Investigative File, Squad Cam Footage Released In Hennepin Co. Sheriff DWI Crash

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Photographs and squad car camera footage taken on the scene of Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson’s DWI crash in early December were released Thursday morning. No body camera footage was among the exhibits released.

On Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety released an investigative file, which includes photos from the scene and audio from the state patrol and Alexandria Police Department. The state patrol said body camera footage won’t be included, saying under the law “only a data subject can consent to release of the body camera video.”

State patrol officers were not issued body cameras at the time of the crash, so any body camera footage would come from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office released the squad cam footage.

WCCO is reaching out for more information and requested that Hutchinson consent to the release of the footage.

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In the footage released, Hutchinson can be seen in the back of the squad car. He asks a deputy, “Where are we right now?” and tells the deputy multiple times he wasn’t driving. He also asks the deputy what kind of car was involved in the crash.

According to a Crash Data Retrieval report included in the files, Hutchinson was going as fast as 126 mph seconds before the crash, and was not wearing his seat belt.

Among the audio files, some of which have been redacted, are discussions with an apparent witness and an investigator talking with a lawyer representing Hutchinson.

Another audio file includes a conversation between the Alexandria Police Department and a taxi driver whom Hutchinson called the morning of the crash. The driver tells police the caller asked if any bars were still open.

Evidentiary files released show three firearms — a revolver, a 9mm pistol and an AR-15 — were recovered from Hutchinson’s vehicle. A sealed bottle of bourbon was also among the items recovered.

In an incident report from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy wrote Hutchinson said he had “no idea” who was driving. The deputy also said the keys to Hutchinson’s vehicle were found “in the lane of traffic a short distance away” from the crash.

“I believe Hutchinson threw the keys out of his pocket so the keys would not be in his possession,” the report states.

Col. Matt Langer of the state patrol released the following statement Thursday:

“I commend the work of those who had a role in investigating this matter, including the Minnesota State Patrol.

“At the crash scene, Mr. Hutchinson claimed he was not the driver. The focus of the multi-faceted and collaborative investigation, which included the executed search warrants, set out to determine who was behind the wheel. That need dissolved with the admission by Mr. Hutchinson that he was driving while impaired.

“There is no minimizing or defending the driving conduct and decisions involved in this situation. Mr. Hutchinson’s decision to drive impaired, at speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour while not wearing a seat belt are the exact opposite of what we know helps to keep people safe on our roads. We are glad the injuries he sustained were not more severe and that no one else was injured.

“We appreciate Mr. Hutchinson taking responsibility for his actions and hope others will learn from this situation by following our steadfast and simple advice to never drive impaired, obey the speed limit, wear your seatbelt, and pay attention.”

Hutchinson, 41, was sentenced to two years’ probation after pleading guilty to fourth-degree DWI after a rollover crash in central Minnesota in the early morning of Dec. 8.

As part of his sentencing, Hutchinson has to complete a chemical assessment, have no alcohol or controlled substance violations, no driver’s license violations, and submit to random testing.

There have been calls for Hutchinson to resign following the drunken crash, including from five of Hennepin County’s seven commissioners and a Minneapolis City Council member.

Warrant details allege he told law enforcement that someone else was driving his county-owned SUV when he rolled it.

One of the deputies who responded to the crash told the trooper that they found an open bottle of bourbon in the vehicle, and there was “a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from Hutchinson,” who also had slurred speech and was off balance. The deputy also said Hutchinson told them multiple times that he wasn’t driving the SUV, and once said “he had called a cab and that the cab driver was driving the vehicle.”

Hutchinson, whose blood-alcohol content was over the legal limit at 0.13, suffered broken ribs and a head injury in the rollover.

The sheriff told WCCO’s Jennifer Mayerle in late December that he has stopped drinking for good, but he won’t resign, and he will run for reelection.

Source: New feed