Another Minnesota lawmaker has been arrested for DWI after State Rep. Elliott Engen, a Lino Lakes Republican, was booked late last month while “sober cabbing” two other passengers one evening.
Engen was stopped at 2 a.m. on Friday, March 27, after officers say he was speeding and driving with an expired registration and a broken headlight. He initially denied drinking alcohol that night but later told officers he had consumed two Coors Lights at the White Bear Bar and did not believe the alcohol affected his ability to drive. A bottle of alcohol was found in a child’s car seat in the vehicle, and Engen told police that his passengers had been drinking. One of the passengers claimed the alcohol was theirs, not Engen’s.
According to the police report, the officer used his discretion in arresting Engen for DWI without pursuing a breath test or any further investigation. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered that a passenger had a 9 mm pistol in the vehicle at the time of the arrest, but because the passenger was not breath tested, they won’t face any potential charges. In Minnesota, it’s unlawful to carry a gun with a BAC above 0.04%
Engen was officially charged with fourth-degree DWI and was released shortly before 5 a.m. Friday morning. He also received a speeding ticket tied to the traffic stop for allegedly going 44 miles per hour in a 30 miles per hour zone.
“To my family, colleagues and constituents. I am deeply sorry,” Engen said in a statement. “I strive to be a man of great character, and my actions fell short last night. I will learn from this. I will do better.”
Engen, 27, was first elected to Legislature in 2022 and is currently serving his second term. He has been dubbed Minnesota’s first “Gen Z” Republican. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 26.
List Of Lawmaker Law Breakers
Engen is far from the first lawmaker to run into trouble behind the wheel. We’ve documented a number of these arrests on our blog, and we’ve compiled a few of them below if you want to learn more about lawmaker law breakers:
Sen. John Jasinski, R-Faribault, DWI
On October 3, 2020, Jasinski, then the assistant majority leader, was stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence. He initially claimed to take “complete responsibility” for the incident but later copped a plea deal that saw him serve one year of probation.
Sen. Tou Xiong, DFL-Maplewood, DWI
On January 8, 2022, Rep. Tou Xiong was arrested on suspicion of DWI in Blaine. A subsequent test found that he had a BAC of 0.11% within two hours of the stop. Xiong pleaded guilty to DWI charges, paid a fine of $288 and given one year of probation. He was arrested again for DWI in 2025.
Rep. Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook, DWI, Drunk and Disorderly, Trespassing
Grossell’s first arrest as a lawmaker came in May 2019 when he drunkenly got into an altercation with a security guard. He was charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing, but the charges were later dismissed after entering a court-ordered diversion program. However, Grossell couldn’t stay out of trouble after the diversion program. He was arrested in 2024 on DWI charges. After blowing a 0.15 on the breath test, Grossell eventually pleaded guilty and was ordered to complete two years of unsupervised probation.
Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, DWI
A concerned citizen called police after witnessing a man consume alcohol in a liquor store parking lot before driving off in July of 2023. Police eventually stopped the driver after witnessing him struggle to maintain his lane, and they discovered Wolgamott behind the wheel. Wolgamott, who was named the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association’s legislator of the year less than one month before his arrest, ultimately opted to plead guilty to his DWI charge.
Rep. Brion Curran, DFL-White Bear Lake, DWI
In October 2023, Brion Curran, a former Chisago County Sheriff’s deputy, was arrested after crashing into a ditch on I-35. Curran refused field sobriety tests before eventually blowing twice the legal limit on a breathalyzer. Curran later pleaded guilty and served two days in jail with 88 days stayed assuming he stayed out of trouble during two years of probation.
Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, First-Degree Burglary
Mitchell was arrested after allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s house dressed in black and attempting to take a bunch of items she claimed belonged to her deceased father. Mitchell claimed in a social media post that she was simply checking in on a family member with dementia and denied stealing anything. She was later found guilty of felony burglary and sentenced to 180 days in jail.
If you run into trouble like these lawmakers, connect with Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
