Former aide to GOP officials arrested in prostitution sting

Updated: August 15, 2007 - 10:39 PM

Tim Droogsma, a former press secretary to a U.S. senator and a Minnesota governor, was arrested Tuesday in a midafternoon prostitution sting on St. Paul's East Side.

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Tim Droogsma, a former press secretary to a U.S. senator and a Minnesota governor, was arrested Tuesday in a midafternoon prostitution sting on St. Paul's East Side.

He allegedly arranged a deal for sex from an undercover officer through Craig's List, police spokesman Tom Walsh said Wednesday.

Authorities cited Droogsma, 50, of Red Wing, on a misdemeanor charge of engaging in prostitution and jailed him for about 12 hours before releasing him on his own recognizance early Wednesday.

He denies the allegation.

Droogsma was a spokesman for Sen. Rudy Boschwitz in the late 1980s and Gov. Arne Carlson in the early 1990s. Recently, he publicly supported a candidate seeking to replace state Rep. Steve Sviggum. All three elected officials were Republicans.

Asked Wednesday about his arrest, Droogsma wrote in an e-mail: "Obviously, I'm deeply embarrassed by this allegation, which is not true and which is the result of a severe misunderstanding, and I look forward to making my case in court."

He declined to explain the misunderstanding.

Droogsma was one of about a half-dozen men arrested Tuesday afternoon for allegedly engaging in prostitution on the East Side.

Because police plan to continue the sting, Walsh declined to give specifics about Droogsma's arrest.

ANTHONY LONETREE