Outgoing DFL Rep. Dan Wolgamott arrested again on suspicion of driving while impaired

Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, was arrested by the St. Cloud Police Department on Wednesday on suspicion of driving while impaired.

The fourth-term legislator was arrested just after 9 p.m. on Wednesday and booked into the Stearns County Jail. He was arrested on three DWI-related charges, including criminal vehicular operation, bodily harm under the influence of alcohol; third-degree driving while impaired; and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

The circumstances surrounding Wolgamott’s arrest are unclear, but a charge for bodily harm criminal vehicular operation indicates police judged that someone was injured, according to state statute.

Wolgamott did not answer a Reformer call seeking comment, and his voice mail box was full. He did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment. The Stearns County Jail roster indicates Wolgamott was still in jail as of Thursday morning.

Wolgamott is leaving the Legislature after an unsuccessful run for state auditor.

In 2023, Wolgamott was arrested by the state patrol on suspicion of DWI in Kanabec County. Wolgamott pleaded guilty to a 4th degree DWI charge after a Minnesota State Patrol trooper pulled him over and arrested him near Mora, Minnesota. In that incident, Wolgamott acknowledged that his blood alcohol concentration was above the .08 legal limit.

The 2023 arrest came after someone called in a complaint about a person drinking in a liquor store parking lot in Mora. The trooper later saw the car weaving within its own lane, according to the state patrol’s incident report, and the trooper pulled the car over. Wolgamott was identified as the driver.

In security camera footage of the liquor store parking lot, Wolgamott appeared to take a drink out of a bottle, put it in his trunk, get back in his car and drive away.

In a statement at the time, Wolgamott said he had undergone professional testing and received “an assessment that I do not have an alcohol-use disorder.” In addition, Wolgamott said he attended an eight-hour alcohol education class and a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim panel.

A number of Minnesota lawmakers have been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in recent years. Most recently, then-Rep. Elliott Engen, R-White Bear Lake Township, was arrested in March on suspicion of DWI. Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, was a passenger in his vehicle and he was not charged with a crime. Hudson was carrying a firearm while impaired, which is against the law, though he was never charged.

Other current lawmakers arrested include DFL Rep. Brion Curran, DFL-White Bear Lake, DFL Sen. Tou Xiong, DFL-Maplewood, and Sen. John Jasinski, R-Fairbault.