Did hennington county sheriff resign
Executive summary
Hennepin County Sheriff David (Dave) Hutchinson did not formally resign from office amid the 2022 controversy over his December 2021 DWI crash; instead he announced he would not seek re‑election and completed his term before being succeeded by Dawanna S. Witt [1] [2] [3].
1. The incident and mounting calls for resignation
Sheriff Hutchinson crashed a county‑issued SUV in December 2021, later pleading guilty to a fourth‑degree DWI and drawing widespread criticism after unsealed investigative materials suggested he initially denied being the driver and was driving over 120 mph, facts that prompted a cascade of public calls for his resignation from county commissioners, state lawmakers and the governor [4] [5] [6].
2. Did he resign? The plain answer
No credible reporting in the assembled sources documents a formal resignation by Hutchinson; rather, after intense pressure he publicly said he would not seek re‑election and remained in office through the end of his term, a course confirmed by contemporaneous coverage and later office records showing Dawanna Witt as the elected sheriff [2] [3].
3. How officials and the public reacted and why resignation was demanded
Five of seven Hennepin County commissioners, Governor Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and a variety of local officials publicly urged resignation, arguing Hutchinson’s actions and comments eroded public confidence and that the sheriff had attempted to conceal key facts at the scene — criticisms amplified after release of squad video and search warrant material [1] [7] [4].
4. Hutchinson’s response and the political choice to stay in office
Hutchinson resisted immediate removal, telling reporters he was “fully committed to continuing to serve the people of Hennepin County” and asserting he would let voters decide his fate rather than resigning under pressure; that position is documented in reporting from major local outlets contemporaneous to the controversy [1] [4].
5. The administrative and legal limits on forcing a sheriff out
Local reporting noted that the Hennepin County Board lacks authority to remove an elected sheriff and that alternatives to resignation included a recall, electoral defeat, or professional licensing action by the POST board, which framed the practical limits of officials calling for Hutchinson’s resignation [7] [2].
6. Aftermath: his decision not to run and the office’s succession
Following the uproar and legal disposition of the DWI case, Hutchinson announced he would not seek re‑election, and in November 2022 Dawanna Witt was elected Hennepin County Sheriff, becoming the officeholder listed on the official sheriff’s website and subsequent organizational records [2] [8] [3].
7. Mixed or contradictory source signals and reporting caveats
Some items in the source pool — including an archive snippet titled “Sheriff Dave Hutchinson To Resign (1-21-2022)” on a site bearing the sheriff’s name — appear contradictory or out of context compared with contemporaneous reporting showing he declined to resign and later said he would not run again; this highlights limits in the collected snippets and the need to treat single‑line archive headlines carefully rather than as definitive proof of an immediate resignation [9] [2].
8. Bottom line for readers following the claim
Available, reliable reporting establishes that Hutchinson did not step down immediately under pressure; instead he finished his term after announcing he would not seek re‑election and the office transitioned to an elected successor, a sequence corroborated by local press coverage and official Hennepin County Sheriff records [2] [8] [3].