MINNEAPOLIS — When Rep. Dan Wolgamott was booked into jail on suspicion of DWI last Friday in Kanabec County, he joined a long list of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who've been cited for impaired driving.
At least four current Minnesota state legislators have been cited for DWI offenses in just the past three years. Republican Rep. Matt Grossell of Clearwater, Democrat Tou Xiong of Maplewood, and GOP Sen. John Jasinski of Faribault round out that roster.
Those who work to prevent drunk driving assert that public officials, especially those who write the laws, should be held to a higher standard in the court of public opinion.
"How can they continue to make these stupid choices? Because these are choices! They're the ones making the rules! They know! They're writing the book!" Jon Cummings, who heads Minnesotans for Safe Driving, told KARE Tuesday.
Cummings, who lost his son to a drunk driver, has been working for the past 20 years to create tougher laws and more prevention of driving while intoxicated.
"These lawmakers get some bad publicity, but nothing really happens to them. They don't lose their jobs. They don't do time. Maybe they pay a fine."
Rep. Wolgamott, a third-term Democrat from St. Cloud, was pulled over by a Minnesota Highway State Patrol Trooper on July 7. The trooper said he'd gone out looking for Wolgamott's vehicle after someone called police, saying they saw a man drinking in the parking lot of a liquor store.
As of Tuesday night, there were no formal charges yet, but the case drew widespread attention. That's due in part to Wolgamott taking on a higher profile role in the House this year, acting as the speaker pro tempore subbing for House Speaker Melissa Hortman during House proceedings.
"The demographics of the impaired driver match exactly the demographics of our society, and anybody who uses alcohol or uses any other substance," Paul Aasen of the Minnesota Safety Council, told KARE.
"Every single restaurant you go into these days has got alcohol available, and it doesn’t matter if it’s in the middle of Crookston or in downtown Minneapolis. And it cuts across all age groups."
He said it's important for persons in the public eye to apologize for impaired driving and share their stories.
"If you’re a law enforcement official you’ve got an extraordinary level of responsibility and talking about your experience, if you happen to be somebody who was driving impaired, would be very impactful. Same goes for lawmakers; same goes for corporate leaders, social leaders."
Rep. Grossell, a former sheriff's deputy, recently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DWI, which was connected to a February 11 traffic stop. It came four years after Grossell was arrested by Saint Paul police for disorderly conduct and trespassing after an episode when police were called to a hotel near the Capitol on the report of an intoxicated individual.
Sen. Xiong was still a member of the House when he was cited for a DWI in January of 2022. He was elected to the Senate the next year.
Sen. Jasinski was cited in Faribault in October of 2020, and later talked about it while arguing against the bill that legalized recreational marijuana in the state.
"I got pulled over a couple years back for an alcohol-related offense. I tested .09, so folks, I was one beer over, one beer too many. And folks I've always been very careful about it."
One of the most widely reported legislative DWI's involved the late Sen. Jim Metzen, who was pulled over on his way home to South St. Paul on the final night of the 2007 session.
He admitted he'd had something to drink at a post-session party at the Kelly Inn near the Capitol. He apologized on camera after he entered a guilty plea in Dakota County District Court.
"I'm very sorry for what happened, not so much for myself, but for my friends and family," Metzen told KARE at the time.
"And we probably learned a lot from this experience. I think it will probably make me a better person."
Metzen died in 2016 after a long battle with lung cancer.