Grand Forks Rep. Claire Cory's traffic arrest footage released
Jul. 17—GRAND FORKS — The footage of Rep. Claire Cory's
arrest
was released to the Herald Wednesday after undergoing a standard redaction process.
Two officers were involved in the arrest. The body camera and dash camera footage for both were released. The only redactions the Herald could clearly identify in Officer Walker Carr and Officer Matthew Sylvester's body camera footage were obstructions made to protect Cory's driver's license information.
Sylvester's body camera footage, which is 93 minutes long, begins with him pulling over Cory just after 1 a.m. on May 7. She comes to a stop in a parking lot along Gateway Drive.
The police report states that, prior to being pulled over, Cory made a wide turn, drove onto the shoulder of the road, made another wide turn and began swerving. Her vehicle struck the curb.
The body cam footage has been a point of dispute between the Grand Forks Police Department and the Herald, the latter of which sought video evidence of the incident prior to the June 11 legislative primary election. The GFPD said it would not release the video, since it considered the case open at the time; the Herald then asked for an open-records ruling from the office of Attorney General Drew Wrigley.
An official ruling isn't expected until later in the year.
The Herald reviewed the footage and did not find evidence of Cory attempting to abuse her power as a lawmaker.
It appears that only once — 88 minutes into the 93-minute tape — did Cory mention she's an elected official, noting she was concerned that the incident would find its way into the news.
"I don't want this to be a thing," she said.
In the video, she said she had consumed two drinks. Her blood alcohol concentration was .168, twice the legal limit for driving.
Cory ultimately pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was ordered to complete a chemical dependency evaluation.
She was not required to serve any time in custody for the offense.
