A Democrat from Maplewood was arrested Jan. 8 for driving drunk, exactly one month after Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson drunkenly crashed his county-owned vehicle.
Rep. Tou Xiong is facing two DUI charges in relation to the incident. Jail records indicate that he was booked into the Anoka County Jail and released on Jan. 9.
Unlike Hutchinson, Xiong waited a week to comment on the charges.
“On the night of Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, I made a terrible mistake and want to issue an apology for my actions. After departing a community gathering, I was pulled over by law enforcement for driving under the influence. My actions are inexcusable and I sincerely apologize. I have a lot of work to do in the coming days, weeks, and months to earn back the trust of my constituents and people I’ve let down, and that will be my focus going forward,” Xiong said in a statement released Friday evening.
Another Minnesota Democrat admits to driving drunk: pic.twitter.com/8smoMdioar
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) January 14, 2022
Xiong is in his second term in the Minnesota House where he represents District 53A.
Sheriff Hutchinson, also a Democrat, rolled his unmarked squad car while driving home from a police conference in Alexandria last month. He has resisted calls to resign.
