Lawmakers are supposed to follow the rules they propose and pass for the citizens of Minnesota, but that’s turned out to be difficult for a number of legislators in recent months. At least six legislators have been notably arrested while serving the great state of Minnesota, yet none of them have resigned from office. In today’s blog, we spotlight some of the bad behavior by those elected to public office in Minnesota.
Lawmakers Arrested
Members of the Minnesota House are required to show “good citizenship and high personal integrity,” according to the House code of conduct, while those in the Senate are to adhere to “the highest standard of ethical conduction,” according to their rulebook. Not only are lawmakers running afoul with police, but they aren’t taking responsibility and stepping down from their public office after a clear violation of their sworn code of ethics. It really makes you wonder if they believe the oath they took to protect the best interests of the public.
Let’s take a look at lawmakers who have been arrested recently and the charges they face:
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.
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 last year 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 stays out of trouble during two years of probation.
Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, First-Degree Burglary
Mitchell was arrested last week 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. Her day in court is pending.
Clearly some of these lawmakers think that rules don’t apply to them! They were able to secure favorable deals after their arrest, and you can too if you trust your case to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm. For more information, or for help with a different criminal matter, give our team a call today at (952) 224-2277.
