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Crime, Law and Justice
The Associated Press
St. Michael, Minn.

Former mayor dead after deputy runs him over in driveway

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The former mayor of a Twin Cities suburb is dead after a sheriff’s deputy ran him over.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Tuesday that former St. Michael Mayor Harold Welter was lying in the driveway of a home Thursday evening when Wright County Sheriff’s Deputy Dustin Hatzenbeller pulled in and ran him over with his squad vehicle.

The sheriff’s department said Hatzenbeller was responding to an unknown medical emergency and didn’t see Welter lying in the unlit driveway. The department said the deputy struck Welter at a slow speed, causing injury. Hatzenbeller provided first aid until paramedics arrived.

Welter was 84 years old. A cause of death hasn’t been released.

Hatzenbeller, 37, has been with the sheriff's department since September 2020. He's been placed on administrative leave.

The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the incident at the sheriff's department's request.