Man with active warrant hired by Minnesota Department of Health to run Pine Island nursing home

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) mistakenly hired a man with an active warrant to run a nursing home in Pine Island.

Thomas Zukowski, 62, was hired as the director of the Pine Haven Care Center while he had an active warrant for his arrest.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS sister station KAAL reports that court records show Zukowski had an active warrant for violating the terms of his probation after a 2022 DWI conviction in Bloomington.

The State of Minnesota took control of Pine Haven Care Center last year due to the facilities’ financial issues.

KAAL reports that the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said Zukowski was arrested for that warrant on Aug. 7 and released the next day.

A spokesperson for MDH said that Zukowski was terminated from his position when it became known that he had an active arrest warrant, and that the background check conducted by their facility managing agent, Pathway Health, did not reveal the warrant.

Following his arrest, Zukowski was ordered to serve 30 days in the Hennepin County workhouse and 30 days of electronic monitoring, according to court records.