Minnesota sheriff pleads guilty to drunken driving

MINNEAPOLIS – Hennepin County, Minnesota’s sheriff has pleaded guilty to drunken driving.

Dave Hutchinson entered the plea Thursday to the misdemeanor charge and said he has enrolled in an outpatient treatment program to address his issues with alcohol.

Hutchinson crashed his SUV on Interstate 94 near Alexandria, Minnesota, in the early morning of Dec. 8, after attending a state sheriffs conference.

Hutchinson’s blood alcohol was 0.13%. The legal limit to drive is 0.08%.

The sheriff said in a statement that the crash was a “wakeup call” for him. He suffered three broken ribs and head and hip injuries when he rolled the SUV.