Off-duty South St. Paul police sergeant accused of DWI, trying to flee

A drunken off-duty South St. Paul police sergeant toppled mailboxes in his SUV one morning this week south of Rosemount and then tried in vain to flee an officer who was attempting to pull him over, authorities said.

The incident involving 13-year South St. Paul police veteran Cory Slifko occurred about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday as the sergeant was entering Rosemount in his personal SUV, according to Chief William Messerich, Slifko's boss.

Rosemount Police Chief Eric Werner said that a 911 caller alerted authorities to Slifko's "erratic driving" on northbound Hwy. 3 near 190th Street.

"Some mailboxes were hit, and a truck was run off the road," Werner said. Nobody was hurt.

As Slifko entered Rosemount, a police officer spotted the SUV, Werner said. Slifko pulled into a Kwik Trip gas station on Hwy. 3 near 150th Street, but then struck a trailer and a gas pump as he fled from the parking lot, the Rosemount chief said.

The officer brought Slifko's flight to a quick end with a PIT maneuver — ramming the SUV to force it to stop.

The sergeant was given "normal field sobriety tests" and taken to jail, said Werner, who added that Slifko's blood alcohol content would likely be revealed when criminal charges are filed by the Dakota County attorney's office.

"We hold our officers to high standards, both on and off duty, and the incident that took place on Tuesday morning in Rosemount is very concerning to us all," Messerich said.

Slifko became a licensed police officer in Minnesota in 1998 and was promoted to sergeant in January. As the investigation continues, he remains on paid administrative leave.

A phone message was left Thursday morning with Slifko seeking comment about his case.