Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen has once again run into trouble with the law, as he was officially charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of cocaine in the wake of a traffic stop last week.
Griffen, 36, of Mound, was originally stopped for driving 82 mph on southbound Interstate 35W near Lake Street. The officer asked Griffen to partake in some field sobriety tests after becoming suspicious of his sobriety during the traffic stop. Griffen subsequently failed the tests, and during a search of his person’s, a small vial of cocaine was found in his back pocket. A preliminary breath test reveled that Griffen had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.10, just over the 0.08 legal limit.
Griffen was booked into Hennepin County Jail and released Thursday afternoon after posting a $12,000 bond. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on June 13.
Back In Trouble
This isn’t the first time the former defensive standout has run afoul with Minnesota police in recent years. Last July, Griffen was arrested and charged with DWI in Chanhassen. We covered that story at the time, and Griffen eventually accepted a plea deal that saw him plead guilty to a reckless driving charge instead of a DWI. As part of the plea deal, Griffen was ordered to:
- Complete one year of supervised probation.
- Ordered to pay $1,060 in fines and fees.
- Ordered to complete a chemical assessment, attend a victim impact panel, and to not drive while his license was revoked.
Three months after that arrest, Griffen crashed his Mercedes-Benz into a car and a fence in Mound, and he was later convicted of failure to drive with due care for that accident. Then in December he was cited by a Shakopee police officer for traveling 55 mph in a 30 mph zone.
Griffen faces two counts of gross misdemeanor third-degree DWI and one count each of gross misdemeanor fifth-degree drug possession and misdemeanor careless driving for his latest incident.
Griffen is clearly going through some issues right now, and he’s spoke about his troubles with bipolar disorder and his overall mental health in the past, so hopefully he can get the help he needs to get his life back on track. We know that it’s easier for the state to just throw the book at offenders, but clearly there are some mental health issues that need to be addressed if Griffen is going to stay out of trouble going forward. Hopefully the court recognizes that and finds a way to get him the help he needs.
And if you need help contesting a criminal charge in the greater Twin Cities area, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
