Freeborn mayor pleads not guilty to driving with a revoked license

Published 9:14 am Thursday, December 11, 2008

Recently re-elected Freeborn Mayor Mark Gruben pleaded not guilty in Freeborn County District Court Tuesday for allegedly driving after his license was revoked at the end of October.

According to a citation issued by the Minnesota State Patrol, Gruben, 47, was pulled over by a Minnesota State Patrol officer near the intersection of state Highway 13 and Freeborn County Road 35 on Oct. 31.

The ticket stated the officer ran his license plate and found that Gruben’s license had been revoked in October after an incident in Clay County, Iowa, about two months prior that alleged drug possession and drunken driving.

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According to the Spencer Daily Reporter, on Aug. 15 a Clay County sheriff’s deputy stopped Gruben for a traffic violation, and upon making contact with him noticed an odor of an alcoholic beverage. After Gruben performed several field sobriety tests, the deputy determined that he was operating while intoxicated. One-fourth of an ounce of marijuana and drug paraphernalia were also found in the vehicle and Gruben was transported to the Clay County Jail, the newspaper printed.

On Oct. 6, Gruben’s charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, open container violation and speeding were all dismissed by the Clay County District Court.

The judge sentenced Gruben to unsupervised probation for operating a vehicle while intoxicated — a penalty that included having his driver’s license revoked for one year. Iowa calls it OWI, not DWI like Minnesota does.

According to the Clay County District Court, Gruben must enroll in a course on the hazards of drunken driving and submit to a substance-abuse evaluation. It also ordered that he “pay a deferred judgment civil penalty of $625 on or before Feb. 6, 2009.”

Other than a citation for an open-bottle violation on May 15, 1993, his driving record included a half dozen citations for speeding back in the late 1980s and the early 1990s.

In his court appearance for driving after revocation Tuesday, Gruben waived his right for an attorney.

A settlement conference will be scheduled, according to court administration personnel.

Driving after revocation is a misdemeanor.

A call made to Gruben by the Tribune on Tuesday was not returned by this morning.