Charges: Man Was Drunk When He Ran Over His Wife

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 57-year-old man was drunk when he ran over his wife with a vehicle last week, according to recently filed criminal charges.

Investigators said that David Christopher Meder was just getting home on the 2600 block of Arcola Lane in the city of Minnetonka Beach last Thursday when the accident happened.

The criminal complaint says that Meder told officers he and his wife -- 57-year-old Diane Rawlings Meder -- were just getting home and had stopped the car to get the mail. He said that he didn't know she had gotten out of the car.

He made a left-hand turn into their driveway and heard her yell that he was running her over.

When paramedics arrived, she told them that it had been an accident. She was airlifted to North Memorial Medical Center, where she later died.

Officers noted a strong smell of alcohol from David Meder, and tests indicated he had been operating the motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.155.

He told investigators that he had a small business that "was just turning the corner," and that this incident would "ruin him," the complaint says.

He was arrested and taken to Hennepin County Jail. His bail was set at $150,000. He is expected to make his first court appearance on Tuesday.