Democratic leaders in Minnesota want Rep. Kerry Gauthier, 56, to withdraw from his re-election bid, after police claim he admitted to having oral sex with a 17-year-old boy at a rest stop.
No charges have been filed against Gauthier, but Democratic leaders still want him to step aside in the wake of the scandal.
As reported by the Duluth Tribune:
In an interview with police on July 31, Gauthier said he met the 17-year-old after he put an ad on Craigslist, according to police reports.
The 17-year-old told an officer he responded to the ad and that he and Gauthier agreed to meet at Thompson Hill, according to the reports.
He said they walked to a wooded area behind the rest stop pavilion for five minutes, where they engaged in fondling and oral sex, police reports said.
Both parties told police that the sex was consensual and that no money was exchanged, according to the police reports.
Gauthier told the officer in the interview that the 17-year-old told him he was 18; the 17-year-old also told police that he told Gauthier he was 18.
In explaining why he wouldn’t press charges, County Attorney Mark Rubin said in a memo to Duluth police that the age of consent in Minnesota is 16.
The 17-year-old told police that he didn’t know who Gauthier was, meaning Gauthier couldn’t be charged for using his position of authority over a juvenile.
How do you explain yourself? The fact of the matter is, Gauthier had sex with an underage boy. Since the scandal broke, Gauthier hasn’t made any comments, claiming it’s a purely private matter.
SOURCE: Duluth Tribune
