ST. PAUL, MN –Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen (R- Alexandria) released the following statement calling for Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson to resign after his December accident in Douglas County:

“I served four terms as the elected Douglas County Sheriff. The position of an elected law enforcement officialcomes with enormous responsibility and demands honor in and out of uniform. Public trust is paramount to being successful in maintaining safecommunities.

“Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson’s actions in my district last Decemberare simply unacceptable from any law enforcement officer. He drove under the influence, with a loaded firearm, at high speeds, without a seatbelt. He totaled a county vehicle and lied to other law enforcement officials. He purposefully complicated the situation to confuse his peers and avoid responsibility. Any one of those actions would warrant reconsideration of his position, all of them in one incident are unacceptable.Sheriff Hutchinson has lost the trust of the public and dishonored the uniform. He can no longer be effective. He needs to resign.”