On March 14th, 2023 Independent School District 200 (ISD200) School Board Director Mark Zuzek pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, stemming from an arrest on the morning of Nov., 17 at 8:53 a.m. according to Washington County Court documents. 

Zuzek entered a guilty plea to one misdemeanor count of fourth degree driving while impaired. A charge of operating a motor vehicle with alcohol concentration of .08 within two hours was dismissed.

At the time of the incident, then ISD 200 Director-Elect Zuzek was pulled over and arrested near 1811 Weir Drive in Woodbury. The arrest happened days before Zuzek was to be confirmed as the winner of a special election and seated on the school board. The initial report indicated that Zuzek had a blood alcohol content of .181, more than double the legal limit of .08.

Zuzek told investigators that he had not been drinking the morning of the arrest and that he “had two alcoholic beverages the night before,” according to the initial arrest report. In agreeing to plead guilty to the one misdemeanor account, Zuzek admitted to drinking vodka that morning.

According to the petition to enter a guilty plea, Zuzek stated, “I consumed vodka in my garage and then drove my car in Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota. I agree that the vodka I consumed negatively affected my ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. I agree that Woodbury police witnessed my driving conduct, including drifting out of my lane several times, and that was a valid basis to stop me. I agree I should not have driven.”

With the guilty plea, the sentence for Zuzek is as follows:

A stayed sentence of 88 days in the Washington County Jail with credit for two days he was in jail after the arrest, meaning if there are no more infractions in two years, Zuzek serves no additional jail time. He was sentenced to two years of probation with monitoring by Washington County Community Corrections.

Zuzek must also complete a chemical assessment and follow recommendations of the evaluation, as well as attend a Mothers Against Drunk Drivers Impact Panel. He was also sentenced to 40 hours of community work service to be completed by Sept. 14, 2023.

Zuzek must also install an ignition interlock device on his vehicle for one year from the offense.

He was also fined $512. The fines do not include the cost of the Ignition Interlock System, which according to the manufacturer Intoxilock, the cost in Minnesota is around $95-$100 per month.

The Hastings Journal reached out to Zuzek for a statement on the disposition of the arrest but did not receive a response by the time this was published.