Democratic lawmaker called on to resign for having oral sex with boy, 17, in bushes at public rest stop after meeting him on Craigslist

12-8-2014

• Representative Kerry Gauthier was found engaging in oral sex on July 22
• Police investigated whether or not there was wrongdoing in Duluth rest stop encounter with 17-year-old
• Charges were dropped, but political pressure for Representative to resign is mounting

After police revealed that a Minnesota lawmaker had a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old boy, both Republicans and Democrats have banded together to ask Representative Kerry Gauthier not to seek re-election.

Representative Gauthier had been hospitalized in the wake of the scandal, denying any and all interview requests.

Charges will not be pressed against the high-profile politician as the sex, which occurred at a Duluth rest stop, was found to be consensual.

'I am deeply disappointed with Rep Kerry Gauthier’s conduct,' Minnesota House Minority Leader Paul Thissen said in a statement to the Duluth News Tribune.

'The conduct was wrong and no one in the DFL House caucus condones the behavior. I expect he will address these issues publicly and soon.'

Previously, Republicans lobbied for his resignation.

'I believe we have given Rep. Gauthier and the Democrat caucus a respectful amount of time to address this situation on their own,' House Speaker Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove, said Friday.

'Rep. Gauthier’s actions are not becoming of a member of the House of Representatives, and today I am calling on him to resign from the Legislature.'

Mr Gauthier was treated for shortness of breath following the public investigation of his interactions with a 17-year-old teen he met on Craigslist.

The two met for a rendezvous on July 22 at the Thompson Hill rest stop around 11 p.m.

The Duluth News Tribune reported that a state trooper happened upon the pair after a report of 'suspicious activity.'

Police reports of the incident reveal that Mr Gauthier, 56, put out an ad for an encounter on Craigslist and the 17-year-old responded.

The two walked to a wooded area behind the rest stop pavilion for five minutes, where they engaged in oral sex and touching, police records show.


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