http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2191164/Kerry-Gauthier-Democratic-lawmaker-called-resign-having-oral-sex-teen-bushes.html

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


PUBLISHED:

15:49 EST, 20 August 2012





UPDATED:

16:55 EST, 20 August 2012







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Caught: Police revealed that a Minnesota's Representative Kerry Gauthier had a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old boy


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.













Bipartisan: House Minority Leader and fellow
Democrat Paul Thissen, left, as well as House Speaker and Republican
Kurt Zellers, right, have condemned Mr Gauthier's actions

A trooper approached Mr Gauthier on his way back from the encounter.


'It
was at that time I noted his zipper was open and part of his shirt was
hanging out. I asked him why his zipper was down and he said he didn’t
know,' the officer wrote in his police report. 'I told him to zip it up
and leave. The male seemed nervous.'
Then, the trooper said, he saw the teen.


'It was at that time I noted his zipper
was open and part of his shirt was hanging out. I asked him why his
zipper was down and he said he didn’t know. I told him to zip it up and leave.'State Trooper


'He stated that he had met an older
man at the rest area after corresponding with him in a response to a
Craigslist ad,' the trooper wrote.
The
teen told the police that his parents were unaware of his sexual
orientation and begged them not to tell his family of the incident.
Both
men said the interaction was consensual and there was no money
exchanged. The teen also told police that he lied about his age, telling
Mr Gauthier he was 18 years old.
'I
think it’s a private matter and I don’t need to talk about it,' Mr
Gauthier said to the Duluth News Tribune following the explosive
investigation.
No charges were pressed against the representative as the age of consent is 16 in Minnesota.