Police looked into how journalist got photos of Hennepin County sheriff's wrecked SUV

At the request of Hennepin County officials, a Medina police officer investigated how an independent photojournalist got photos of Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson’s totaled, black Ford Explorer he crashed while driving drunk.

The officer, Josh McKinley, visited the home of conservative journalist Rebecca Brannon’s parents in Eden Prairie after she posted photos on Twitter of the county-owned vehicle Hutchinson crashed near Alexandria, according to a recording of a phone conversation with Brannon provided to the Reformer.

“It startled me,” Brannon said in an interview with the Reformer. “I was mostly concerned with my parents because they were worried. They worry so much. I think I was more concerned for them.”

Hutchinson, who was elected in 2018 with support from Democrats, pleaded guilty to driving drunk after leaving a state sheriff’s conference on Dec. 8.

Brannon has a large following on Twitter, where she primarily tweets about politics and protests. She used to be heavily involved in the state Republican Party, and her “day job” is a videography business that produces videos for churches and candidates, including a launch video her company produced last summer for Bloomington police officer Jai Hanson, who is running against Hutchinson for sheriff. She said it was a three-day contract, she hasn’t done any work for him since.

Read more: https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/12/29/police-looked-into-how-journalist-got-photos-of-hennepin-county-sheriffs-wrecked-suv/