'Dishonored The Uniform': Former Sheriff Calls For Hennepin Co. Sheriff Dave Hutchinson To Resign
ALEXANDRIA, Minn. (WCCO) -- A Minnesota state senator and former sheriff is calling for Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson to resign following his drunk driving crash last month in the lawmaker's district.
State Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen (R-Alexandria) released a statement Friday saying that the office of sheriff comes with responsibilities and demands honor in and out of uniform. Ingebrigtsen held the title of Douglas County sheriff for four terms.
"Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson's actions in my district last December are simply unacceptable from any law enforcement officer. He drove under the influence, with a loaded firearm, at high speeds, without a seatbelt," Ingebrigtsen said. "He totaled a county vehicle and lied to other law enforcement officials. He purposefully complicated the situation to confuse his peers and avoid responsibility. Any one of those actions would warrant reconsideration of his position, all of them in one incident are unacceptable. Sheriff Hutchinson has lost the trust of the public and dishonored the uniform. He can no longer be effective. He needs to resign."
Ingebrigtsen is the latest elected official to call for Hutchinson's resignation. On Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz joined the growing list after squad camera footage from officers responding to the Dec. 8 crash was released. In the footage, Hutchinson can be heard telling officers that he wasn't driving the county-owned SUV. He said he "took a cab" and "absolutely" was not driving.
Hutchinson, 41, admitted to driving drunk and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DWI in the days after the crash. Hutchinson was sentenced to two years probation and fined $610. For weeks, he has withstood calls for him to resign, saying that he'll leave the decision up to voters in November.
Investigators say that Hutchinson was driving well over the legal limit. A urine sample taken roughly three hours after the crash showed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.13. The legal limit is 0.08. Before the crash, he was driving impaired at speeds around 120 mph.
Hutchinson suffered broken ribs and a head injury in the crash. Investigators say he was not wearing a seat belt. The county-owned SUV was totaled in the rollover.
Body-worn camera footage from the crash has yet to be released. State law says that Hutchinson must give consent before that footage is made public. WCCO reached out to Hutchinson's attorney on Thursday, asking whether or not he would give consent for the footage to be released. WCCO has yet to receive a response.
