ST. PAUL -- The trooper who has been the Minnesota State Patrol's face in western Minnesota faces charges of driving 94 miles per hour in a 55 zone.

Sgt. Jesse Grabow has served as public information officer, but his duties will be handled by other troopers during an internal investigation into the April incident.

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Patrol Capt. Brian Cheney and Assistant Fergus Falls City Attorney Joseph Ellig filed the speeding complaint Friday and the patrol released information Monday.

The 38-year-old Grabow, based in Detroit Lakes, could be fined up to $300, with a $150 surcharge.

The complaint states that Trooper Robyn Birr was on patrol on Minnesota 210 in Fergus Falls when a car was clocked at 95 mph and 94 mph about 6:45 a.m., April 28.

Birr activated the patrol car’s emergency lights, but turned them off after meeting the car and seeing it was a trooper vehicle. The complaint says that Grabow sent a message to Birr saying that they had met on Minnesota 210 and Birr determined that Grabow's vehicle was the only other trooper vehicle in the area at the time.

The car apparently was not on an emergency call at the time.

A Department of Public Safety spokesman said it took officials from April until last week to review whether to issue the speeding ticket.

The patrol's state chief said that troopers are "not immune to the dangers of exceeding the speed limit."

"Sgt. Jesse Grabow, a 17-year veteran and valued member of our agency, erred in judgment and broke the law when he was observed speeding on duty without cause," Col Matt Langer said. "We take this very seriously and have initiated an internal affairs investigation now that the city attorney has completed his review."

Grabow was educated at Alexandria Technical College and became a trooper May 2, 1998.

He received a lifesaving award in 2012 and the patrol says that he has received no formal complaints or been subject to any disciplinary actions.