State Rep. Dan Wolgamott, who was arrested last week on suspicion of driving drunk, was cited in 2021 when he abandoned his vehicle after it crashed into a Golden Valley resident’s yard.
Police responded to the intersection of Beverley and Woodstock avenues on Jan. 9, 2021, after a man reported that a vehicle slid off the roadway and into his yard, according to an incident report obtained by Alpha News. The man then observed the driver exit the vehicle and walk away.
The responding officer checked the area for the driver but could not locate anyone. The officer wrote in his report that the vehicle “had heavy damage to the front passenger side-wheel area.”
“This damage was caused by the vehicle striking the curb,” the officer said, noting that the roads were icy at the time.
The officer was unable to search the vehicle because all of the doors were locked, according to the report. But he could see “a car seat and a box for a fruit ninja blender inside the vehicle.”
The car was towed and impounded, and the officer mailed a citation to the registered owner, Wolgamott, who was convicted of a petty misdemeanor.
According to Republican Rep. Kurt Daudt, the incident took place less than a block away from former House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler’s home.
Alpha News asked Wolgamott if he had been drinking prior to this incident but did not receive a response.
On Friday, Wolgamott was arrested in Kanabec County on suspicion of driving drunk but has not been charged yet. A state trooper’s report says Wolgamott was seen drinking in a liquor store parking lot before his arrest. He has not commented publicly on the incident. The St. Cloud Democrat is in his third term in the Minnesota House, where he served as speaker pro tempore last session.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
