A man downed shots of alcohol and was stumbling about in a Moorhead restaurant before he drove on the wrong side of a highway and caused a head-on crash that killed the other driver and her dog, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.
Christopher Thomas Pink, 28, was charged in Clay County District Court with criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the collision shortly before 7 p.m. on Saturday north of Moorhead on Hwy. 75. Killed in the crash was Jennifer Elizabeth Watson, 43, of Ennis, Texas.
Pink, of Moorhead, was arrested at the scene and remains jailed in lieu of $300,000 bail. He's due back in court on March 11. Court records do not list an attorney for him.
Pink was "traveling northbound in the southbound lane" of Hwy. 75 in his pickup truck when he hit Watson as she drove her SUV heading south, a State Patrol statement read.
According to the criminal complaint:
A state trooper arrived at the crash scene, saw Pink and noticed a strong odor of alcohol. Pink was led to the trooper's squad car for a medical evaluation.
The trooper went to the other vehicle, an SUV, and saw that Watson was dead. A dog in her vehicle was motionless. Police started driving the dog to a veterinary hospital in Fargo, but the animal died on the way.
Pink told the trooper that he had consumed "zero" alcohol in the time leading up to the crash, the complaint quoted him as saying. He declined medical attention and refused to take a preliminary breath test to measure his degree of intoxication. Pink's blood was taken for testing once he was at the jail, but he refused to sign and initial the test tubes.
Acting on a receipt found on Pink listing several alcoholic drinks, law enforcement reviewed video from Buffalo Wild Wings that showed him at the bar "consuming alcohol and taking shots," the complaint noted. "At one point, [he] is seen on video stumbling through the restaurant, unable to keep his head up and dropping items on the floor."
Pink's criminal history in Minnesota includes a drunken-driving conviction in 2019, when he was caught driving in Moorhead with a blood alcohol content of 0.13%, more than 1½ times the legal limit in the state.
Just over the border in North Dakota, Pink was convicted in 2020 and again in 2021 for reckless driving, according to that state's court records. Related drunken-driving charges were dismissed.
At each sentencing for reckless driving, Pink was ordered to undergo a chemical dependency evaluation.

U.S. Bancorp executive believed to be aboard plane that crashed into Brooklyn Park home

Trump says he's considering ways to serve a third term as president

Trump's promised 'Liberation Day' of tariffs is coming. Here's what it could mean for you

Trump roars down multiple paths of retribution as he vowed. Some targets yield while others fight
