New video shows Minnesota lawmaker telling police he was "sober cabbing" fellow legislator in DWI stop
A fellow Republican lawmaker who had been drinking was carrying a gun in Rep. Elliott Engen's truck when White Bear Lake police stopped it in March, according to new video of Engen's DWI arrest.
The video shows the moment officers put Engen, an outgoing state representative, in handcuffs after a series of sobriety tests.
In the back of a police car, Engen told officers: "I don't think I drank that much. I had two beers before midnight." He said he was supposed to be the designated driver that night. When an officer asked whether the passengers were friends he was bringing home, Engen said he was "just sober cabbing them." The police report also includes his claim.
The passengers included Rep. Walter Hudson and another passenger who isn't identified. Hudson, who has a Minnesota permit to carry a firearm, had been drinking, and he had his gun with him during the stop. According to the police report, officers took Hudson's 9mm handgun for safekeeping.
Hudson has acknowledged that he "was found to be carrying a firearm after consuming some amount of alcohol." It's illegal in Minnesota to carry a gun with a blood alcohol content of .04 or more. Police chose not to breath-test Hudson, and the report says he wasn't given a sobriety test either. He never faced charges.
The video captures the passengers talking among themselves in the car. One voice says he's glad he didn't drive home and blames Engen's driving for the stop. The other passenger pressed Hudson on the gun, asking whether he was "screwed." "We'll find out," Hudson answered.
The passenger then warned Hudson he could face a felony. Hudson said the officer had "cut me a break." The other passenger told him it was a concern. "That's correct, but I'm a very pro-cop politician," Hudson said.
House Speaker Lisa Demuth removed both lawmakers from their committees in April, and the House Ethics Committee found no probable cause in complaints against them in May.
Engen pleaded guilty to DWI and received a year of probation in August, according to court records. Two other counts, fourth-degree DWI and speeding, were dropped as part of a plea agreement. He is not seeking reelection to the House.
