jschramm@minotdailynews.com
Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, has pled not guilty to driving under the influence, according to court documents filed Wednesday in South Central District Court in Bismarck.
A May 12 preliminary hearing has been waived and a misdemeanor jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 27.
Louser, 49, had been driving a 2021 Cadillac Escalade when he was pulled over after crossing from Mandan into Bismarck shortly before 1 a.m. on Friday, April 16. A North Dakota Highway Patrol officer observed his vehicle weaving partially into neighboring lanes, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Traveling with Louser as a passenger in his vehicle was Katie Winbauer, a University of North Dakota law student who has been participating in a legislative internship program. The trooper allowed Louser to consult privately for legal advice from Winbauer, and after consultation, Louser agreed to a breath test, which was administered at the Burleigh Morton County Detention Center.
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Lawmaker Louser charged with misdemeanor drunken driving Follow Us
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By - Associated Press - Friday, April 23, 2021
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A top Republican legislator accused of weaving across the center line several times after a night out in Bismarck was charged Friday with misdemeanor drunken driving.
Police pulled House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Louser over during the early morning of April 16. According to court documents, a Highway Patrol trooper saw Louser’s Cadillac Escalade cross the center line “multiple times,” the Bismarck Tribune reported.
Louser, of Minot, didn’t immediately pull over after the trooper activated his lights. The trooper said in an affidavit that Louser and his passenger, legislative intern Katie Winbauer, looked surprised to see him and that Louser smelled of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot.
North Dakota House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Louser told a Highway Patrol trooper who arrested him for drunken driving a week ago that he had consumed three drinks at two area bars, and called a legislative intern he was with his attorney.
The 49-year-old Minot Republican who has been in the Legislature since 2011 failed three field sobriety tests and refused another, and at jail tested for a blood alcohol content of 0.117%, over the 0.08 legal limit, Trooper Brian Mehlhoff states in an affidavit.
Louser was charged Friday with misdemeanor DUI. He s scheduled for an initial appearance on May 12. Court documents don t list an attorney for him. He told the Tribune that he had not seen the court filings and had no comment outside of a statement he released shortly after his arrest.