by Dennis Dalman
State Rep. Dan Wolgamott (DFL-St. Cloud) was charged Aug. 7 with a fourth-degree misdemeanor for operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.09 percent, which is 0.01 percent over the legal limit.
He was expected to make a court appearance Sept. 5 in Kanabec County.
Right after he was charged, Wolgamott released a statement of apology and asked for forgiveness, vowing that he has taken steps that such an incident will never happen again. (For more from his statement, see last part of this story.)
The DWI arrest happened on July 7 when a Minnesota State Trooper acted on a called-in tip of a man drinking in a liquor-store parking lot. The trooper pulled over the car Wolgamott was driving in Kanabec County near Mora. He was arrested and spent most of that night in the county jail. He had been at a wedding that day.
Wolgamott serves District 14B in the Minnesota Legislature and is now in his third term. The district includes St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids as well as precincts in Benton County’s Minden Township and Sherburne County’s Haven Township.
The following is the statement Wolgamott released to the public on Aug. 7:
“Since this incident occurred, I have taken actions to live up to my commitment to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.
“I have received certification for my participation in a Mothers’ Against Drunk Driving victim panel, in which I heard heart-breaking stories about the fatal and tragic consequences of drunk driving. My heart goes out to the families who participated in the panel, and I thank them for their courage in sharing their stories.
“I have undergone a professional chemical health assessment. I received six separate risk-rating scores of ‘zero’ and was issued an assessment that I do not have an alcohol-use disorder.
“I have received certification for my participation in an 8-hour level 1 alcohol-education class. I want to reiterate my wholehearted apology to my family, my friends, my colleagues and my constituents, and once again express my gratitude to the law enforcement officers who made sure I got home safe(ly).
“I take full responsibility for my actions, and I ask for your forgiveness. I will continue to do the work I need to ensure nothing like this ever happens again, and that my actions live up to the trust you have placed in me.”
