Candidate for county attorney receives citation

(ABC 6 News) – A candidate for Olmsted County Attorney allegedly hit another vehicle and left the scene just before a debate in Rochester this week.

Karen Maclaughlin admits she did bump into another vehicle but says she didn’t see any damage, so she left.

She tells ABC 6 News she was cited for “failure to report property damage.”

ABC 6 News did reach out to the City of Rochester for a copy of the citation but have not received a response.

In a statement to ABC 6 News Maclaughlin wrote in part:

“I didn’t see any real damage and was late getting somewhere, so I left to pick something up and then returned for the county attorney debate. I realize this was the wrong decision and I should have left a note.”

Maclaughlin is facing incumbent Mark Ostrem in the race for Olmsted County Attorney.