A search warrant filed in Becker County last month alleges Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson first denied driving the vehicle he later admitted to crashing while driving drunk near Alexandria on Dec. 8.

The warrant, filed on Dec. 10, states Hutchinson told both witnesses and responding deputies at the time that he was not the person behind the wheel of the county-owned vehicle involved in a rollover crash on Interstate 94. The documents go on to say a Douglas County sheriff's deputy at the scene noted a "strong odor of alcoholic beverage," "slurred speech," and "poor balance" from Hutchinson, as he repeatedly told the officer that he was not driving. The warrant states Hutchinson told the deputy "he had called a cab" and that "the cab driver was driving the vehicle."

According to court documents, Hutchinson received a 90-day stayed sentence to Douglas County Jail, a $610 fine and two years of probation. As part of his probation, Hutchinson must complete a chemical assessment, have no driver license or alcohol violations and must abstain from alcohol and controlled substance use, with the exception of prescribed medications.

Hutchinson was booked into the Ramsey County Detention Center on Dec. 21 as part of his DWI and had his mugshot taken there. Ramsey County released his mugshot on Monday, Dec. 27 after initially telling KARE 11 that Douglas County would need to release it.

The credibility of those chosen to enforce the law is critical. Meanwhile, the affliction of alcohol abuse affects people from all walks of life.

So when Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson crashed his county-owned vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in early December and admitted that he had a drinking problem he needed to address, the Star Tribune Editorial Board weighed the situation with considerable attention and mixed opinions. The view that prevailed held that Hutchinson should atone for his mistake, undergo appropriate treatment and return to work.

It's a forbearance that has been afforded to other elected officials who have committed drunken-driving offenses. It's one granted to many (though not all) citizens guilty of a first offense. It's offered to perpetrators by a society that has a sense of humility and a hope for their redemption, even in the face of a deadly scourge.

At the same time, we wrote Dec. 10, both the legal system and Hutchinson himself were obliged to provide a special level of transparency in this case. It is the lack thereof in the weeks hence — and growing concern that there may be other shoes to drop — that now lead us to call for Hutchinson's resignation.

One revelation in particular shreds the sheriff's tattered trustworthiness beyond repair. According to a recently unsealed State Patrol search warrant, Hutchinson told a Douglas County sheriff's deputy several times at the scene of the rollover — which took place near Alexandria, where Hutchinson had been attending a law enforcement conference — that someone else had been driving the vehicle. That was a lie. He was alone.

Yes, he was drunk at the time — with a blood alcohol content of 0.13, according to the results of a urine sample he provided later at a hospital — and, yes, drunk people say the dumbest things. Hutchinson's attorney, Fred Bruno, says that the sheriff "rang his bell" in the crash and that Hutchinson's words at the scene were "meaningless" as a result. But it is another apparent example of this particular law enforcer flouting the law.

Additionally, according to the warrant, a bottle of bourbon "was observed inside the passenger compartment." Bruno disputes the allegation, and Hutchinson was not prosecuted for it, but Minnesota law prohibits open containers of alcohol in vehicles. Bruno did Hutchinson no favors in terms of public perception when he complained that state troopers are "unforgiving" regarding DWIs and "would charge Mother Teresa." The sheriff should instruct his attorney to get on board with the message of contrition.

Hutchinson gave interviews to several media outlets, including the Star Tribune, in late December, speaking in tones of abashment. But he did not offer any of this additional information, even though he had already reached a plea agreement. As a public official, Hutchinson should have anticipated ongoing scrutiny of his case. He should have just come out with any information the public deserves to know. Which is all of it.

Other aspects of his case are murkier but still concerning. They include a booking process — in Ramsey County, not Douglas, nearly two weeks after the crash — that could leave the impression of having been tailored for Hutchinson's convenience, and a pestering sort of law enforcement attention to an independent journalist who photographed Hutchinson's crumpled vehicle at an impound lot in Medina.

Importantly, Hutchinson is losing the confidence of other Hennepin County leaders, with calls for his resignation mounting among County Board members on Thursday. Though the board cannot fire an elected official such as Hutchinson, it oversees the sheriff's roughly $120 million budget.

Considering the recent upheaval in Twin Cities law enforcement leadership and the crime patterns worrying residents throughout the metro area, we had hoped it would help with stability if Hutchinson were to stay on the job. Instead, it's no longer clear that the sheriff can be duly focused on the county's needs, or if he is being fully honest with himself about his own.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Photographs and squad car camera footage taken on the scene of Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson’s DWI crash in early December were released Thursday morning, along with dashcam footage from responding officers.

Still not released, body-worn camera video from deputies responding to the crash scene. State law says Hutchinson, 41, must give consent in order for that video to be released, and so far he has not given that consent. WCCO called his attorney and is waiting for a response.

Hutchinson earlier pleaded guilty to driving drunk when he rolled his county-owned SUV. It happened on Interstate 94 in Alexandria last month. The sheriff totaled the vehicle.

Hutchinson, whose blood-alcohol content was over the legal limit at 0.13 according to a urine sample taken roughly three hours after the crash, suffered broken ribs and a head injury in the rollover.

It was a witness who first noticed the crash just five miles outside of Alexandria.

“Saw a guy crawling along the bottom of the ditch, decided to turn around and go help,” the witness said to authorities. “First thing I asked is if he was OK. He was laying on his right side. The first thing he says to me is, ‘I wasn’t driving the car.’ So I said, ‘Is there someone else in there?’ He said, ‘I don’t know, it’s not my car.'”

The video and audio released Thursday shows what happened moments after Hutchinson crashed the vehicle assigned to him. According to reports, Hutchinson was driving impaired at more than 120 mph, and he was not wearing a seatbelt.

Dash camera video from deputies responding to the crash scene outside Alexandria show a dazed Hutchinson getting into the back seat of a squad near his wrecked SUV.

Deputies question him about where he was coming from and where he was going. Hutchinson said he was at a sheriff’s conference in Alexandria. He was breathing very heavily and only complained of his tooth hurting.

In the footage released, Hutchinson can be seen in the back of the squad car. He asks a deputy, “Where are we right now?” and tells the deputy multiple times he wasn’t driving. He also asks the deputy what kind of car was involved in the crash.

Officer: Who was driving?
Hutchinson: I’m from Hennepin.
Officer: You’re from Hennepin?
Hutchinson: I took a cab from some person.
Officer: So you were a passenger?
Hutchinson: I wasn’t driving.
Officer: I’m concerned because I don’t see somebody else inside. You’re telling me you were not driving.
Hutchinson: No, absolutely not.

Among the audio files, some of which have been redacted, are discussions with an apparent witness and an investigator talking with a lawyer representing Hutchinson.

Another audio file includes a conversation between the Alexandria Police Department and a taxi driver whom Hutchinson called the morning of the crash. The driver tells police the caller asked if any bars were still open.

Evidentiary files released show three firearms — a revolver, a 9mm pistol and an AR-15 — were recovered from Hutchinson’s vehicle. A sealed bottle of bourbon was also among the items recovered.

In an incident report from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy wrote Hutchinson said he had “no idea” who was driving. The deputy also said the keys to Hutchinson’s vehicle were found “in the lane of traffic a short distance away” from the crash.

“I believe Hutchinson threw the keys out of his pocket so the keys would not be in his possession,” the report states.

According to a state patrol field report, Hutchinson’s initial statement on the crash was released while he was still in the hospital, and he declined to submit to an interrogation.

Hutchinson eventually admitted to driving impaired and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge. Hutchinson was sentenced on Dec. 20 to two years’ probation and fined $610.

Col. Matt Langer of the Minnesota State Patrol released the following statement Thursday:

“I commend the work of those who had a role in investigating this matter, including the Minnesota State Patrol.

“At the crash scene, Mr. Hutchinson claimed he was not the driver. The focus of the multi-faceted and collaborative investigation, which included the executed search warrants, set out to determine who was behind the wheel. That need dissolved with the admission by Mr. Hutchinson that he was driving while impaired.

“There is no minimizing or defending the driving conduct and decisions involved in this situation. Mr. Hutchinson’s decision to drive impaired, at speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour while not wearing a seat belt are the exact opposite of what we know helps to keep people safe on our roads. We are glad the injuries he sustained were not more severe and that no one else was injured.

“We appreciate Mr. Hutchinson taking responsibility for his actions and hope others will learn from this situation by following our steadfast and simple advice to never drive impaired, obey the speed limit, wear your seatbelt, and pay attention.”

After the crash, Hutchinson said he was going through treatment for chemical dependency and mental health. As part of his sentencing, Hutchinson has to complete a chemical assessment, have no alcohol or controlled substance violations, no driver’s license violations, and submit to random testing.

There have been calls for Hutchinson to resign following the drunken crash, including on Thursday from Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. Nearly all Hennepin County’s seven commissioners and a Minneapolis City Council member have also demanded Hutchinson’s resignation.

Warrant details allege he told law enforcement that someone else was driving his county-owned SUV when he rolled it.

One of the deputies who responded to the crash told the trooper that they found an open bottle of bourbon in the vehicle, and there was “a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from Hutchinson,” who also had slurred speech and was off balance. The deputy also said Hutchinson told them multiple times that he wasn’t driving the SUV, and once said “he had called a cab and that the cab driver was driving the vehicle.”

The sheriff told WCCO’s Jennifer Mayerle in late December that he has stopped drinking for good, but he won’t resign, and he will run for reelection.

Quoted:
What are the white boxes supposed to show?

Quoted:



I am fixing them.... I posted the wrong damned links.

OP is 'tarded

Quoted:
"Hutch is the sheriff that Hennepin County needs and deserves." -Jeremy Schroeder (former Minneapolis City Council member 2018 - 2021)

Apparently he is sober and ready to get back to work.


"Getting sober has helped me regain my drive to serve the people of Hennepin County to the best of my ability," he said. "I have a lot more to give."

He's proud of the work his agency has accomplished under his leadership, including immigration and jail reforms, working high profiles cases and taking lots of guns off the street. Violent crime is plaguing the county and the nation, and he wants to continue his efforts to reduce it.

https://www.officer.com/command-hq/video/21251348/minn-sheriff-wont-step-down-after-dwi-conviction

Quoted:


He hasn't shit but make things worse. His agency was the investigative agency behind Chauvin and Kim Potter.

Quoted:
Five year old video, but DFL related.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWweLurrmB0

OP's story seems par for the course.

Quoted:
The DFL is nothing but a name when it comes to state political power.
Progressives & liberals run the metro and try to rule over the rest of the state where true DFL/blue dog/conservative leaning people just want decent roads, decent education funding, and decent neighbors.

Quoted:
The DFL is nothing but a name when it comes to state political power.
Progressives & liberals run the metro and try to rule over the rest of the state where true DFL/blue dog/conservative leaning people just want decent roads, decent education funding, and decent neighbors.

Quoted:



This goes back over 20 years ago, a reporter decided to interview people in the few outstate Democrat strongholds. At the time, that was the iron range and Duluth area. The reporter handed the people a card with the platform of the Republican and DFL parties with no identifier which plank was from its political party. Almost everyone closely identified with the Republican platform. When shown the results, the people were surprised, but said they'd still vote Democrat because that's the way it was done.

Unless there has been a drastic change, and I don't think there has been, the metro area Democrats have little in common with the rest of the state. Even if that outstate area votes DFL.

Quoted:



I am fixing them.... I posted the wrong damned links.

OP is 'tarded

Quoted:



This goes back over 20 years ago, a reporter decided to interview people in the few outstate Democrat strongholds. At the time, that was the iron range and Duluth area. The reporter handed the people a card with the platform of the Republican and DFL parties with no identifier which plank was from its political party. Almost everyone closely identified with the Republican platform. When shown the results, the people were surprised, but said they'd still vote Democrat because that's the way it was done.

Unless there has been a drastic change, and I don't think there has been, the metro area Democrats have little in common with the rest of the state. Even if that outstate area votes DFL.

Quoted:
So the county up there buys absolutely maxed out top of the line Explorers? That one has literally every option checked. $50k vehicle at least. On top of all the other outrageous aspects of this story......

Quoted:
Some animals are more equal than others.

Quoted:



Still has the leather back seat to boot. So you know he isn't transporting anyone. Ever. Even that shit head in Ramsey County Fletcher uses a proper Explorer and he still covers night shift a bit. Albeit he also streams to Facebook and YouTube while doing it. They both are cocksuckers, and neither deserve a badge.

Quoted:



Still has the leather back seat to boot. So you know he isn't transporting anyone. Ever. Even that shit head in Ramsey County Fletcher uses a proper Explorer and he still covers night shift a bit. Albeit he also streams to Facebook and YouTube while doing it. They both are cocksuckers, and neither deserve a badge.

Quoted:



He is not a staunch 2A supporter in the least bit. The guy rails against gun rights and actively fights for more gun legislation.

He also raised a family of shitheads. His son, became a drug addict, had a few run-ins with law enforcement, dropped daddies name to get out of those felony level drug charges. Son moved across the country to California where nobody knows of him. And promptly died of an overdose.

I know I am not the only member of ARFCOM that had to sue the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department to get them to issue my CCW permit. Minnesota is a SHALL ISSUE state, with very few exceptions (felonies, aggravated misdemeanors, etc). They refused to issue my permit and would not tell me why. Filed a civil case. ( I no longer live in Ramsey county, but did when I got my permit ).

Quoted:
Did you also get them to pay your legal costs to get your permit?
Because you can.

Quoted:
It's not a political party. It's a cult.