Hennepin County Board candidate Marisa Simonetti was arraigned Thursday morning in Hennepin County District Court on a misdemeanor charge of fifth-degree assault after a dispute with a tenant of her Edina home.
Tarantula-tossing Hennepin County Board candidate Marisa Simonetti arraigned on assault charge
Simonetti, who is running against Commissioner Heather Edelson for the District 6 seat, says she plans to plead not guilty.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 17, 2024 at 5:19PM
Simonetti, who was arrested and jailed in June on allegations she threw a live tarantula and other objects at the woman, stayed in the court hallway as her attorney John Daly handled the routine appearance.
Simonetti was given a Jan. 9 pre-trial date and plans to plead not guilty.
Wearing a campaign T-shirt, she said afterward that she did nothing wrong and plans to fight the charge “to the death.”
Simonetti said her campaign for the District 6 seat is going well and that she sent out “a ton of texts” last week. “We’re getting feedback, positive feedback. It’s going to be very exciting to see what happens on Nov. 5,” she said.
An email to Simonetti’s opponent, Commissioner Heather Edelson, was not immediately returned Thursday.
In April, Simonetti finished second in a six-candidate special primary for an open board seat but lost the special election to Edelson, a DFLer and former state representative. Simonetti has campaigned as a Republican, although some local party members have since withdrew their support.
The County Board oversees the county’s $2.7 billion budget and 10,000 employees. Commissioners earn $122,225 annually.
District 6 includes the cities of Edina, Hopkins, Mound, Minnetonka, Wayzata, Long Lake and Shorewood, and northern Eden Prairie.
Christopher Magan contributed to this story.
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