Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s mugshot from his arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol has quickly circulated across social media after Vice President Kamala Harris named Walz as her 2024 running mate on Tuesday.
Fox News reported that the outlet had obtained a booking photo showing the Democratic vice presidential candidate following his 1995 arrest in Nebraska after he was pulled over by state police officers for driving under the influence of alcohol and for speeding. According to Fox News, the Dawes County Sheriff’s Office noted that Walz was arrested on September 23, 1995.
According to The New York Post, the 60-year-old vice presidential candidate, who was 31-years-old and was working as a teacher in Nebraska at the time of the incident, was caught driving a silver Mazda at 96 mph in a 55 mph zone just prior to midnight. When a state trooper approached Walz, the trooper noticed “a strong odor of alcoholic beverage” coming from the vehicle, according to court documents.
The New York Post reported that after failing a field sobriety test, Walz took a breath test, which revealed that his blood-alcohol level was at 0.128%. At the time, the legal blood-alcohol limit was 0.1. Walz was then arrested and taken into custody at Dawes County Jail.
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By March of 1996, Walz was able to have his charges dropped to reckless driving; however, the plea forced him to acknowledge that he “drove a vehicle in a manner as to indicate an indifference or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property,” according to The New York Post. Walz, who was first elected as a U.S. representative roughly 11 years after the incident, was also required to pay a $200 fine.
The New York Post reported that Walz’s lawyer, Russel Harford, attempted to explain why Walz was speeding when he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol during the court proceedings.
“This is a little bit bizarre, but Mr. Walz thought somebody was chasing him. The officer didn’t turn on his red lights and he — somebody came up real fast behind him and he didn’t know what they were doing,” Harford said. “So he sped up to try to get away, fearing that somebody was after him. Lo and behold, it was a state patrolman that was behind him, so the faster he went, the faster the state patrol officer went.”
A picture of Walz was shared on Tuesday by Military Arms on X, formerly Twitter.
