DFL lawmaker cited with 2 counts in July drunk-driving stop
A DFL state lawmaker was charged Monday with two misdemeanor offenses related to a driving while intoxicated arrest in July.
Third-term Rep. Dan Wolgamott of St. Cloud was formally cited in Kanabec County with the impaired driving counts.
Charges against Wolgamott had been on hold pending blood test results. According to those, Wolgamott’s alcohol concentration was 0.099 percent, which is above the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
In a statement issued after the citation became public, Wolgamott reiterated his remorse and said he was taking steps to account for the action. He said he has undergone chemical risk assessment, participated in a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim panel and gone through an alcohol education class.
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“I take full responsibility for my actions and I ask for your forgiveness,” Wolgamott said in the statement. “I will continue to do the work I need to ensure nothing like this ever happens again, and that my actions live up to the trust you have placed in me.”
He was stopped and arrested on July 7 by a state trooper on a rural highway. The trooper had been responding to a call about a man seen drinking in a liquor store parking lot prior to driving away.
An incident report said Wolgamott was observed weaving and driving with expired vehicle registration. Officials say he failed a field sobriety test.
Wolgamott said he was in the area for a wedding. He was briefly jailed but released pending the charges.
A court hearing in the case is expected within a month, although none has been scheduled yet. Many cases of this type are handled over virtual platforms so an in-court appearance by Wolgamott isn’t deemed likely, according to the Kanabec County attorney.