Washington County deputy accused of drunk-driving crash was still in uniform after overnight shift, charges say
His duty pistol was on the passenger seat when he crashed head on into a family’s SUV, the preliminary investigation says.
Charges say an off-duty Washington County sheriff’s deputy was driving drunk while wearing his work uniform and with his duty pistol on his front passenger seat when he crashed head on into a family’s SUV at 55 mph Sunday morning in Afton, seriously injuring a Lake Elmo couple and himself.
Campbell Johnston Blair, 58, of Hastings, was charged by summons Thursday in Washington County District Court with felony criminal vehicular operation-causing substantial bodily harm and misdemeanor carrying a pistol while under the influence of alcohol in connection with the crash. He had not been booked on the charges as of Thursday night.
Blair was driving his 2024 Subaru Crosstrek SUV north on Minnesota 95 (St. Croix Trail) shortly after 10:30 a.m. when he crossed over the center line at Scenic Lane and collided head on with a 2022 Ford Expedition SUV, the criminal complaint says.
Blair and the occupants of the Ford — 38-year-old Erik Robert Sward and 36-year-old Heather Lynn Sward, both of Lake Elmo, were all transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul with injuries not considered life-threatening.
Erik Sward’s mother wrote on Facebook that the couple was on their way to an apple orchard to celebrate the 2nd birthday of the couple’s daughter when the crash happened.
“Thankfully, Erik’s quick reflexes allowed him to swerve at the last moment, preventing a more severe crash,” Jodi Sward wrote.
Her son suffered fractures to his vertebra, knee and ankle, she wrote.
He also had laceration to his forehead and was bleeding and reported a momentary loss of consciousness, the complaint says.
The couple’s three children, along with their two cousins, “emerged with only minor scratches and bruises, while Heather sustained scrapes, bruises, and significant soreness,” she wrote.
According to the complaint:
State troopers called to the crash found Blair in his uniform and conscious but covered in blood from lacerations. His duty vest and pistol were on the front passenger seat. He told a trooper he had worked overnight at Regions Hospital in St. Paul and got done at 7 a.m. He said he had been called to return to work at the hospital.
Laura Perkins, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said Thursday that Blair had signed up to work an on-duty overtime security detail for an in-custody individual in the mental health unit at Regions.
Field-sobriety tests were not conducted at the crash scene because Blair had to be extricated from his SUV and transported to Regions for medical care.
Blair gave a statement to investigators while at Regions, repeating that he had been called back to work at Regions. He smelled of alcohol, but denied that he had been drinking. He agreed to give a preliminary breath test, and gave a “weak sample” that registered a 0.09 blood-alcohol level, the complaint says. The legal limit for a driver in Minnesota is 0.08.
Investigators later learned that Blair had not been called back into work, and that he did not work again until that night. “It was unknown why Blair was in full uniform with his duty vest and pistol,” the complaint says.
Several motorists said they saw Blair weaving over lane lines and driving erratically.
Two witnesses who were headed northbound on Minnesota 95 in front of Blair’s SUV said he kept going from lane to lane for about two miles. At one point, they thought the SUV was turning because it was driving on the shoulder, they reported, adding they noticed the driver was wearing a sheriff’s uniform.
Troopers believe Blair hit the couple’s SUV at 55 mph without braking, since no marks were found on the highway.
Erik Sward told investigators while hospitalized they were struck with no warning and that he did not have time to hit the brakes.
Blair has been a deputy with the sheriff’s office since 2020 and is assigned to the court security unit.
Perkins said Thursday that Blair has been placed on administrative leave and an internal investigation is underway.
“We hold our deputies to the highest standards and are committed to maintaining the public’s trust,” she said in a statement. “We extend our sincerest support to the family involved as they recover.”
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