A highly-ranked member of the Hennpin County Sheriff's Office was demoted Wednesday after an unmarked sheriff's SUV was found abandoned in a Wisconsin ditch last Saturday.
According to the Burnett County Sheriff's Office, 48-year-old Lt. Bob Staupe admitted to drinking drinking, driving, and ditching the Chevy Tahoe, registered to Hennepin County, outside Spooner. The Burnett County deputy who found the vehicle noticed the emergency control lights inside the vehicle, which prompted the investigigation.
A bottle of vodka, a purse, a Hennepin County jacket, and a sheriff's star were all found in the car according to the accident report. Staupe's been a deputy since 1995. He was demoted from major to lieutenant on Wednesday and is on administrative leave.
Sheriff Dave Hutchinson says he cannot comment at this point because the matter is under investigation.
