A Hastings man has been sentenced to electronic home monitoring and four years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to a gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation charge stemming from a rollover crash in Cottage Grove.
Benjamin Ray Stayberg, 44, was sentenced July 8 in Washington County District Court. The case arose from a May 18, 2025, crash in which Stayberg rolled a BMW while driving with an alcohol concentration reported at 0.44.
Stayberg was convicted of criminal vehicular operation causing bodily harm while having an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more. The gross misdemeanor conviction was part of a plea agreement that resulted in four other charges being dismissed.
District Court Judge Gregory Galler imposed a 364-day sentence, with Stayberg ordered to serve 90 days through home detention and electronic monitoring. The remaining 274 days were stayed for four years, meaning Stayberg could be required to serve that time if he violates the terms of his probation.
Stayberg will be supervised by Washington County Community Corrections through July 8, 2030. Because he lives in Hastings, the court also ordered him to cooperate with the transfer of his probation supervision to his county of residence.
The case was filed June 24, 2025, following an investigation by the Cottage Grove Police Department. Prosecutors initially charged Stayberg with five gross misdemeanors, including three counts of criminal vehicular operation and two counts of second-degree driving while impaired.
Court records show that Stayberg initially entered not guilty pleas to all five charges in December 2025. He returned to court March 25 and pleaded guilty to one count of criminal vehicular operation under an amended plea agreement.
The charge involved operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration of at least 0.08 and causing bodily harm. The available court information does not identify the person who was injured or provide details about the extent of the injuries.
The remaining charges were formally dismissed at sentencing. Those counts included criminal vehicular operation while under the influence of alcohol, criminal vehicular operation with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more within two hours of driving, and two second-degree DWI charges.
Stayberg’s probation includes a lengthy list of conditions aimed at sobriety, treatment and supervision.
He must abstain from alcohol and all non-prescribed mood-altering substances. He must also submit to random breath tests and urinalysis at his own expense when directed by his probation officer.
The court ordered Stayberg to complete a comprehensive assessment within 30 days and follow all resulting recommendations, including any aftercare plan. He must finish his current treatment program, attend sober support meetings once each week and provide proof of attendance to his probation officer.
Stayberg must also attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim impact panel and participate in cognitive skills training if directed by probation officials.
Other conditions require him to remain law abiding, maintain contact with his probation officer and report any changes in his address, employment or telephone number within 72 hours. He must sign information releases when directed and cooperate with the transfer of his probation.
The sentence also included a $750 fine. With a $75 criminal and traffic surcharge and a $15 law library fee, Stayberg owes a total of $840.
The court record listed the full balance as unpaid as of Aug. 3.
Stayberg had been released under conditions while the case was pending. Those conditions required him to make all future court appearances, maintain contact with his attorney and avoid any same or similar offenses. Those interim conditions expired when he was sentenced July 8.
The sentencing concludes the trial court portion of a case that had been pending for more than a year. Stayberg will now serve the 90-day confinement portion of his sentence outside the Washington County Jail, under electronic monitoring, while beginning the four-year probationary period.