Nearly a week after being a passenger at the scene a DUI arrest in White Bear Lake Township, White Bear Lake Police said Rep. Walter Hudson will not face any charges stemming from being armed with a 9 mm handgun at the time of the incident.
According to multiple media reports, including the Minnesota Reformer, White Bear Lake Police Chief Dale Hager said the officers on scene, who arrested Rep. Elliot Engen for Driving Under the Influence (Engen blew a .14 in a sobriety test issued by authorities), did not test Hudson’s BAC during the incident.
“It was a discretionary call by the officer and as a consequence of the good behavior, (the officer) wanted to respond in kind with not pursuing charges,” Hager told the Reformer. “Since no test was done, we know that there would never be evidence to charge somebody.”
Hudson was being “sober cabbed” by Engen after being spotted at a bar on Thursday, March 26. The two men – and another, unnamed passenger – were pulled over shortly after 2 a.m. on Friday in White Bear Lake. Hudson was “more than compliant” when he told police on scene that he was carrying the gun, and willingly handed the firearm over to an officer.
In statement to the Reformer, Hudson wrote: “I regret the poor decisions that were made during this incident, and commend the White Bear Police Department for their professional response. I’m grateful that no harm was done to ourselves and others.”
Though he won’t be charged, he may still face ramifications in the Minnesota House. Speaker Lisa Demuth said “The decisions made in this incident were unacceptable and fall short of the expectations I have for conduct of legislators. I will be addressing this directly with both members involved,” in a statement released earlier this week.
The Reformer reports that Chief Hager denied that Hudson was given any special treatment because of his status as a state lawmaker. Hudson sits on the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee.
Leave a Review or Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.