Northfield woman charged after DWI crashes, 2 officers hurt in arrest

A Northfield woman was charged Tuesday after she allegedly drove drunk, hit several cars and homes, and hurt two officers during her arrest.

The Details

Katherine Niles, 36, faces six criminal charges, including two counts of assault, two counts of DWI, one count of obstructing the legal process, and one count of hit-and-run, according to court documents.

Court records show Northfield police responded to multiple hit-and-run reports in three locations near Saint Olaf Avenue, near 2nd Street West, and near Plum Street South. An SUV, a 2007 Saturn VUE, damaged three vehicles and two homes registered under Niles.

The complaint said officers noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from Niles and gave her a preliminary breath test that registered a 0.155 blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

Police arrested Niles and took her to the Northfield Police Department, where court records said she fought with two different officers in the booking room.

The complaint said one officer had bruising after being kicked in the thigh and knee, and another officer’s hand became swollen after Niles bent several fingers. Court records said that the second officer went to the emergency room and was told she had soft tissue damage.

Later that night, a judge signed a search warrant for Niles’ blood or urine, but she refused to provide a sample, according to court records.

Niles is set to make her first appearance on Thursday.