Mercer County Sheriff Charged With DUI Pleads “Not Guilty” And Will Go To Trial
The Mercer County Sheriff who got a DUI last month will take his case to trial this spring. Dean Danzeisen was set to appear in court yesterday morning, but decided to waive his initial court appearance. Danzeisen pleaded "not guilty", and he will go to trial in South Central District Court in May.
Check out the original story on Danzeisen's DUI below.
ORIGINAL STORY (01/29/2020): Dean Danzeisen, the sheriff of Mercer County was cited for DUI in Bismarck, ND in the early morning of January 24th. He failed a field sobriety test, with a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal driving limit. In the state of North Dakota, a first-time DUI is a Class B misdemeanor charge.
The sheriff's LinkedIn profile shows that Danzeisen has been in law enforcement for some time. He has been the county's sheriff for over 17 years. Prior to that, he has been a police chief and a park ranger. He was once the police chief for Zap, Pick City, Stanton and Golden Valley. Before he was a police chief, he was a ranger at Lake Sakakawea State Park for the state Parks and Recreation Department.
It was just after midnight last Friday morning when Danzeisen, 55, was pulled over on 43rd Avenue. According to the citation, his blood alcohol was at 0.194%. North Dakota's legal limit for driving is 0.08%. His DUI charge has a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine.
Danzeisen is scheduled to appear in Bismarck Municipal Court on February 5th. There is currently no comment from Danzeisen as he could not be reached and did not immediately return calls. State's Attorney Jessica Binder was also not available for comment.
At the moment the only comment available is from Danzeisens's attorney, Chris Redmann. Redman says that the case is a sensitive one and that Danzeisen is "innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt." He had no further comments about his client.