Leighton charged with DWI; court appearance Tuesday

ST. PAUL (AP) -- A state lawmaker was charged Tuesday with drunken driving stemming from his arrest while driving a car that had been involved in a crash, his lawyer said.

Rep. Rob Leighton, DFL-Austin, was charged with gross misdemeanor DWI and will make his first court appearance next Tuesday, according to attorney Paul Rogosheske.

Leighton, 34, was arrested last week after a night out at a St. Paul bar. He and his passenger, Anna Youngerman, were stopped shortly after witnesses reported seeing the Honda Accord hit two parked cars.

Rogosheske said Youngerman, a DFL campaign strategist and family friend, had been driving and that Leighton took the wheel after the crash to take her to the hospital because she cut her nose.

Leighton was found to have a blood-alcohol content of 0.23 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

Rogosheske also represents Youngerman, 23, who he said was cited with misdemeanor charges of refusing to take a breath test and leaving the scene of an accident.

She will appear in court Tuesday along with Leighton, Rogosheske said.

In 1995, Leighton was involved in a fight outside a bar in Austin that left him unconscious and needing two stitches for a cut lip. No charges were filed in that incident. Rogosheske said his client would undergo a chemical dependency evaluation.