Preview: Mortensen sentenced for probation violations

• Richard Mortensen

Richard Allen Mortensen

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WORTHINGTON — Richard Allen Mortensen, 54, of Lake Wilson, landed a 42 month sentence earlier this week after Judge Jeffrey Flynn revoked a stay of execution during a recent probation violation hearing.

Mortensen was on probation in Nobles County for driving while impaired in 2005. He was arrested in September 2005 after driving a John Deere tractor from Lake Wilson to Worthington, finally stopping at McDonalds. At the time of his arrest, authorities found an open bottle of whiskey and Mortensen had a blood alcohol concentration of .23. His driving privileges had been revoked in 2003.

During the hearing on Monday, Mortensen admitted to two violations of the abstinence condition — an incident involving an open bottle in Pipestone in September of this year, and an arrest in Lake Wilson in late October in which Mortensen allegedly assaulted an officer, threatened the officer and his family and refused to submit to chemical testing. Additionally, there was a report of a violation in November when he failed to serve an annual 30 day electronic home monitoring period as required by law and failed to pay his fine on time.

He pleaded guilty to one of the Murray County charges last week, admitting to the test refusal count. He faces sentencing on that charge Jan. 12 in Murray County District Court.

When asked last week by Judge David Christensen how many times he had been arrested for driving impaired, Mortensen said, “I don’t know. I don’t keep track.”

For the rest of the story, read Friday's Daily Globe.