The mayor of Eagan ran into a little trouble earlier this month when he was charged with driving while intoxicated.
Mike Maguire was arrested on January 11 near his home after police responded to a report of a vehicle stuck in a snowbank. When officers arrived on scene, they found that Maguire had lost control of his SUV and was unable to free himself from the snowbank. After speaking with Maguire, police noted that he smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.
Maguire was asked to complete some field sobriety tests, and the officer noted that he was staggering and needed assistance walking. He failed the horizontal nystagmus test and then refused to participate in any further sobriety tests. However, before he was booked, he agreed to submit to a breath test that revealed he had a BAC of 0.19%.
Third Degree DUI
Maguire was eventually arrested and booked into Dakota County jail. He was officially charged with third-degree DWI and third-degree operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration of .08.
Maguire faces upgraded DWI charges because of his extremely elevated BAC. In Minnesota, you can be hit with third-degree DWI charges even if it’s your first offense if your BAC is more than double the legal limit. Maguire’s BAC came in at nearly 2.5 times the legal limit, so he’ll face gross misdemeanor charges instead of a misdemeanor. These carry more serious potential penalties, including the possibility of up to a year in jail and fines up to $3,000.
Reports suggest he has hired attorney James Blumberg, who said neither he nor the mayor would comment on the charges.
Public officials sometimes believe they are above the law, but they also make mistakes too, so we’ll see how his case plays out going forward. It was a first offense, but the charges have been upgraded due to his BAC, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see a plea deal that avoids jail time and involves a lot of community service. We’ll keep tabs on it as it plays out.
