ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota DFL leaders said it's time for Rep. Jeffrey Dotseth to suspend his reelection campaign, citing a newspaper report that delved into past abuse allegations, asserting he fails to meet the standards of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
The first-term Republican from Kettle River has denied the abuse claims and noted he pled guilty only to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct.
The Minnesota Star Tribune Tuesday reported Dotseth was arrested and charged in 2008 with misdemeanor domestic assault after his wife Penny called police to say he had dragged her out of bed and pulled her across the floor of their home in Baldwin Township in Sherburne County.
KARE 11 obtained copies of the citation and court records from Sherburne County District Court and can confirm the citation and other details of the newspaper report, including the fact that Dotseth was subject to a protection order and temporarily barred from possessing firearms at the time.
"Dotseth’s behavior, whether it was yesterday or years ago, was unacceptable and not fitting for an elected representative of our state," DFL House Majority Leader Jamie Long told reporters at a Minnesota State Capitol news conference.
"There was an order of protection against him with a prohibition on owning firearms, and a guilty plea to disorderly conduct. These are serious consequences for very troubling behavior."
Dotseth's ex-wife Penny laid out details of the arrest and alleged previous abuse in an affidavit filed as part of the couple's divorce proceedings in 2008.
"I have been choked, punched, kicked, slapped, pinned down, smothered and had my hair pulled," she wrote.
"In 1994, Jeff had slammed me up against the wall, he had pinned me to the wall and had all of his weight on me. I could not move my arms and he was choking me. The only thing I could do was spit in his face."
She gave details of other alleged attacks, including one that ended when her son Brandon, who was 9 years old at the time, rescued her by throwing a plastic chair at Dotseth.
Brandon, Penny's son from a previous marriage, also provided an affidavit as part of the divorce case, asserting, "I have been punched, slapped, choked, thrown, hit with things, and kicked by him."
The divorce file also contains a sworn affidavit from Dotseth denying and disputing the abuse claims. He referred to himself as a non-violent person and said his wife was the person who instigated their arguments and abused him.
"I believe that Petitioner has anger management issues - she has spit in my face, thrown objects at me, frequently hit me and pulled my hair. When she becomes angry and gets violent, communication is difficult."
Dotseth issued the following statement to KARE on Tuesday:
"More than 15 years ago I went through an extremely difficult divorce and child custody dispute. There were hurtful allegations made against me that I deny, including a sworn affidavit I filed under oath under penalty of perjury.
"Ultimately the charge was dismissed and I pled guilty to disorderly conduct. I now have a cordial relationship with my ex-wife and have worked to put this difficult chapter of my life behind me."
DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said the House Republican Caucus should've done a better job of vetting Dotseth as a legislative candidate in 2022.
"The fact Representative Dotseth concealed this information from voters when he barely won his seat two years ago is outrageous," Martin told reporters.
Martin said he had heard rumors about Dotseth's past before the Star Tribune report but was not aware of the extent of the accusations by the lawmaker's ex-wife and her son.
"What did the House GOP leadership know? When did they know it? And why did they say nothing with Jeff Dotseth was poised to become a state legislator?"
Rep. Lisa Demuth, the Republican House Minority Leader, issued the following statement in response to the DFL's press conference:
"Domestic violence is an absolute red line for me — it's never acceptable under any circumstances. This case was resolved through the legal process more than 15 years ago, concluding with no charge or conviction for domestic assault.
"I spoke with Rep. Dotseth and he reiterated the contents of what was in his affidavit denying the allegations that were made during the divorce proceedings."
Chair Martin noted he was the first one to call for the resignation of Rep. John Thompson in 2021 when allegations of past domestic abuse by Thompson surfaced in older police reports. Thompson was never convicted of abuse and refused to resign from the legislature.
House DFL lawmakers voted to expel Thompson from their caucus, meaning he could not attend private strategy meetings with them. In his bid for reelection in 2022 he lost his primary to another Democrat.