State auditor says she, husband are divorcing

Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN)

Author: Dane Smith

Staff Writer

State Auditor Pat Awada said Tuesday that she and her husband, Michael, separated in September and are getting a divorce that will be finalized sometime in 2004.

``This is a difficult and personal matter for our family, and I hope that Minnesotans will give us their prayers and understanding,'' Awada said in a prepared statement from her office.

Michael Awada was arrested in May on a gross-misdemeanor charge of malicious punishment of a child after allegedly hitting his 15-year-old son with a chair during an argument, after the son arrived home two hours late from a bicycle ride. The charge was dismissed on the condition that the father and son get individual counseling and that the father remain law-abiding.

At the time, Pat Awada issued a statement saying that ``both my son and my husband regret that the dispute occurred. We are a typical family where even people who love each other can have an argument that gets out of hand.''

Tony Sutton, Awada's deputy director, said Tuesday she had no comment on the circumstances of the separation or divorce. ``The statement speaks for itself,'' Sutton said.