FF man sentenced for felony DWI

Published 11:52am Wednesday, September 19, 2012

A 62-year-old Fergus Falls man was sentenced to five years in prison after he was convicted in Otter Tail County court last week for felony DWI.

Richard Phillip Papenfuss already had several DWI convictions on his record, including one felony. He faces about $900 in fines and fees.

Papenfuss, who has already spent about a year in jail (time which will be credited to his sentence) was arrested the evening on Oct. 28, 2011, after a property owner near Anderson Lake saw him on his property, court records state. Believing Papenfuss to be a trespasser, the owner followed Papenfuss’ truck for a while until it drove into a nearby ditch. The owner called emergency personnel, but Papenfuss got out of the truck and walked away.

A deputy searched the area and eventually found an obviously intoxicated Papenfuss (who had been driving without a license) lying in some brush near the road. Papenfuss got up, failed some field sobriety tests, and was arrested.

  1. Holly Olsonmunk

    “Several” DWI convictions? How about more than 20?

    “Richard Papenfuss was sentenced to five years in prison on Wednesday in Otter Tail County Court after a felony conviction of driving while under the influence of alcohol, the report said. WDAY reports that Papenfuss has already served prison time for a previous felony DUI conviction and jail time for more than 20 other DUIs.” (from Fargo Forum)

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