Former Pine City administrator arrested, charged with DWI in Chisago County

Former Pine City administrator Scott Hildebrand was arrested and charged with a gross misdemeanor DWI count of refusing to submit to a chemical test on Wednesday.

According to the criminal complaint, Chisago County law enforcement was notified about a truck swerving into oncoming traffic and driving erratically just after 9 p.m.

The vehicle was located near the intersection of Oak Street and Newell Avenue in Lindstrom. A traffic stop was conducted after law enforcement observed the truck make a right-hand turn onto Olinda Trail while it was in the middle of the road.

The driver was identified as Hildebrand. The complaint states that he exhibited signs of impairment, including bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and an odor of alcohol. An empty bottle of whiskey was located in the passenger seat.

After exiting the vehicle, Hildebrand allegedly answered "not much" when asked how much he had to drink.

He reportedly struggled to perform field sobriety testing and to provide adequate breath samples multiple times. He told law enforcement he couldn't complete the test because of his height and a back injury.

Law enforcement manually captured a sample that read .168 BAC.

Hildebrand was arrested and taken to the Lakes Area Police Department.

The complaint states that, after being read the Minnesota breath test advisory, he continued to ask to speak with the police chief, argued with the officer about his political views, and used multiple slurs.

After being advised to sit down, Hildebrand allegedly fell to the floor on his own, screaming that he was hit on the head by the sergeant.

According to the complaint, officers attempted to help him to his feet, but he refused.

He was deemed to have refused the breath test.

Hildebrand, who made his first court appearance on Thursday, resigned from the Pine City administrator position in January of 2024.