Former Hennepin County public defender gets stayed sentence, probation for DWI

Former Hennepin County Public Defender Kassius Benson received a stayed sentence and probation for a DWI in October of 2022.

Court documents state he was sentenced to spend 30 days in Hennepin County Jail, which will be stayed for the duration of his one-year probation.

Court documents add that he also completed a MADD panel in May. Benson must additionally pay a $300 fine.

Benson pleaded guilty on July 2 in exchange for charges of driving under the influence and careless driving to be dismissed, as well as a citation for driving the wrong way down a one-way.

As previously reported, Benson was pulled over around 2:15 a.m. on Oct. 15, 2022, in Wayzata. His blood alcohol content was .13 — nearly twice the legal limit.

He was also cited for driving the wrong way down a one-way street.

Benson’s resignation as Hennepin County’s chief public defender became public two days after the traffic stop.

He was also sentenced to probation for tax fraud-related charges in May.