(C) Daily Montanan
This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



Commissioner of Labor and Industry resigns, faces DUI, other charges – Daily Montanan [1]

['Keila Szpaller', 'More From Author', '- July']

Date: 2023-07 

Laurie Esau resigned Monday as Commissioner of Labor and Industry after being jailed in Missoula for roughly 30 minutes the previous night for drunk driving, according to the Governor’s Office and reporting from Lee Enterprises.

Esau was cited for driving while under the influence, obstructing a peace officer and failing to report an accident “by quickest means,” according to court records.

Esau could not be reached for comment Tuesday about her plea in court; Missoula Municipal Court also could not be reached in phone calls, and neither could a Missoula Police Department spokesperson.

The Montana State News Bureau of Lee Enterprises first reported the incident, in which court records note Esau was “uncooperative and attempted to walk away” from the arresting officer.

On Monday, Kaitlin Price, spokesperson for the Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office, confirmed Esau was no longer head of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.

“Commissioner Esau offered her resignation to the governor (Monday) morning, effective immediately, which he accepted,” Price said in an email. “DLI Chief of Staff John Elizandro will serve as acting commissioner.”

Esau was the governor’s first cabinet nominee, according to a January 2021 social media post by the Montana Senate GOP touting her unanimous approval by a legislative committee. The state salary database notes she earned as head of DLI $63.05 an hour, which translates to a full time salary of $131,144.

The Montana State News Bureau of Lee Enterprises posted a copy of a municipal court record on social media.

An affidavit of probable cause said a law enforcement officer arrested Esau because her gray 2021 Mercedes Benz was reported in a hit-and-run at the corner of South Third Street and Reserve Street.

The court record did not state additional information about the alleged hit-and-run, and the Missoula Police Department could not be reached Tuesday for additional information.

According to the court record, the officer found Esau in front of her residence, and he noted her “blank, dull stare, belligerent attitude, heavily slurred speech and significant odor of alcoholic beverage.”

The officer handcuffed Esau after she tried to walk away from him, according to the court record. It said she refused tests for alcohol consumption.

Lee Enterprises noted Esau was jailed and released Sunday after roughly 30 minutes once her bail was posted.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/briefs/commissioner-of-labor-and-industry-resigns-faces-dui-other-charges/

Published and (C) by Daily Montanan
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/