New London, Minn. man sentenced to 42 months in prison for DWI – West Central Tribune

WILLMAR — A New London man previously convicted of criminal operation of a vehicle was sentenced to 42 months in prison after pleading guilty to a drunken driving charge.

Cory Michael Schmitz, 38, of New London, pleaded guilty in March to a charge of impaired driving. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss a minor misdemeanor charge of using a cell phone while driving.

Schmitz was sentenced May 6 in Kandiyohi County District Court and incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Center in St. Cloud. He received 52 days of credit for time served. Pursuant to Judge Fischer's sentencing order, Schmitz will also have to serve a five-year parole period once released from prison.

In Minnesota, convicted offenders must serve at least two-thirds of their prison sentence in custody before they can serve the remainder of their sentence on supervised release.

According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, Schmitz's expected release date is July 15, 2026.

According to the criminal complaint, a Kandiyohi County sheriff's deputy arrested Schmitz on June 15, 2023, after the deputy observed that Schmitz had a cell phone in his hand near his head, violating what was then a county law. Minnesota recently passed making it illegal to have a cell phone. in hand when navigating traffic.

The deputy initially followed Schmitz and observed the vehicle momentarily drive over the dotted center line of the road.

According to the complaint, the deputy spoke with Schmitz regarding a phone conversation while driving and then could smell alcohol. He also saw that Schmitz had watery eyes and appeared lethargic.

When the deputy checked Schmitz's driver's license, he found that the license was valid but that Schmitz had two prior convictions for alcohol-related offenses.

The deputy asked Schmitz when he last drank alcohol. According to findings of fact contained in the court's omnibus order, Schmitz ultimately admitted to consuming an alcoholic beverage an hour before the stop.

The complaint states the deputy noted six indicators of impairment as Schmitz conducted various field sobriety tests.

A preliminary on-scene breath test also showed Schmitz had a blood alcohol content of 0.18, after which Schmitz was placed under arrest.

Schmitz was convicted of criminal vehicular operation in 2015 in Kandiyohi County, following a single-vehicle rollover in June 2014 that injured him and a 14-year-old passenger.

According to West Central Tribune archives, a blood test at the hospital showed Schmitz had a blood alcohol level of 0.176, more than twice the legal limit. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years of probation, according to his public criminal record.