A former Nebraska State Trooper has come forward with details about a 1995 drunk driving arrest involving Tim Walz, shedding new light on the incident and subsequent political spin.
As reported by The Daily Beast, Trooper Stephen Rasgorshek arrested Walz for driving under the influence on September 23, 1995. While Walz initially took responsibility for his actions, his 2006 congressional campaign later attempted to downplay the incident, leading to questions about transparency and accountability.
The arrest occurred when Walz, then a 31-year-old teacher and football coach, was pulled over for driving over 90 mph in a 55 mph zone. Rasgorshek conducted field sobriety tests, which Walz failed, including the horizontal gaze nystagmus test. A subsequent blood alcohol test at the hospital revealed Walz's level to be .128, well above the legal limit at the time.
Following the arrest, Walz took immediate action to address the incident. He reported it to his principal at Alliance High School, where he was teaching, and offered his resignation. The principal, however, convinced Walz not to resign from his teaching position, though Walz did step down from his extracurricular activities, including coaching responsibilities.
During a court hearing on March 13, 1996, Walz's attorney, Russell Harford, presented his client's case. Harford emphasized that Walz had taken the incident seriously and was using it as a teachable moment for his students. He stated:
Now he is ministering, so to speak, to the students about all the bad things that can happen to you if you drink and drive and get caught drinking and driving. I think there's some good to come from this.
Judge James Hansen, presiding over the case, expressed concern about a teacher facing such charges but ultimately allowed Walz to plead guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving. Walz was fined $200 plus court costs, avoiding potential jail time.
The incident resurfaced in 2006 when Walz ran for Congress as a Democrat. His campaign manager, Kerry Greely, offered a different explanation for the arrest when questioned by the media. Greely claimed that Walz had not been drunk but rather suffered from ear damage that affected his balance and ability to hear the trooper's commands.
Walz's spokesperson, Meredith Salsbery, echoed this narrative, stating that the trooper had refused to speak up during the encounter. These claims directly contradicted the official record and Rasgorshek's account of the arrest.
Rasgorshek, now retired, has come forward to challenge the campaign's version of events. He asserts that the field sobriety testing took place in the quiet of his patrol car on a deserted stretch of highway, making it unlikely that Walz had difficulty hearing instructions.
The trooper also addressed the claim about Walz's balance issues, noting that the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, which Walz failed, relies on eye movement and is not affected by hearing problems. Rasgorshek stated: "We were told that having a hearing problem had nothing to do with what the eyes are doing."
Furthermore, Rasgorshek pointed out that Walz's blood alcohol level of .128 was recorded after a significant delay due to waiting for a tow truck. He estimates that Walz's actual blood alcohol content at the time of the stop could have been as high as .170.
Despite the initial controversy, Walz appears to have made significant changes in his life following the incident. He has reportedly remained sober since the arrest, swapping alcohol for Diet Mountain Dew. Rasgorshek acknowledged that if Walz had maintained his initial stance of taking responsibility and using the experience to educate others, he would have fully supported such an approach.
In conclusion, the revelation of details surrounding Tim Walz's 1995 DUI arrest has brought renewed attention to the incident and its aftermath. The discrepancies between the initial handling of the arrest and the later political spin raise questions about transparency in public life. While Walz appears to have made positive changes following the event, the conflicting narratives surrounding it continue to be a topic of discussion in political circles.
