Driver in 2015 double-fatal crash charged with new DWI in Fridley
Tom Souvannaphong, who served a seven-year sentence for a 2015 drunk-driving crash that killed Kevin and Kathy Davey in Sauk Rapids, has been charged in Anoka County with new DWI counts after a Fridley traffic stop this week. According to the complaint, a Fridley officer pulled him over the night of April 3, 2026 on University Avenue NE after watching his vehicle swerve and fail to maintain its lane, and a roadside breath test put his blood-alcohol level at 0.157 — nearly twice Minnesota’s legal limit. Prosecutors say his driver’s license is currently revoked, he had no proof of insurance, and he refused an evidentiary breath test at the Fridley Police Station, leading to a charge for test refusal as well. Court records show Souvannaphong had a prior DWI in 2014 and was told under his 2016 vehicular-homicide sentence that any new DWI at any point in his life would be a felony, underscoring how little deterrent that warning provided. For Twin Cities residents driving the same north‑metro corridors, this is another reminder that some of the most dangerous people on the road are repeat offenders the system already knows about—and keeps putting back behind the wheel.
📌 Key Facts
- On April 3, 2026, Fridley police stopped Tom Souvannaphong on University Avenue NE after observing lane‑weaving and swerving.
- A preliminary breath test recorded his BAC at 0.157, and he later refused an evidentiary breath test at the station.
- Souvannaphong previously served an 84‑month sentence for a 2015 drunk‑driving crash that killed Kevin and Kathy Davey and had a 2014 DWI, with sentencing guidelines stating any future DWI in his lifetime would be a felony.
📊 Relevant Data
Approximately 40% of Minnesota drivers with a DWI on their record reoffend after their first offense.
1 in 7 Minnesotans have DWI on their record, data show — FOX 9
From 2002 to 2025, Black individuals represented 18% of felony DWI prison admissions in Minnesota, compared to approximately 7% of the state's population.
Minnesota Felony Driving While Impaired Report 2025 — Minnesota Department of Corrections
From 2002 to 2025, American Indian individuals represented 13.8% of felony DWI prison admissions in Minnesota, compared to approximately 1% of the state's population.
Minnesota Felony Driving While Impaired Report 2025 — Minnesota Department of Corrections
Minnesota's population in 2025 is approximately 78.35% White, 6.80% Black, 0.89% American Indian, 5.06% Asian, and 5.96% Hispanic.
Minnesota Population by Race & Ethnicity - 2025 Update — Neilsberg Research
New Minnesota DWI laws effective August 1, 2025, require ignition interlock devices for all repeat DWI offenders, including those with two or more offenses within 10 years or any lifetime felony DWI.
New Minnesota DWI Law Expands Ignition Interlock Requirements as of August 1, 2025 — Sieben Edmunds Miller
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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