Washington County deputy charged in Afton head-on crash

Charges allege that an off-duty Washington County sheriff’s deputy was driving under the influence, wearing his uniform and carrying his service pistol in the front passenger seat, when he crashed head-on into the family’s SUV at 55 mph Sunday morning. in Afton, injuring a couple from Lake Elmo. and himself

Campbell Johnston Blair, 58, of Hastings, was arraigned Thursday in Washington County District Court on felony counts of aggravated battery and carrying a handgun while intoxicated in connection with the crash. As of Thursday evening, no charges had been filed against him.

Blair was driving his 2024 Subaru Crosstrek SUV north on Minnesota 95 (St. Croix Trail) shortly after 10:30 a.m. when he crossed the center line onto Scenic Lane and collided head-on with a 2022 Ford Expedition SUV– says the criminal statement.

Blair and the passengers in the Ford — Eric Robert Sward, 38, and Heather Lynn Sward, 36, both of Lake Elmo — were taken to St. Paul Regional Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Eric Sword’s mother wrote on Facebook that the couple was on their way to an apple orchard to celebrate the couple’s daughter’s second birthday when the accident occurred.

“Luckily, Eric’s quick reflexes allowed him to swerve at the last moment, preventing a more serious accident,” Jodi Sword wrote.

Her son suffered a fractured spine, knee and ankle, she wrote.

He also had lacerations to his forehead, was bleeding and reported a momentary loss of consciousness, the complaint said.

The couple’s three children, along with their cousins, “suffered only minor scratches and bruises, while Heather suffered scratches, bruises and significant lacerations,” she wrote.

According to the complaint:

Police officers called to the scene found Blair in uniform and conscious, but covered in blood from lacerations. His service vest and pistol were lying on the front passenger seat. He told the trooper that he worked through the night at St. Paul Regional Hospital and finished work at seven in the morning. He said he was called to return to work at the hospital.

Laura Perkins, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said Thursday that Blair had signed up to work as overtime security for a person in custody at the regional mental health unit.

Field sobriety tests were not administered at the scene of the crash, as Blair had to be extricated from his SUV and transported to Regionals for medical treatment.

Blair testified to investigators while in the Regions, repeating that he had been called to work in the Regions. He smelled of alcohol, but he denied drinking. He agreed to a preliminary breath test and submitted to a “weak test” that registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.09, the complaint said. The legal limit for a driver in Minnesota is 0.08.

Investigators later learned that Blair had not been reinstated and that he had not worked until that night. “It was unknown why Blair was in full uniform with his service vest and handgun,” the complaint states.

Several motorists said they saw Blair cross lanes and drive erratically.

Two witnesses who were northbound on Minnesota 95 in front of Blair’s SUV said it continued to travel from lane to lane for about two miles. At one point, they thought the SUV was making a U-turn because it was driving on the side of the road, they said, adding that they noticed the driver was wearing a sheriff’s uniform.

Police believe Blair hit the couple’s SUV at 55 mph without braking because no tracks were found on the highway.