Former Sheriff Rich Stanek released from hospital after crash

Former Hennepin County sheriff and Republican candidate for governor Rich Stanek was released from the hospital on Thursday after a car wreck following a campaign event two nights earlier.

Stanek, 60, was transported to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale after the wreck in Buffalo, Minn., on Tuesday night. A statement from his campaign on Thursday said that Stanek went to the hospital "out of an abundance of caution" because of previous back and neck injuries he suffered during a 38-year career in law enforcement.

"For this reason, medical professionals admitted Stanek to ensure previous injuries were not made worse during the car accident," the campaign statement read. "Doctors are not worried about any on-going medical concerns."

Stanek said in his campaign statement that he planned to be back on the campaign trail on Thursday.

On Tuesday night, Stanek was heading home after speaking to a Wright County conservative group at Buffalo Covenant Church. He was pulling out of the church parking lot in a 2019 Ram 1500 pickup around 8:30 p.m. when he collided with a 2014 Chevy Malibu that was headed north on Hwy. 25, according to the State Patrol.

The other driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries but was not taken to the hospital, according to the State Patrol. Road conditions were wet at the time, and alcohol was not a factor in the crash for either driver, the patrol said. Both drivers were wearing their seat belts.

The patrol said Thursday the crash was still under investigation but no citations were issued. When the investigation is concluded, the patrol will submit its findings to the Buffalo city attorney for any charging decisions, Lt. Gordon Shank said.

Stanek served as the elected sheriff of Hennepin County from 2007 to 2019. Before that, he served for a time as state public safety commissioner under former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and as a Republican state representative from Maple Grove for eight years. He also spent two decades as an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department, rising to commander for criminal investigations.

Stanek declared his candidacy for governor on Feb. 1, seeking to challenge DFL Gov. Tim Walz in November. Stanek is among a group of competitors for the Republican nomination that includes former Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, state Sen. Michelle Benson, former state Sen. Scott Jensen, businessman Kendall Qualls, physician Neil Shah and Lexington, Minn., Mayor Mike Murphy.

The Republican Party's endorsing convention is in May in Rochester.

"I want to thank everyone across Minnesota for their warm wishes. I also want to thank the medical professionals at North Memorial Health Hospital, and the first responders at the scene who took great care of me, and everyone involved," Stanek said in the statement. Finally, I want to wish the other driver a full recovery."

Star Tribune staff writer Tim Harlow contributed to this report.