State House GOP leader had brush with Montana cops
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The minority leader of the Minnesota House, Rep. Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, was stopped by police in Montana last fall and handcuffed.
Daudt was in Montana with an unidentified friend in early September to purchase a used truck. A disagreement with the seller of the truck resulted in the friend pulling a handgun owned by Daudt, according to a report from KSTP-TV. A complaint filed in Park County, Montana, said officers later stopped a Minnesota vehicle and placed its occupants under arrest. Daudt told KSTP that only his friend was arrested, and later charged. He did not say why he had not previously disclosed the incident.
Daudt explained his side of the story in a lengthy interview with KSTP, but his spokeswoman said today that he would not be doing anymore interviews on the subject. Instead, Daudt released this statement:
“In early September, I traveled to Montana to purchase an antique vehicle which is something I have done before because I collect and restore antique vehicles for a hobby. Unfortunately, the seller did not accurately represent the condition and mileage of the vehicle. A confrontation ensued between my friend who traveled with me to Montana to assist in bringing the truck back to Minnesota and the seller who had misled us.
“While we worked to resolve the situation, the seller became verbally aggressive with both my friend and me and became physically aggressive with my friend. I did everything I could to calm down the seller, diffuse the situation and get my friend and me out of harm’s way. However, feeling imminently threatened, my friend retrieved a handgun, without my knowledge, from my vehicle. The gun is licensed to and owned by me. The gun was not discharged during the incident.
“Police were called and my friend was detained and charged by local authorities. As a witness, I provided a statement to local authorities who informed me that at no time was I accused by anyone of any wrongdoing, and that according to all accounts I was trying to diffuse the situation.
UPDATE:
Documents from Park County Montana identify Daudt's friend as Daniel Benjamin Weinzetl of Cambridge. He was charged with three felony counts.
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