Skip to main content

Fox News' Gregg Jarrett Arrested at Minn. Airport Bar

By Brett Snider, Esq. on May 23, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Fox News anchor Gregg Jarrett was arrested at an airport bar on obstruction charges, which may have resulted from a combination of drugs and alcohol.

Jarrett, 59, was picked at around noon at the Northern Lights Grill at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after an employee called police about the "very intoxicated" reporter.

Can Jarrett walk away from this drunken arrest?

When a citizen attempts to impede, interfere with, or harass a police officer, an obstruction of justice charge may be warranted. This offense takes many forms in various states, and it has great overlap with laws regarding resisting arrest.

In Minnesota, the charge is called obstructing the legal process, and applies to any suspect who "obstructs, resists, or interferes" with a peace officer while performing his or her official duties. For Jarrett, this charge refers to his allegedly "uncooperative, resistant, and combative" attitude during his arrest, reports the Star Tribune.

But what was Jarrett initially being arrested for?

Detox/Crisis Hold

Officers must have probable cause that a crime was committed in order to arrest a suspect. According to Jarrett's booking record, the Fox News anchor had "TAB CHARGE" entered as the reason for his arrest.

This doesn't answer many questions, however, as a "tab charge" in Minnesota is a simple brief statement of the charged crime. The Star Tribune reported that officers had initially approached Jarrett and directed him to stand up to arrest him for "a detox/crisis hold."

Police officers can often arrest persons who appear to be disturbed or intoxicated to the point of being a danger to themselves or others -- called a 5150 hold in California. Jarrett was allegedly in Minnesota for alcohol and chemical dependency treatment and police found documentation in his bag that he had "just been released," reports the Star Tribune.

Arraignment in June

Regardless of the circumstances which brought the police to encounter Jarrett, the anchor is now facing a misdemeanor charge in Minnesota. According to his Hennepin County booking records, Jarrett posted $300 bond shortly after his arrest.

His arraignment is scheduled for June 6 in Edina, Minnesota. We hope that he appears sober.

Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Facebook and Twitter (@FindLawConsumer).

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard