Crime & Safety

Richfield Police Arrest 7-Time DWI Offender for Drunken Driving

Police say James Richard Lampkins had a blood-alcohol content of .14 when he was arrested in Richfield on the morning of Aug. 15.

Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter

A St. Paul man with at least seven previous drunken driving convictions and eight convictions for driving with a canceled license was arrested last week in Richfield and charged again with DWI.

James Richard Lampkins, 56, is facing a felony charge of first-degree driving while impaired, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of three years in prison and a $4,200 fine.

Find out what's happening in Richfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to the criminal complaint, signed by Richfield Police Detective Eric Lammle, an officer on patrol near the intersection of Portland Avenue and Interstate 494 saw a Toyota Highlander hit a Ford Fiesta in an intersection just after 10:30 a.m. Aug. 15.

The driver of the Highlander didn’t stop, but turned east onto 77th Street and stopped near an intersection.

Find out what's happening in Richfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The officer approached the vehicle and identified the driver as Lampkins, who smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and slow reactions, according to the complaint.

Lampkins failed a field sobriety test, and provided a breath sample that showed a blood-alcohol content of .14 percent, the complaint charges.

Lampkins’ extensive criminal record includes DWI convictions in 1984, 1996, 1997, 2005 and 2007, and his license was revoked in July for refusing to submit to DWI testing. He was convicted in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007 and twice in 2011 for driving with a canceled license.

Lampkins remains in the Hennepin County Jail on a $50,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled Sept. 14 in Hennepin County District Court.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.