Former Sheriff Hutchinson used $240K settlement to pay Hennepin County back for wrecked SUV

Former Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson used money from a workers’ compensation settlement with the county to pay for damage from a 2021 drunken-driving crash, a document obtained by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS shows.

According to the settlement, Hutchinson owed $40,961 for the county-owned SUV he wrecked on Dec. 8, 2021, while driving back to the Twin Cities from a sheriff conference in Alexandria. He also had to pay $6,351 to the Minnesota Department of Transportation for a guardrail he damaged.

Hutchinson was over the legal limit and was traveling over 120 mph at the time of the crash, investigators said. He later pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree DWI, and a judge sentenced him to two years of probation.

Hennepin County paid out a settlement totaling $240,000 for injuries he allegedly suffered while on the job as sheriff, but the expenses from the crash were deducted from that amount.

As part of the settlement finalized on Nov. 14, 2023, Hutchinson agreed to drop all claims against his former employer and to never apply for another job with the county.