A State Patrol sergeant busted traveling at least 94 miles per hour in his squad car this spring near Fergus Falls has regained his duties as a spokesman for the agency.
Sgt. Jesse Grabow pleaded guilty to a petty misdemeanor, and his punishment was a one-day suspension without pay and a fine for the traffic ticket of $535, said Lt. Tiffani Schweigart, chief spokeswoman for the State Patrol.
Grabow lost his media relations duties in late June and had them restored Tuesday upon completion of an internal investigation, Schweigart said. Details of the investigation were not released because the report is "private data," Schweigart said.
His fine included a $150 charge for excessive speed.
Grabow, a 17-year veteran of the patrol and the agency's lead spokesman for western Minnesota and the St. Cloud area, was detected speeding on April 28 along Hwy. 210.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the Fergus Falls city attorney's office, Trooper Robyn J. Birr saw the speeding squad car and clocked it at 95 and 94 mph.
Birr activated her emergency lights, then turned them off after seeing that it was a trooper vehicle, the complaint continued. Grabow sent a message to Birr after they had passed each other on Hwy. 210, the court document read. The complaint did not say what the message contained.
Birr pulled over and determined that Grabow's was the only patrol vehicle nearby. The trooper did not pursue Grabow in an attempt to have him slow down or issue him a citation. He was charged by summons about two months later.
