New details have emerged in the DWI crash involving Hennepin Sheriff David Hutchinson, and frankly, it’s amazing that he walked away with a few minor injuries. The crash could have been much worse, and he jeopardized the safety of everyone else on the road that night.
According to the investigative files released by the State Patrol late last week, Hutchinson was driving over 120 miles per hour and was not wearing his seat belt prior to his DWI crash near Alexandria, Minnesota on December 8th. The review found that Hutchinson had three firearms and an unopened bottle of whiskey in his vehicle when he lost control and totaled his county-owned SUV.
When officers arrived on scene, Hutchinson initially told them he had not been driving and did not know who was driving. He also reportedly told authorities that he had called a cab and was a passenger at the time of the accident. Law enforcement noted that Hutchinson had slurred speech, poor balance, smelled of alcohol and was the only occupant at the scene of the crash. Three hours after the crash, his blood-alcohol screening came back at 0.134, well above the 0.08 limit.
Accepts Plea Deal
Hutchinson was originally charged with four DWI-related counts, but three of them were dropped when he agreed to a plea deal that saw him receive two years of probation and a fine of $610. If we could get that deal for every DWI offender who was traveling at speeds of over 120 mph during their DWI crash, we’d be over the moon, because it’s certainly a slap on the wrist for actions that could have been much deadlier for both himself and other drivers on the road.
Not surprisingly, many people feel that Hutchinson should step down from his position. Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan joined that chorus after the investigation was made public.
“I’m not a resident of Hennepin County, and I’m speaking as an individual on this, but I think most Minnesotans know, and most Minnesotans understand, that there’s consequences for decisions like that,” Walz said. Flanagan added that “it’s not our role to hire and fire the sheriff of Hennepin County, but as a constituent, I would say that it is time for him to resign.”
Police officers need to be held to a higher standard than the general public, yet time and time again we see them face consequences that the average citizen would be lucky to receive if they were the ones committing the crime.
Hopefully you never find yourself in a similar situation, but if you do, it’s clear you’ll need a lawyer if you hope to get a deal that comes close to the one Hutchinson got. We’ll do everything in our power to help you fight the charges and secure the best possible deal. For more information, give our team a call today at (952) 224-2277.
