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Lawmaker's DUI sentence: fine, community service
Sen. Metzen fined and ordered to do community service for drunken driving conviction.
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Minnesota Senate President James Metzen was fined $377 and ordered Thursday to perform 20 hours of community service for his drunken-driving offense, which happened near his South St. Paul home a few hours after the Legislature adjourned last month.
Metzen, 63, a banker, was given a year's probation but no jail time, which is standard for a first-time fourth-degree misdemeanor DWI conviction. He apologized afterward and said he will get counseling as recommended in a chemical and psychological assessment. He said he will pay a $700 fee to get his driver's license reinstated.
"I am truly sorry for my lapse in judgment, and I ask my colleagues and constituents for their forgiveness, as well as their prayers of support," Metzen said in a prepared statement.
The hearing before Judge Joseph Weyrens in the Dakota County Courthouse in West St. Paul took less than 10 minutes, said prosecutor Elliott Knetsch. He was asked to handle the case by South St. Paul's attorney who has done legal work for Metzen.
Knetsch said Metzen is eligible for a work-related driving permit, and his 90-day driver's license suspension will be reduced to 30 days by the state, standard for a first-time drunken-driving guilty plea.
Metzen's attorney has said the long-serving senator had three or four drinks after the session adjourned at midnight May 22. He was stopped at 2:13 a.m. after an officer saw him weaving in his lane. Police measured his blood-alcohol content at 0.15 percent, almost twice the legal limit for driving of 0.08 percent.
JIM ADAMS
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