A Democrat lawmaker in Minnesota has just been arrested for allegedly driving under the influence.
Far-left House Representative Brion Curran, a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer-Labor Party, was arrested Monday on suspicion of third-degree DWI.
The 38-year-old representative from Vadnais Heights has not yet been formally charged but was arrested and booked by the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office. A test conducted at the jail “found Curran’s blood alcohol level to be 0.16%, double the legal limit for driving,” according to the StarTribune.
Minnesota Rep. Brion Curran, (DFL-Vadnais Heights) was arrested for third degree DWI earlier this morning.https://t.co/j0NtH9IZ20
She’s the second DFLer arrested for DWI since the session ended after Dan Wolgamott in July. pic.twitter.com/GBdZzIwLxM— Corin Hoggard (@corinhoggard) October 9, 2023
“Chisago County received two calls complaining about her speed, weaving and veering into a ditch, according to the dispatch report Monday,” the StarTribune reported.
“The first report to dispatch came shortly after 2 a.m. Monday and complained of a vehicle going at an ‘excessive speed and over lane lines,’ the sheriff’s office said. The second caller reported a vehicle veering into a ditch,” the outlet continued. “After the second call, deputies found and stopped the vehicle, arresting the driver who showed signs of impairment, the report said.”
In addition, officers reportedly administered a “horizontal gaze test” at the scene of the arrest but noted that Curran “wouldn’t participate in other field sobriety tests.”
Curran will remain in the Chisago County jail and prosecutors expect to formally charge the lawmaker on Tuesday.
She is the “second DFLer and third legislator to be arrested on suspicion of a DWI this year,” StarTribune noted, pointing to the guilty plea by state Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, for fourth-degree driving under the influence in July, and state Rep. Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook who faced fourth-degree driving while impaired charges when arrested in February.
Curran, who won a close race in 2022 when Democrats gained the upper hand in Minnesota, winning control of the House, Senate, and governor’s office in November 2022, once served as a deputy sheriff in Chisago County and as a 911 dispatcher.
The lawmaker, whose liberal agenda is apparent in the bills sponsored since being elected in 2022, represents District 36B in the Minnesota Legislature. The Birchwood Village, Gem Lake, White Bear Lake, Vadnais Heights and portions of White Bear Township fall under the district’s boundaries.
During her term in office so far, Curran has sponsored bills to establish the Office of Cannabis Management and legalize the possession and use of cannabis, and a bill “expanding the reporting of crimes motivated by bias,”