Brodkorb Charged With DUI, Careless Driving in Connection to January Crash

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Michael Brodkorb—a former Senate staffer whose meteoric rise in the GOP ranks once made headlines—now faces criminal charges in connection to a traffic accident in January.

Lilydale City Attorney Thomas Lehmann charged Brodkorb, an Eagan resident, with two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree DUI, one misdemeanor count of careless driving and one petty misdemeanor seatbelt violation, according . If convicted on one of the DUI charges, Brodkorb could face a maximum of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The seatbelt violation is a petty misdemeanor punishable with a $300 fine.

Brodkorb was seriously injured in the accident, which occurred just after 9 p.m. on Jan. 23 along the Interstate 35E bridge near Lilydale.

Police say Brodkorb was driving in the northbound lanes of I-35E when the vehicle he occupied, a 2004 Subaru Forester, ran off the right side of the road and struck a cement wall, according to the state patrol. The vehicle then careened back across the northbound lanes and hit the median wall, where it came to rest.

He was the only occupant of the vehicle at the time, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

An investigation revealed the former Republican staffer had an alcohol concentration of 0.10, above the limit of 0.08 for impaired driving, according to a urine sample analyzed by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.