DFL Rep. Brion Curran charged with DWI

Freshman state Rep. Brion Curran was charged Tuesday with two gross misdemeanor counts of drunken driving after a test found the Democrat’s blood alcohol level to be 0.16%, double the legal limit.

Before arresting Curran on suspicion of driving under the influence, Chisago County received two complaints that she was speeding, weaving and veering into a ditch, according to the dispatch report.

Shortly after 2 a.m. Monday, the first report to dispatch complained of a vehicle going at an “excessive speed and over lane lines,” the sheriff’s office said. The second caller reported a vehicle veering into a ditch.

According to the charges filed Tuesday, a Chisago County sheriff’s deputy found Curran driving slowly on the shoulder with hazard lights flashing and a flat front tire on the driver’s side. There also appeared to be “fresh damage to the driver’s side front corner,” the charges state.

The deputy asked Curran what was going on and she responded that she wasn’t sure and was trying to get home, according to the charges. Curran told the deputy that she thought she was in St. Paul, and the deputy noticed she had “bloodshot watery eyes and slurred speech,” per the charges.

Curran reported that she had three drinks. The state representative “showed signs of impairment” during one field sobriety test but declined to take additional tests or a preliminary breathalyzer, according to the charges.

A test taken just before 3:30 a.m. Monday at the Chisago County jail found Curran’s blood alcohol level to be 0.16%.

Curran was released from jail Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.

A news release from the Chisago County Attorney said Curran’s next hearing is set for Dec. 12.

Curran represents District 36B in the northeastern Twin Cities metro that includes White Bear Lake, Gem Lake and Birchwood Village.

The state website lists Curran’s non-legislative career as social services. Her campaign website says she is a “former police officer” and was once a deputy for the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office — the same agency that arrested her.

Curran “ended her career in public safety voluntarily in May 2018 after enduring Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a licensed police officer,” her campaign website says.

She is the second DFLer and third legislator to be charged with impaired driving this year.

State Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, pleaded guilty in Kanabec County to fourth-degree driving under the influence after he was pulled over July 7 by a state trooper just outside Mora.

His blood alcohol content was measured at 0.09%, above the legal limit of 0.08%. His plea agreement called for a 45-day jail sentence that would be set aside for two years, a $400 fine and other requirements including chemical health assessments.

In February, state Rep. Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook, was arrested in the early morning hours for speeding a few miles from his home. His blood alcohol level was measured at .15%. He pleaded guilty in July.

He reached a plea agreement requiring him to admit to fourth-degree driving while impaired in exchange for receiving a 90-day suspended jail sentence and two years’ unsupervised probation. Grossell’s plea deal said he was receiving inpatient treatment at a Hazelden Betty Ford facility.