and we will take all appropriate actions in accordance with our policies and procedures pending the investigation’s outcome.”

Advertisement

Authorities say the driver of the Ford broke multiple bones and had to undergo hospitalization for surgery.



Source link

Advertisement

Washington

Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt

Published

on

Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt


The votes weren’t there yet late Wednesday for Democrats’ income tax bill in the Washington state House.Democratic members are withholding support for the proposed income tax on millionaires, saying they want to see if a new version of the controversial legislation, possibly due out Thursday, will satisfy their concerns.



Source link

Continue Reading

Washington

Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI

Published

on

Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI


A bill aimed at tightening Washington’s laws on child sex abuse material is headed to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk after clearing the Legislature unanimously.

King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said 2ESSB 5105 passed the House unanimously Tuesday night after the Senate unanimously approved it on Jan. 28, 2026.

SEE ALSO | Washington exempts clergy from reporting abuse learned in confession after settlement

Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.

Advertisement

“People who peddle in the misery of sexually abused children must be held accountable,” Manion said. “I am grateful for the work of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura Harmon – both in prosecuting these cases and advocating for these legal fixes – and Senators Tina Orwall and Manka Dhingra for championing this legislation.”

Manion’s office said the current state law has gaps that can prevent prosecutors from holding offenders accountable in some cases.

Under current law, prosecutors cannot charge defendants for creating images of child sex abuse unless the child victim was conscious or knew they were being recorded.

The office also said that possessing sexually explicit fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors is not considered child sex abuse material under Washington law.

The bill would update RCW 9.68A.040 to remove the requirement that a child be aware of an abusive recording. It would also update the definition of child sex abuse material to include fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors.

Advertisement

The legislation would also increase the statute of limitations to 10 years for depiction crimes. Manion’s office said the current statute of limitations is three years, and argued that because the images can remain online indefinitely, victims can be re-traumatized for decades.



Source link

Continue Reading

Washington

Utah Starts Road Trip with Win in Washington | Utah Mammoth

Published

on

Utah Starts Road Trip with Win in Washington | Utah Mammoth


Both of Utah’s power play units scored in the win. Sergachev scored his 10th goal of the season on the power play 13 and a half minutes into the first period. Peterka scored his 21st of the season, on the man-advantage, in the final two minutes of the middle frame. 

Peterka has three power play goals in the 2025-26 campaign while Sergachev has matched a career-high with five power play goals this season. Overall, Utah’s power play has scored six goals in the last six games. That output matches the Mammoth’s total from their previous 18 games (per Mammoth PR). Tourigny discussed what’s changed with the team’s performance in recent games.

“(The) puck gets in,” Tourigny laughed. “But, no, I think there’s a number of things. The most important thing is we’re aggressive. We’re attacking.

“…If you look at our goal, the first one, it’s a direct play to the net and then on the loose puck recovery we take a shot with traffic and we score,” Tourigny continued. “On the second one, it’s a slot pass, a great shot by (Peterka). I think we had that attack mindset.”

Advertisement

Guenther, who is on the Mammoth’s top power play unit, agreed with Tourigny’s assessment of attacking more.

“I think just attacking, less predictable,” Guenther explained. “Shooting it more, I think (it is) just work really. Trying to play like a 5-on-5 mindset but on the (power play).”

The Mammoth made several line changes for tonight’s game and the new lines started to find chemistry, despite it being the first game with these changes. 

“I like them,” Tourigny said of the changes. “Obviously (Guenther) got a goal, but Cooley’s line was really good. I was looking at the expected goals at the end, I think they were above 90%. So that’s pretty, pretty awesome. Then I think (Barrett Hayton’s) line worked really hard. They’re heavy on pucks and they play well defensively. I did like (Michael Carcone’s) line in (the) previous three games, and I did like them again tonight.”

When Washington pushed back with a power play goal and multiple close chances in the third period, Utah fought hard against the momentum swing to secure the win. 

Advertisement

“I thought we did a pretty good job,” Keller explained. “Weathering the storm as much as we could. They’re a great veteran team. They made it hard on us. They pressured us all over the ice, but I was proud of the way we fought there towards the end.”

Utah’s bench was positive and calm throughout the game, especially late in the third. This helped the Mammoth through the momentum swings. Keller, who had two assists in the win, was one of the key voices for the Mammoth.

“He’s one of the guys who was really positive on the bench,” Tourigny explained. “(All the players) were but (Keller) was really vocal. He was really good energy on the bench. So that was really good.”

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

  • Guenther had two points in the win (1G, 1A) and the forward has earned a team-high nine points (5G, 4A) through six road games in 2026. He has become the third Mammoth skater to reach the 50-point mark this season (28G, 23A) and established a new career-high in goals.
  • Sergachev has 18 power play points this season (5G, 13A) and is tied with Keller for the team lead this season.
  • Keller has recorded multiple primary assists in a game for the seventh time this season and the 27th time in his NHL career. He has now tallied multiple points in four of his last six contests (2G, 8A), with three multi-assist outings over that span.

The Mammoth continue their five-game road trip in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Game time is 5 p.m. MT and available to watch on Mammoth+ and Utah16.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending