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Report: Dustin Byfuglien will face drunken boating charges

Jets Byfuglien Arrest Hockey

In this booking photo released by the Hennepin (Minn.) County Sheriff, Winnipeg Jets hockey player Dustin Byfuglien is shown. Hennepin County Sheriff’s officials say the 26-year-old Byfuglien was arrested on suspicion of boating while intoxicated on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011, on Lake Minnetonka in Excelsior, Minn. A statement from the sheriff’s department says he refused to submit to a blood or urine test. (AP Photo/Hennepin County Sheriff via The Canadian Press)

AP

Dustin Byfuglien’s run-in with the law while boating on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota nearly two weeks ago will apparently result in further legal problems for the Winnipeg Jets defenseman.

In case you’d forgotten, Byfuglien was arrested for suspicion of BWI (boating while intoxicated) after refusing to take a blood or urine test last week. According to a report out of the Winnipeg Sun, Byfuglien will face charges surrounding his arrest.

“A complaint has been approved but it’s not been filed yet to our knowledge,” said Steve Tallen, a Lake Minnetonka Conservation District attorney.

As for the kind of trouble Byfuglien could face if he’s convicted, the Minnesota boating laws show that a BWI conviction means he could face a $1,000 fine, possible jail time, or lose his boating privileges for 90 days (PDF Link here). If he’s convicted, he could also run into problems being able to go to and from Canada and the United States. Given that he’s from Roseau, Minnesota and will be playing in Winnipeg, Manitoba that development would be a worst-case scenario for both him and the Jets.

We suspect that things won’t go that far in his case, but then again, you never know how things will play out in court either. Let’s hope Byfuglien has learned his lesson.