My question isn’t whether Sheriff Hutchinson drove impaired last weekend – though it seems likelyl.
It’s not why – cops are prone to drinking, and it’s been a rough couple years.
It’s not whether he drove in a county vehicle.
It’s not whether he got favorable treatment from the State Patrol – which didn’t post the details of his crash for nearly half a day (2.5 hours is the norm), or took a urine test rather than a more accurate. blood test when Hutchinson got to the hospital. Cops generally look out for cops. Of course the Patrol went easy on the Sheriff.
No. My question is this:
The Sheriff was said to have been partying at a resort full of sheriffs, at the State Sheriff’s Association meeting, at the Arrowwood Resort near Alexandria – a room full of people whose departments spend a lot of time, and earn a big part of their budgets, arresting, prosecuting and fining drunk drivers – very frequently, people with blood alcohol levels between .08 and .1, which in most people is barely perceptible intoxication, a lowering of the limit that was almost entirely done to allow more arrests and prosecutions of people pulled over for other offenses – tail-lights, expired tabs – after a beer or two. They run departments whose deputies have prosecuted DUI cases that have gotten many menaces off the road, it’s true – and also put a “DUI” on the recrods of nearly 10% of Minnesotans – a blotch that goes on to infringe their civil rights, their employment prospects, and their status in the community.
And yet, nobody in that resort full of sheriffs thought to tell Hutchinson “er, maybe you oughtta stay and have a couple cups of coffee, or bunk up at a Best Western for the night”, or anything of the sort.
No – off he went.
And, one presumes, off most of them went, as well, presumably after a bump or two themselves.
Nobody in that room full of people that have helped arrest and convict 10% of the entire state of DUI thought to pull Hutchinson aside?
All I can say is the thin blue line is mighty deep.
“In his statement, Hutchinson said, “I will immediately address my personal issues surrounding alcohol and seek the help I need to continue to serve the people of Hennepin County.”
You should no longer seek to serve the people in Hennepin County. You need to resign. Cops are held to a higher standard than the public. The top cop in the county should be held to an even higher standard. My opinion isn’t formed on the basis of his politics or that he’s gay. I’d have the same opinion if it were Fletcher or Stanek in his place. Especially when, as Mitch stated, 10% of this state has been tagged with DUI due to the socio-political elevation of DUI enforcement. I’m sure M.A.D.D. and S.A.D.D. and all the other anti-D.D. orgs would agree with me.
If I crashed a county vehicle while driving drunk, I suspect my employer would have a lot more to say than “being a government employee is difficult these days.”
If I was carrying a loaded firearm at the time (and I don’t know if he was), my drunkeness would invalidate my permit to carry and I suspect the prosecutor would be willing to charge me. Are cops still allowed to carry drunk (remember Sgt. Vick, killed in St. Paul 15 years ago)?
If I was a cop who saw a motorist was too drunk to drive but I let him go anyway and he crashed his vehicle, should I be subject to any sort of punishment for failing to perform my professional duties to keep the public safe from drunks? Do any of those other sheriffs need to be charged?
Many more questions to be answered before we know where to go with this.
There’s a lot of true regarding how cops look after each other, but more importantly, Hutchinson is part of the aristocracy:
It’s not hypocrisy it’s hierarchy
The rules don’t apply to the aristocracy
laws for thee but not for me. but you already knew that.
Looks like Hutchinson is pushing 250 with a lot of fat–fat absorbs alcohol–so I would dare suggest that he’d likely had about ten drinks or more before he took the wheel. So the room full of sheriffs was guilty for not pulling him (and yes, likely others) aside, and so was the staff that served them.
If I owned Arrowwood, I’d be taking a look at the bar tabs for that event and having a heart to heart talk with the servers to say “we can all be unemployed if we keep doing this kind of thing–a good tort lawyer will sue us when one of our customers crashes into a couple of kids. You guys have got to start looking at peoples’ tabs and start to refuse to serve obviously intoxicated customers. A few tips aren’t worth your jobs.”
For that matter, if I were on the board of the sheriffs’ organization, I’d be taking a look at the bar tabs as well for the same reason. There are reasons these guys drink heavily (Hutchinson basically admitted he was at least a problem drinker, if not an outright alcoholic), and effective policing and alcoholism don’t mix.
Think how much more of a story this would be if it were Stanek or Fletcher.
C’mon. This is the Age of Non-accountability.
The hook-up prospects in Alex for a 300lb faggot are slim…the Sheriff *had* to hot foot it back to Minneapolis because…outstate bigots.
So many variables involved I’m surprised urine alcohol can even be used for quantitative test. Since he had rib fractures breath test wouldn’t be accurate. This affair stinks. The guy is alcoholic, should lose his job and get mandated treatment.
Well, Sheriff H has been charged. Including, as JD wondered, for carrying a pistol while under the influence. Step one.
Now what? It’s a pretty nasty set of charges and the guy seems pretty sorry/sad… is this just the most recent in a series? As the picture in my link above showed, he is part of the (DFL) aristocracy. On the other hand, he’s an “old white guy”; is there a reliable BiPOC waiting in the wings? This is really complicated. I expect there’s a lot of consternation and discussions amongst the aristocracy as to how to proceed.
Hutchinson will not be held accountable the way that you would be held accountable if you crashed a car while driving drunk & carrying a loaded gun.
The usual fig leaf is that the aristocrat will decamp for Hazeldon for drug treatment. Since he can’t drive or carry a gun until this is resolved he can’t do his job anyway.
Perhaps while in treatment Hutchinson will discover that he is really a woman.
jdm, the Sheriff is a woke faggot, who’s first order of business after being elected was to declare the HCSD would no longer cooperate with ICE.
Y’all would be 100% better off with. Mexican cop from Brownsville TX.
Fuck him.
According to the strib, fatty was also charged with:
“ operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% within two hours “
??? They arrest you walking down the street >.08 BAC and prove you drove 2 hours earlier, or arrest you driving <.08 and prove it was higher 2 hours earlier?
What fuckery is this?
is this just the most recent in a series?
Apparently yes according to AlphaNewsMN. Apparently being an obedient prop for the DFL comes with some psychological baggage that is lightened a bit by imbibing huge amounts of alcohol.
Both in Hennepin County, with an ultra-woke alcoholic sherriff and an ultra-woke limosuine liberal county attorney.
Edina, St. Louis park police ask public for help identifying attempted carjacking suspects
https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/metro-carjackings/6328265/
As I predicted, the crime wave is expanding to the suburbs.
Of course the local press are covering for him. Did you catch the headline about it in the StarTribune? “Sheriff David Hutchinson ‘lucky to be alive’ after alcohol-related crash.” The man is positively a victim. OMG he’s lucky to be alive. We should all sympathize with the poor sheriff.
passout76 – he was run off the road by two white guys in a pickup truck, shouting “This is MAGA country!”
A side note here is that apparently, the police in Alexandria gave the sheriff a series of courtesies based on police affiliation. Given that Hennepin County is rapidly losing control of crime, and given that this will spill over into neighboring counties, I wonder if this courtesy is going to be curtailed or ended. One of those “if you’re not going to do your job, we’re not going to protect you when you come into our county and misbehave anymore.”
I suggest the Sheriff contact Michael Brodkorb for tear squirting and mea culpa training. Maybe they can hook up and do the leftist town hall circuit together.