Daniel Wolgamott

Introduction

Daniel Wolgamott, 36, a Democratic–Farmer–Labor member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who has represented St. Cloud’s District 14B since 2019, was arrested the night of November 11, 2026 after police said he drove drunk and slammed into a parked car, injuring its occupant — his second drunken-driving arrest in three years. He was booked into the Stearns County Jail on three counts, including criminal vehicular operation involving bodily harm, and the New York Post reported he was being held without bail, while FOX 9 reported the next morning that he had not yet been formally charged. Wolgamott is leaving the Legislature in January after an unsuccessful run for state auditor.

Background Information

Wolgamott is a fourth-term state representative, a DFLer from St. Cloud who has held House District 14B since 2019, according to the Minnesota Reformer and FOX 9. He did not seek reelection to the House in 2026 and instead pursued the DFL nomination for Minnesota state auditor, but failed to secure the party’s endorsement and did not appear on the August primary ballot; he later endorsed Zach Filipovich, who won the office, and his legislative term is scheduled to end in January, FOX 9 reported. His arrest on Wednesday night came roughly fourteen months after he was discharged from probation in a prior drunken-driving case.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Booked, not formally charged. Wolgamott was booked into the Stearns County Jail on three counts per the county jail log; FOX 9 reported Thursday morning that formal charges had not yet been filed, the crash remains under investigation, and no conviction exists on the new case. Wolgamott has not publicly responded to the arrest.

According to St. Cloud police, Wolgamott was driving east on 13th Street North in St. Cloud on the night of November 11 when his vehicle struck a legally parked car; a 37-year-old St. Cloud man inside the parked vehicle was taken to the hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, and investigators determined alcohol was a factor, FOX 9 reported. Officers arrived to find the lawmaker walking away from the crash, the New York Post reported, citing The Minnesota Star Tribune. A police filing quoted by the Post read that Wolgamott “had poor balance, bloodshot eyes and glossy eyes,” was “having difficulty formulating full sentences,” and “showed multiple signs of impairment during field sobriety test[s].”

The Stearns County jail roster lists Daniel Kirk Wolgamott, 36, arrested at 9:09 p.m. on November 11 and booked into the county jail on three gross-misdemeanor-level counts, all with the St. Cloud Police Department as arresting agency: criminal vehicular operation – bodily harm – under the influence of alcohol; third-degree driving while impaired with one aggravating factor; and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. The Reformer noted the circumstances of the arrest remain unclear but that a bodily-harm criminal-vehicular-operation charge indicates police judged that someone was injured under state statute. Wolgamott did not answer a Reformer call seeking comment — his voicemail box was full — and did not respond to a text message; the Post reported he did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The arrest drew immediate attention because it was Wolgamott’s second drunken-driving case in three years. In July 2023, a state trooper pulled him over near Mora in Kanabec County after a caller reported a person drinking in a liquor store parking lot; security footage showed him appearing to take a drink from a bottle, stow it in his trunk and drive away, and the trooper observed the car weaving within its lane, the Reformer reported. Wolgamott pleaded guilty to one of two misdemeanor counts — operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more within two hours of driving — with the other dismissed, received a stayed 45-day jail sentence and two years of probation, and was discharged from probation in September 2025, court records showed per FOX 9. At the time he said he had undergone professional testing and received “an assessment that I do not have an alcohol-use disorder,” and said he completed an eight-hour alcohol education class and a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim panel.

Current Status

Wolgamott remained in custody at the Stearns County Jail as of Thursday morning, November 12, per FOX 9, and the Post reported he was being held without bail; formal charges had not yet been filed as of that morning, and the jail roster — last updated November 13 — still listed him in booking status. Police did not say what evidence led investigators to conclude he was impaired, and the crash investigation is ongoing. He has made no public statement about the arrest, the counts are unadjudicated, and the presumption of innocence applies. His House term ends in January regardless of the case’s outcome.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Wolgamott’s political career was already winding down — he leaves the House in January after skipping reelection and losing his state-auditor bid — but the arrest adds a second alcohol-related case to the record of a sitting lawmaker in his final weeks in office. The Reformer noted he is part of a string of Minnesota legislators arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in recent years, including Rep. Elliott Engen and Sens. Tou Xiong and John Jasinski. As of this writing Wolgamott faces three booked counts arising from a crash that sent a motorist to the hospital, with formal charges, a bail decision and any court proceedings still ahead.

Sources

@nypost trigger tweet (Minnesota lawmaker busted for drunk driving), November 13, 2026. source
New York Post, “Minnesota lawmaker busted for drunk driving for the second time in three years,” November 13, 2026. source
Minnesota Reformer, “Outgoing DFL Rep. Dan Wolgamott arrested again on suspicion of driving while impaired,” November 12, 2026. source
FOX 9, “Minnesota Rep. Dan Wolgamott arrested on suspicion of DWI after crash,” November 12, 2026. source
Stearns County Sheriff jail roster, “Daniel Wolgamott,” inmate detail, accessed November 13, 2026. source