Minnesota man accused of OWI, child endangerment in Cerro Gordo County pleads not guilty

CLEAR LAKE — A Minnesota man accused of child endangerment and OWI after getting stuck in the snow near Clear Lake last month has pleaded not guilty.

 37-year-old John Geiger of Sartell was taken into custody on the night of December 17th after his vehicle was located stuck in the snow in a ditch near the intersection of 300th Street and Grouse Avenue about three miles north of Clear Lake. Court documents say Geiger had a three-year-old child in the vehicle and allegedly admitted to consuming alcohol. Geiger’s blood alcohol content registered at .211, which is two-and-a-half times over the legal limit.

Geiger was charged with child endangerment with substantial risk, second-offense operating while intoxicated and first-offense possession of marijuana. His arraignment hearing was scheduled for last week, but online court records show he recently filed a written plea of not guilty to the charges. His trial is scheduled to start on March 17th in Cerro Gordo County District Court.