Former Robbinsdale council member pleads guilty to fleeing police while driving drunk

A former Robbinsdale City Council member admitted Tuesday to driving drunk the wrong way on a highway in the middle of the night in January, causing a crash and trying to outrun police.

Tyler Kline, 38, pleaded guilty in Hennepin County District Court to fleeing a police officer, a felony, and two counts of drunken driving.

Kline submitted what is called a straight plea, meaning that it was made with no agreement with the prosecution about the terms of his sentence.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office did offer terms in exchange for Kline's plea. They included him admitting to the felony count of fleeing police and one of the drunken-driving charges. The prison time would be set aside, and the count would then be reduced to a misdemeanor after three years. He also was offered a 90-day limit on any jail or workhouse time and dismissal of one of the drunken-driving counts.

However, defense attorney Alan Morrison rejected the offer and told the court he wanted to have the felony fleeing count treated as a gross misdemeanor immediately upon sentencing, which is scheduled for Aug. 12 before Judge Tamara Garcia.

Felony convictions can weigh heavily on a person's ability to obtain or retain employment.

Kline resigned from the council in late May, days after city officials determined that enough voters had signed a petition to recall him.

Some residents of the Minneapolis suburb began calling for his resignation soon after the incident on Jan. 24. On that night, he was forcibly removed from his minivan and arrested after a hit-and-run crash while driving the wrong way on Hwy. 100.

As a half-dozen police squads tried to stop him, he allegedly continued fleeing officers and damaged two Robbinsdale squad cars, for which he owes $7,315 from an insurance claim issued by the League of Minnesota Cities.

Kline provided a breath sample at 1:22 a.m. that showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.20, according to the charges.