Background check: Every GOP House hopeful in 15B has a misdemeanor

The future representative for Minnesota House District 15B may be picked this weekend from among five Republican candidates, all of whom have at least one conviction in state court records.

The records range from traffic violations and disorderly conduct to DWIs and misdemeanor assault.

Former state Rep. Mark Olson joined the pool of less-experienced candidates. Olson's name filled headlines 10-plus years ago when he was arrested and convicted on one of two charges involving domestic assault.

More: What's coming in big 2018 election year?

Republican delegates in District 15B, which includes parts of Sherburne and Benton counties, will endorse a candidate in their party on Saturday.

A vetting committee has already interviewed and reviewed the backgrounds of the five Republican candidates in the 15B Basic Political Operating Unit, said Chairman Barry Kukowski. "We try to know as much as we can through the vetting process, so that we don't find skeletons (in their closets)."

Incumbent Republican Rep. Jim Newberger of Becker is campaigning for higher office. Newberger beat Democratic challenger Karla Skapanski in 2016 by securing 69 percent of the votes.

"If you get the (Republican) endorsement, you're going to probably win this race," Kukowski said.

RELATED: Republicans debate to replace Rep. Jim Newberger

Scapanski is the only Democrat who's filed campaign finance paperwork to run in the district so far. She does not have a record of criminal or traffic charges in the state.

The race for a Republican candidate in 15B is the most competitive in Central Minnesota. The district contains Becker, Clearwater, Foley, Rice and Royalton.

Here's a state background check on the five Republican candidates for District 15B.

Lucas Knese

In January 2011 Knese pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of alcohol, a misdemeanor, according to court records. He was 21 at the time.

"I obviously regret my actions, but I don't regret the lesson that I learned," Knese said. He realized then that those actions could affect his future, including his future wife and family.

Knese, 29, grew up in Sauk Rapids and worked at the Sartell paper mill while attending St. Cloud State University, he said. When the paper mill closed he went on to law school. It was pure chance that he was assigned Newberger when Knese started working as a staffer at the Capitol.

This is his first political bid.

Shane Mekeland

Mekeland, 48, is also a polictical novice.

In April 2014, Mekeland pleaded guilty to a drunken driving charge. It's a misdemeanor DWI for a March 2013 offense, according to court records.

"I made a mistake back then. I paid dearly for it," Mekeland said Wednesday while making the rounds to talk to delegates.

After the DWI, he turned to his pastor and became more involved in his Lutheran church, he said. "I guess the bad turned into good."

Mekeland threw his hat in the ring out of frustration with the rules, requirements and fees tied to doing business in the state. He's a building contractor.

Mark Olson

A jury found Olson guilty of misdemeanor domestic assault in July 2007. The jury convicted him of acting to instill fear in his wife, but not on a second charge for intentionally inflicting or attempting to inflict bodily harm, according to court documents.

He was a state representative at the time of the trial and served in the House from 1993 to 2008.

Initially, Olson's attorney presented the defense that Olson himself was the victim of battery.

"I didn't initiate any action whatsoever against my wife," Olson said Thursday. "It's very tragic what has happened to our government system."

He said he has received calls from others who feel the judicial system pits family members against each other in cases like this. He'd like to remove those matters from the court system's adversarial, public process, he said.

Since he left office, Olson has done some consulting and lobbying, and he's writing a book on "why it doesn't matter one iota who gets elected, but it's still critically important who you vote for," he said.

He re-entered politics at the encouragement of others and to share a message on government overreach and personal restraint, he said.

More: Who's running for state House in Central Minnesota?

Myron Wilson

Wilson pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct in June 1998, according to court records.

It was part of an intervention that led Wilson to get help for post-traumatic stress from his work in law enforcement, Wilson said Wednesday. He described it as the best and worst day of his life.

"I turned my life around because I knew I was headed down the sewer," Wilson said.

Wilson, 65, worked in law enforcement for 23 years, including time as a Minnesota State Patrol trooper, he said. He would have liked to stay on, but he retired from that work after the 1998 incident.

Now he advocates for better training about post-traumatic stress that affects first responders.

"It's not macho to admit you have (PTSD)," Wilson said. He talks and has written openly about his experience.

He served on the school board in Carlton, Minnesota in the late 1990s, he said. Wilson raises show chickens and turkeys.

John Ulrick

A 1987 charge on Ulrick's record for violating an order for protection was tied to a custody dispute and a misunderstanding of the law, Ulrick said.

"I was just plain naive," he said. "There was no violence involved."

He said his then-wife invited him over for dinner to reconcile, and he didn't understand he wasn't allowed to make contact with her.

Ulrick, now 62, gained custody of his children, remarried a few years later and raised a blended family of 10 children, he said Wednesday. He wants to be transparent, he said.

Ulrick retired from the U.S. Army, runs a farm with his wife in Lakin Township and is working on a degree in political science and criminal justice.

The 15B Republican delegates will endorse a candidate on Saturday. Candidates who aren't chosen can stay in the race if they wish, and new candidates can still join.

Kukowski is looking forward to the convention, he said. It will be up to delegates and voters to weigh the importance of the candidate's backgrounds.

"If the people are OK with that (record), then we're OK with that," Kukowski said.

The official filing period for state candidates runs from May 22 to June 5. The primary election will take place Aug. 14. And the general election is Nov. 6.

Nora G. Hertel: 320-255-8746 and on Twitter @nghertel.