Mankato Mayor Charged With DUI

MANKATO, Minn. - Mankato Mayor John Brady has scheduled a press conference at noon on Tuesday to discuss drunk driving charges stemming from a crash in Golden Valley earlier this month.

Brady, 61, is charged with fourth-degree DUI, leaving the scene of an accident, driving with an open bottle and failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. The charges stem from an Aug. 21 crash near Interstate 394 and Hopkins Crossroad.

According to the criminal complaint, the Minnesota State Patrol put out a call of a hit-and-run suspect vehicle on I-394 near Highway 100 in Golden Valley around 1:14 p.m. A Golden Valley police officer on patrol in the area got in position and attempted to stop Brady’s vehicle.

The officer noticed Brady was crossing over the lane divider and driving about 35 to 40 mph on Highway 169 ’ far under the posted speed limit. Still not stopping for the officer, Brady then crashed into a stopped Lexus SUV at the ramp from I-394 to Hopkins Crossroad. Brady then drove away from scene of the accident, nearly hitting another car, then coming to a stop on the ramp.

Using his intercom, the Golden Valley police officer ordered Brady to turn off his car and throw the keys out the window. Brady exited the car, using the door to support himself. According to the complaint, he failed a field sobriety test and ’his speech was so impaired and mumbled it appeared he was speaking a foreign language.’ A preliminary breath test revealed a BAC of .242.

John Brady was placed under arrest and a search of his car turned up a bottle of Smirnoff vodka in the driver’s side door, with some liquid left in the bottle.

Brady was scheduled to return to Minnesota from China on Monday afternoon. Brady is part of a delegation that traveled to China this past weekend on official business, but he missed the flight Saturday afternoon and e-mailed the city manager he had been in an accident.