Charges: GOP House Candidate Assaulted Wife's Son Over Pizza
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) – A Republican Minnesota House candidate is accused of choking his wife's son over pizza.
Brad Gerten, 41, is charged with two counts of domestic assault stemming from the incident Saturday night at his home in Burnsville.
According to a criminal complaint, Gerten grabbed his wife's son after asking if there was any pizza left in the kitchen and being told to look for himself.
Gerten's wife tried to separate the two, but she told police that her husband threw her to the ground, injuring her head.
A fight then broke out between Gerten and the son. At one point, Gerten was choking the boy on the couch, his wife said.
The son, who lives with Gerten and his mother, told police he thought he was going to black out.
Gerten had been in the running for the suburban House seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Sandra Masin.
Both the GOP House Speaker and the Republican Party of Minnesota have disavowed Gerten and vowed they won't support his candidacy. Just a month out before Election Day, it's unlikely they can field a different candidate.
Gerten's campaign website said he served 22 years in the military and was deployed to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan before retiring.
If convicted of the charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 3 years in prison and/or a $6,000 fine.
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