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17Dec/080

Dakota County deputy faces new charges in new case

A Dakota County sheriff's deputy who killed a man with his squad car last year now faces new charges.

Prosecutors filed charges of driving while impaired and open bottle Friday against 30-year-old Joshua James Williams on Friday.

He was arrested Nov. 15 after a fellow deputy clocked him traveling 68 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone. The criminal complaint says the officer found a partially consumed can of beer in Williams' back seat. He failed his alcohol tests.

The attorney for Williams declined comment.

Williams had been convicted of careless driving in a crash that killed motorcyclist Bill Wallace in 2007. The Wallace family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county.

Williams has been placed on paid leave. He already has a drunken driving conviction from 1998.

When called about the suit, parents Tammy and Brian Houtakker wouldn't comment, and their lawyer didn't return phone calls.

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