MINNEAPOLIS — Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson has agreed to reimburse the county for the damages to the the vehicle he admitted to crashing while driving drunk near Alexandria on Dec. 8.
Hennepin County spokesperson Carolyn Marinan says Hutchinson will pay $47,711.69 to cover the cost of the damaged county-issued SUV. Hutchinson, who has been facing mounting criticism and calls to step down since the crash, announced he won't be seeking re-election.
Hutchinson released a statement after pleading guilty, saying that he was enrolled in an outpatient treatment program to address his "issues with alcohol" and his "overall health."
Last month, the State Patrol released files of their investigation that included written reports, images of the scene and Hutchinson's Ford Explorer, and audio and video clips of interviews in which the sheriff claimed someone else was driving the vehicle.
Black box data recovered from Hutchinson's SUV indicates the sheriff was going 126.2 miles per hour three and a half seconds before the vehicle left the road and rolled.
The data also showed Hutchinson was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
Hutchinson was elected to a four-year term as Hennepin County Sheriff in 2018, when he defeated longtime incumbent Rich Stanek.