St. Michael native and current Wright County Sheriff Joe Hagerty, seeking a second term as the top law enforcement official here, rolled to a win in Tuedsay’s Minnesota Primary, fending off a pair of challengers with 73 percent of the vote, or more than 4,7000 ballots.
Hagerty, who served on St. Michael City Council for much of the 2000s, was elected to the sheriff’s office in 2010, when he ran uncontested.
Facing him in November’s general election will be Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Stacy Braun, who resides in Otsego. Braun outlasted Wright County Deputy Bruce DOney 937 to 781 with all precincts reporting in Wright County, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.
Election results will be canvassed by the Wright County Commission later this week.
Hagerty has been a member of the department since he graduated the academy and was hired in 1985. He has worked his way up from deputy to captain and ultimately served as assistant to former Chief Gary Miller until Miller announced his retirement in 2010.
Hagerty became the 27 sheriff in the county’s 155 years back in January 2011, running unopposed in the 2010 election.
Braun has been a member of the Hennepin County force for more than two decades, but was put under the spotlight back in 2008, when he was arrested near his Otsego home for DWI.
Braun told the Crow River News the incident, which made regional headlines, was the “best thing that ever happened to him.” He pleaded guilty to the charges, made his court appearances and went into treatment in 2009. He has been sober for the past five years. All of that change has led to him seeking the top spot in Wright County’s law enforcement division.