A judicial candidate in Sherburne County has been ordered to stay away from his 15-year-old daughter after allegedly hitting her in the face earlier this month.

A no-contact order filed in Carver County against John Dehen alleges the Ramsey City Council member became angry with his daughter while driving her from her mother's home in Chaska to his Ramsey home for a visit Oct. 5.

In response to Dehen's request, a hearing on the matter has been set for Nov. 12, a court official said Wednesday. Until that hearing, he is barred from any contact with his daughter or her mother, Mary Briol.

Dehen called the allegations "false and exaggerated" and noted they were filed by his daughter's mother, "with whom I have had a fairly acrimonious relationship."

He contended that timing of order was designed "to derail my campaign. I think that is improper." He is running against Judge Robert Varco.

In an affidavit filed Oct. 6, Briol said her daughter told her she had argued with Dehen on Sunday morning, when the teenager said she needed to do homework that was due the next day. Dehen had wanted her to participate in activities with his wife and children in Ramsey, including going to church. The girl told her mother that Dehen yelled at her as he grabbed her purse, pulled out her cell phone and stuck it in his pocket, shoving her into the passenger door and striking her, causing a bloody nose and swollen lip.

JIM ADAMS