Two University of Minnesota students were taken to two hospitals after drinking in excess Saturday night and early Sunday morning, according to two University of Minnesota Police Department reports. At 11:40 p.m. Saturday night, University police were dispatched to Territorial Hall on a call to check the welfare of an intoxicated woman. Emily Hanson, 18, was found sitting on her futon and barely able to communicate, according to the report. The police officer could smell the strong odor of alcohol on her. The report said Hanson mumbled that she had consumed vodka earlier in the evening. Hanson was able to walk to the lobby with the help of the officer and was transported to the University of Minnesota Medical Center to be treated for a high level of intoxication, the report said. The same officer was dispatched again to Territorial Hall on yet another report of an intoxicated woman about an hour and a half later. Randi Pool, 18, was found passed out in a menâÄôs bathroom on the fourth floor by the officer, the report said. She was lying on the floor, and the officer could not get her to answer any questions, according to the report. The officer called in paramedics because Pool was not able to walk, the report said. She was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment. University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said the UMPD sees many of these cases in the residence halls where first-year students are placed. This kind of behavior, he said, creates a potentially serious situation. Jim Miner, research director for the department of emergency medicine at HCMC, said the most dangerous situation occurs when vomit ends up in the lungs. He said that when someone gets injured just from being drunk, itâÄôs almost always from aspirating. Aspirating is when vomit is inhaled into the lungs. âÄúItâÄôs essentially how you die from alcohol,âÄù he said. Jim Miner said that when someone is unresponsive and vomiting, they are in a dangerous situation. He added that HCMC tends to see more cases during the school year than in the summer. According to the police reports, both women were given citations for consumption of alcohol by a minor. Student arrested for drunk driving A University student was arrested for driving while intoxicated early Saturday morning, according to a UMPD report. Jena Jenson, 23, was pulled over after an officer spotted her vehicle driving southbound on 15th Avenue Southeast with no headlights on and with the trunk popped open, the report said. The officer followed Jenson for several blocks and stopped her near Fifth Street Southeast, according to the report. After investigating further, the officer found Jenson to be intoxicated, the report said. Jenson was taken to Hennepin County Jail and her vehicle was taken to the Minneapolis Impound Lot.
Two U students hospitalized after excessive drinking
A student was arrested for drunk driving in a separate incident.
by Kyle Sando
Published February 9, 2010
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