Deputy Caught Drag Racing In Squad Car vs. Cop Gets Off Scot-Free

CALEDONIA, Minn. — Members of the Houston County Board are asking why a sheriff's deputy was not disciplined for drag racing his squad car while on the job.

The Winona Daily News reported Saturday that the deputy raced his Dodge Charger down a runway at the Houston County Municipal Airport in Caledonia on July 12. A Caledonia police officer was racing with him in a new Crown Victoria cruiser.

The race apparently stemmed from the purchase of a new squad car for Caledonia, the newspaper reported.

The Caledonia officer, who has not been named by the department, was suspended for a month when superiors learned what happened. Board members in the southeastern Minnesota county say there should have been consequences for the deputy too.

Sheriff Doug Ely declined to name the deputy to the newspaper or explain why he wasn't formally disciplined. Commissioner Jack Miller said he learned what happened from citizens, not the Sheriff's Office.

Chief Deputy Scott Yeiter defended the department's handling of the incident and described it as “an employee coaching session.” He said the deputy's decision to race a squad car on duty “wasn't egregious enough to have a disciplinary letter placed in his file.”