Mankato Mayor Faces DWI Charges

MANKATO, Minn. - Mankato Mayor John Brady is facing DWI charges, plus faces accusations that center around a trip to help promote his city.

At Monday’s city council meeting, most members were reluctant to talk about Mayor Brady in his absence. Mayor Brady is part of a delegation that traveled to China this weekend on official business. But he missed the flight Saturday afternoon and e-mailed the city manager he had been in an accident.

Just before 7 a.m. on Saturday, Mayor Brady was involved in a fender bender in Jordan. The Minnesota State Patrol said no one was injured or suspected of drunk driving. But around 1 p.m. that afternoon, a driver on Interstate 35W called about someone driving erratically near Lake Street.

Twenty minutes later, Golden Valley police say they spotted the car near Interstate 394 and Hopkins Crossroad. Police say Mayor Brady rear-ended another car when they tried to pull him over.

When he stopped, they found an open container in the car and police say Brady was "pretty intoxicated."

A witness, who does not want to be identified, took cell pictures of Brady’s damaged car after he was sent to detox and missed his flight.