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Tarantula tossing candidate appears in forum
After being arrested in June, accused of throwing a tarantula during an argument with her roommate, Hennepin County Commission candidate Marisa Simonetti is forging ahead with her campaign.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Hennepin County judge on Tuesday sentenced Marisa Simonetti to jail time and probation after she was convicted of harassment and domestic assault for throwing a tarantula at her housemate in 2024.
Marisa Simonetti sentencing
What we know:
Marisa Christina Simonetti, 32, was convicted of causing substantial emotional distress and domestic assault stemming from a June 21, 2024, incident.
She was sentenced Tuesday, June 30, to 364 days in the Hennepin County Workhouse, but all 364 days are stayed for two years, meaning she will not serve that time if she follows probation rules.
Simonetti must serve 90 days in the Hennepin County Workhouse, with eligibility for work or school release, and received credit for four days already served. She is required to report to the Adult Corrections Facility by 9 a.m. on July 31. Simonetti's sentence also includes two years of supervised probation, monitored by Hennepin County Community Corrections.
Dig deeper:
Simonetti must follow numerous conditions, including no contact with the victim, staying away from the victim’s home, work, or school and completing domestic abuse counseling and a mental health evaluation.
She was also ordered to write a letter of apology to the victim and provide it to her probation officer, and is prohibited from possessing firearms, ammunition or explosives while complying with all probation instructions.
No sentence was pronounced for the misdemeanor domestic assault charge, but Simonetti was found guilty of disorderly conduct without formal adjudication.
Simonetti must pay $1,078 in fines and fees, including a $500 fine, $500 victim services assessment, $75 surcharge and a $3 law library fee.
Tarantula tantrum
The backstory:
In June 2024, Hennepin County board commissioner candidate Marisa Simonetti made national headlines, when her housemate captured a video of her playing loud music, banging pots and pans, screaming, and tossing a live tarantula down a staircase.
Simonetti says she did these things in an attempt to get the housemate out of the home.
After her arrest this summer, Simonetti was charged with fifth-degree assault, disorderly conduct and harassment. She subsequently lost her Republican endorsement for the Hennepin County seat.
Simonetti ran for the same seat during a special election in May 2024 but lost to former Minnesota House representative Heather Edelson by about 1,000 votes.
The Source: Information from Hennepin County District Court records.