Candidate for Minnesota legislature's District 51A arrested, suspected of domestic assault

A candidate for a south metro district in the Minnesota Legislature was booked in the Dakota County Jail over the weekend, after being arrested on suspicion of domestic assault and strangulation.

Brad Gerten, of Burnsville is the GOP candidate for House District 51A, which extends into Burnsville and Eagan. According to jail booking records, Gerten was arrested by Burnsville Police late Saturday night and could face three separate domestic assault charges. He was booked into jail at 1:44 a.m. Sunday, and remained there Monday morning.

No additional information about the incident was immediately available Monday, but Gerten is scheduled to appear in court at noon Tuesday. Domestic assault by strangulation is a felony, while the other two possible charges listed on Gerten's booking records are misdemeanors.

Gerten has not been charged, but a spokeswoman for the Dakota County Attorney's Office, said charging decisions would be made by Tuesday afternoon.

House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, released a statement on the incident Monday morning: "Domestic violence is unacceptable to our party and our caucus. No HRCC resources have been spent in this district to date, nor will they in the future."

State GOP chairman Keith Downey could not be reached for comment, and DFL chairman Ken Martin declined to comment on Gerten's arrest.

Gerten's opponent, Rep. Sandra Masin, DFL-Eagan, said the news of the arrest was troubling.

"I just think that domestic violence is a very serious issue and it's never acceptable," she said. "It hurts families, it damages communities ... but I trust that our legal process will address the issue."

Gerten is retired from the Minnesota National Guard, and was deployed to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, according to his campaign website. He graduated from Burnsville High School in 1993 and has most recently served as a referee for youth sports.