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Wednesday, June 24, 2009
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Ultralight pilot faces 8 criminal counts
Staff Writer The 43-year-old Brainerd man who crashed his ultralight airplane Saturday into Gull Lake had a blood alcohol content of .223 - nearly three times the legal limit of .08 - following the crash, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.
Jonathan Douglas Kurilla, 43, Brainerd, appeared Tuesday in Cass County District Court, where he was charged with eight criminal counts - two counts of gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation resulting in injury, two counts of gross misdemeanor operating an aircraft under the influence of alcohol, two counts of third-degree DWI and two counts of misdemeanor unlawful operation of an aircraft.
Kurilla was piloting the ultralight aircraft about 7:20 p.m. near Gull Point on the south end of Gull Lake in Cass County when the airplane crashed into the water.
Kurilla and a passenger, Estelle Paulson, 35, Nisswa, were pulled from the water by witnesses and taken ashore. Paulson was transported by North Ambulance to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd, where she was treated and released.
Cass County Attorney Christopher Strandlie said investigators have been unable to contact Paulson to determine the extent of her injuries. If her injuries are determined to be more severe than first thought Kurilla could face enhanced criminal charges, he said.
According to the criminal complaint filed against Kurilla:
• Deputies arrived at Gull Lake about 7:30 p.m. and learned Kurilla and Paulson had been taken to Ernie's on Gull Lake following the airplane crash. Paulson suffered a leg injury and was transported by ambulance to the hospital.
• Kurilla told deputies that he had been the driver of the airplane when it crashed and also indicated that the aircraft belonged to him. While speaking with Kurilla, deputies observed a very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath.
• A deputy asked Kurilla if he had been consuming alcohol before flying the airplane and subsequently crashing. Kurilla pointed to a plastic cup with a green liquid in it and stated he had gotten the drink as soon as he had come to shore, about five minutes earlier, and drank some of it. He said it was the only alcohol he had to drink on the day of the incident.
• Deputies also observed Kurilla's eyes to be very red and bloodshot, his speech was slurred and he seemed to be quite nervous when speaking with the deputies. He twice refused to submit to a preliminary breath test to determine alcohol concentration, stating he believed the tests results were always wrong.
• Kurilla was administered field sobriety tests, all of which he had difficulty with, indicating that he appeared to be intoxicated. He was then arrested and taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center for a blood draw and a breath test, which showed an alcohol concentration of .223.
• A review of Kurilla's driving record reveals a total of six prior DWI incidents. Kurilla is being held in the Cass County Jail on $12,000 bond or $1,350 cash bail with the conditions he abstain from all mood altering substances, including alcohol, and he not operate an aircraft. His next court appearance will be 9 a.m. Monday.
MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
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