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Archive for the ‘MINNESOTA’ Category
Lakeville Minnesota Police Invade Innocent Man’s Home At 3 AM, With No Warrant Or Evidence Of A Crime - To Tell Him His Door Was Unlocked
June 21st, 2008
LAKEVILLE, MINNESOTA — A Lakeville man says he feels violated after two local police officers woke him up at 3 a.m. Thursday to tell him his door was unlocked.
“I was violated, but … I wasn’t physically damaged,” Troy Molde told the St. Paul Pioneer Press about what he considers an invasion of privacy at his home in this Minneapolis suburb.
The officers’ surprise visit was part of a public service campaign to remind residents to secure their homes to prevent thefts. Usually, officers just left notices on doors, but they went further in Molde’s case.
With four children under 7 having a sleep over in the house, police went into the home and up to Molde’s bedroom and started knocking on the wall to wake him up.
The officers told Molde his garage door was open, the TV was on, keys to his truck were left in the ignition and the door to his house was ajar.
Read MoreSuspended Minneapolis Minnesota Police Officers Scott Donald Mars And William David Thornbury Finally Charged After Shooting Gun Through Sunroof Of SUV In Alcohol Fueled Incident
June 20th, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - Two Minneapolis Police officers have been charged with felony counts of Intentional Discharge of a Firearm and Reckless Discharge of a Firearm in a Municipality.
Scott Donald Mars, 34, and William David Thornbury, 28, were charged Friday morning in Dakota County Court, accused of firing a weapon through the sunroof of an SUV.
Mars was also charged with two counts of fourth-degree DWI. Mars’ mug shot has not been released.
The charges stem from an incident on May 28 incident in Minneapolis. The case was charged in Dakota County to avoid a conflict of interest.
According to a news release from the Dakota County Attorney, officers were dispatched to a south Minneapolis neighborhood on a call of shots fired after a loud party. Witnesses said shots came from a black SUV.
Investigating officers found two .9mm cartridge casings and three .34 caliber discharged cartridge casings at the scene.
Read MoreCity Fireman Files Complaint After Minneapolis Minnesota Police Officers Got Rough With Him
June 14th, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - A Minneapolis firefighter says police officers mistreated him because of the color of his skin.
On May 21, Elondo Wright called the police after his car was towed from a Minneapolis street. When the officers arrived, Wright says they quickly got rough with him.
Video at link below.
Folks In Chisago City Minnesota Overlook Lynching Solution In Effort To Deal With Repeat Child Sex Offender Living Next Door To Daycare And School
June 13th, 2008
CHISAGO CITY, MINNESOTA - A small Minnesota town is fighting a big city problem with how to treat a repeat sex offender living next to a child care center and 500 feet from a school.
Jeffery Holmgren, 37, moved to Minnesota after being convicted of sexually molesting a girl roller-skating in Nebraska. He’s also been convicted and charged with similar sexual conduct in Minnesota and neighbors are trying to stop him.
“I’ve had it! My Minnesota nice is gone,” said Ann Trippler, who runs a day care in her home on a quiet Chisago City street.
Right next door to that day care is a repeat sex offender who moved in three years ago. Holmgren moved from Ramsey County after twice serving time for indecent exposure. In Ramsey County. he was ordered not to live within two blocks of a school.
Read MoreRichfield Minnesota City Council Shoves Multi-Million Dollar City Hall And Public Safety Building Down Taxpayer’s Throats
June 13th, 2008
RICHFIELD, MINNESOTA - The Richfield city council approved a new city hall and public safety facility Tuesday. However, not everyone believes the multi-million dollar proposal is necessary.
The city said roof, plumbing, and parking problems are reasons that make the new city facility a necessity. The proposal passed through the city council unanimously.
“We are kind of overwhelmed with all the issues and concerns [of the old building],” said Assistant City Manager Pam Dmytrenko.
But some residents believe it’s more about keeping up with Edina and Bloomington. A citizen task force claims the new facility will also force residents to pay higher taxes to fund its construction.
“We are not trying to compare ourselves to anybody but do what is best for Richfield,” Dmytrenko said.
For a home valued at $250,000, the owner will pay about $136 more per year in taxes for the new facility.
Read MoreMinneapolis Minnesota Lawyer William Selman Gets His Butt Kicked In Court By Convicted Double-Murderer
June 11th, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - A convicted double murderer punched and tackled his lawyer in the courtroom before he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Revelle Loving left his defense attorney, William Selman, with a black eye and swollen cheek Tuesday.
A half dozen sheriff’s deputies wrestled him to the ground. When proceedings resumed, Loving was shackled in hand and leg restraints.
A jury found Loving guilty earlier Tuesday of two counts of premeditated first-degree murder in the shooting of his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child, 21-year-old Mosetta Peters, and her boyfriend, 18-year-old Ja’Naurri Allen. The New Brighton couple were killed in January 2007 while they sat in a car outside an apartment complex in Brooklyn Park.
Selman declined comment on the attack afterward, but said he’d never been hit by a client before in around two decades as a defense lawyer.
Read MoreMinneapolis Minnesota 911 Center Blamed For Woman’s Death
June 10th, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - A grieving husband is searching for answers after he couldn’t reach anyone by calling 911 at the most critical time.
Richard Boos, of Minneapolis, said it happened Saturday morning when his wife said she couldn’t breathe. Richard called 911 and the phone just rang and rang.
The 67-year-old woman, who was on oxygen and had asthma, diabetes and a bad heart, died. Richard was married to Phyllis for over 50 years.
“I tried so hard to keep her alive and it didn’t do any good,” Richard said. “I blame those people because they wouldn’t answer their phone.”
According to 911 records, his first call came in at 11:02 p.m. When the operator picked up one minute and 28 seconds later, Richard hung up in frustration. When he called again at 11:05 p.m., it took operators 29 seconds to pick up. Again, Richard had given up.
Read MoreMinneapolis Minnesota Criminalizes Idling Cars
June 7th, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - The Minneapolis City Council and Mayor R.T. Rybak approved changes Friday, to the city’s vehicle idling ordinance that aims to reduce air pollution. The ordinance limits most vehicle idling to three minutes, except in traffic.
“Most of the air pollution in Minneapolis comes from vehicles and cutting down in idling is one easy thing we can all do for our environment, our health, and the health of our neighbors,” said Mayor R.T. Rybak.
Vehicle motors release particulate matter, dirt, nitrous oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide into the air. These chemicals are linked to increased rates of cancer, heart and lung disease and asthma and are the major source of human-caused climate change. Children are especially vulnerable to vehicle air pollution because their lungs are still developing, and they inhale more pounds of pollution per pound of body weight than adults do.
Read MoreConfederate Flag Hysteria Grips Bloomington Minnesota High School Officials
June 4th, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA - Three seniors at Bloomington Kennedy High School will not be allowed to walk in their graduation ceremony after driving to school with confederate flags flying from their trucks.
Seventy-five other students showed up at the school Wednesday morning to protest the action taken by the school against Justin Thompson, Joey Snyder and another student.
“I figured, you know, we’re seniors, it’s the last day of school…we didn’t mean any offense by it,” Thompson said.
Added Snyder: “We didn’t look at it as racist or anything.”
But school officials feel that flying a confederate flag violates the school’s student conduct policy. The students have been suspended from all school-sponsored activities.
“We are responsible for the 2,000-plus students that attend this school,” said Rick Kaufman, of Bloomington Public Schools. “The very nature of what they did had the potential to create a very serious situation.”
Read MoreMinneapolis Minnesota Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit Under Review
June 3rd, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - A group based out of Washington D.C., will review the Minneapolis Police Department’s internal affairs unit, according to MPD officials.
The Police Executive Research Forum, or PERF, will conduct a “comprehensive assessment of the internal affairs operations and practices.” According to the police department’s press release, PERF will examine “each component in the internal investigation process of police misconduct and complaints for both effectiveness and efficiency.”
The private, non-profit organization will recommend how the department can improve or enhance the unit’s operations.
PERF is involving the community in the review by holding two public forums. Police officers from the Minneapolis Police Department will not be in attendance.
The two meetings are scheduled for:
SESSION ONE
Monday, June 16, 2008
Minneapolis Urban League North
2100 Plymouth Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55411
6:00pm to 8:00 pm
Veteran Rochester Minnesota Police Officer Sgt. Michael Beery Arrested, Charged With Drunk Driving
May 31st, 2008
ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA - It was a rough night for one of Rochester’s finest.
Police Sergeant Michael Beery was arrested late last night for driving under the influence.
Another driver called police to say she was following a truck and believed the driver was intoxicated.
Officers say beery was weaving through traffic.
They stopped him and gave him a sobriety test and he failed it.
He was taken into custody and ticketed.
The Winona County attorney’s office will handle the case to avoid a conflict of interest.
He faces a 3rd degree DUI charge.
He’s has been placed on administrative leave while an internal investigation takes place.
He’s been with the department since 1988. Appeared Here
Members Of So-Called “Elite” Unit, Minneapolis Minnesota Police Officers Scott Mars And William Thornbury Under Investigation For Shooting Guns At party - Host Of Party, Another Officer, Charged With Drunk Driving Elsewhere
May 31st, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - Two Minneapolis officers remain on paid leave as investigations continue into allegations they fired their guns after they left a house party in south Minneapolis late Wednesday night. The officers are members of the department’s elite STOP unit, which focuses on violence in the city.
Sources said the officers are Scott Mars and William Thornbury. Attorney Fred Bruno represents both men, whom he called “good cops” with clean records. Mars was cleared by a grand jury after he shot fifteen-year-old Courtney Williams when the teen pointed a pellet gun at him in 2004.
The host of the party this week was also a Minneapolis police officer who recently moved into the neighborhood. That officer is scheduled to appear in court next week for an unrelated alcohol incident in another city. The officer was arrested for DWI in March after he left a suburban bar. Police reports indicate he had a blood alchohol level of .17. The suburban officer who arrested him said he was uncooperative during the incident. MPD officials have asked that his name not be made public because of concerns for his safety from his work undercover.
Read MoreMinnesota State Supreme Court Tosses Residents Rights To Be Secure From Unreasonable Searches And Seizures By Police
May 31st, 2008
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA - Minnesota law enforcement officers have more power to order blood tests without a warrant in cases where a suspected drunken driver kills or seriously injures someone else.
By a 5-2 ruling Friday, the state Supreme Court reversed previous decisions that supressed blood-alcohol evidence obtained from a woman without permission soon after she was involved in 2006 head-on collision in Burnsville.
The majority held that waiting for a warrant could have caused key evidence against the woman to disappear because alcohol levels can drop as time elapses. She faces seven criminal charges, including several felonies.
Justice Christopher Dietzen says an officer’s finding that there was probable cause of alcohol impairment was enough to justify the blood draw done at a hospital within 45 minutes of the crash.
In her dissent, Justice Helen Meyer warns that the ruling ”erodes the right of citizens in Minnesota to be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures.” Appeared Here
Two Minneapolis Minnesota Police Officers Under Investigation After Shooting Their Weapons At A Party - Names Hidden From Taxpayers
May 30th, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - Two Minneapolis Police officers are on paid administrative leave after officials say they fired their weapons in the city while they were off-duty.
Police say it happened during a party last night on the 4200 block of Wentworth Avenue South.
Neighbors say the officer frequently has loud parties at his home.
“I was awakened at 11:51 p.m. by what I thought was fireworks,” said neighbor Linda Cohen. “We were so excited to have a police officer move into our neighborhood—all the neighbors were talking about it and how great it was going to be. Apparently it’s been nothing but trouble.”
Police say the two off-duty officers left the home and began firing their weapons.
“I mean, c’mon. He’s a police officer. I hold them a little higher standard,” Cohen said.
The officers are being investigated internally. Officials told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS there is also criminal investigation.
Read MoreMinnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson Fires Suspended Assistant Attorney General Amy Lawler
May 27th, 2008
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA - A government lawyer who accused Attorney General Lori Swanson of pushing ethical boundaries was fired Tuesday, coinciding with the release of a report discrediting claims that two lawsuits related to mortgage foreclosures were crafted to suit a public-relations strategy.
Assistant Attorney General Amy Lawler, who had been on administrative leave for two months, was officially terminated, a spokesman for Swanson said. Lawler didn’t immediately return two phone messages.
Lawler had been among the most vocal critics of Swanson’s management and was part of a long-shot effort to unionize attorneys. Lawler, a Harvard graduate who was relatively new to her job, said she and others faced pressure to prematurely file lawsuits and make other ethically questionable moves to further an office agenda.
Swanson’s senior managers, in turn, had accused Lawler of rules violations for going public with the accusations rather than reporting them to a lawyers’ investigatory board.
Read MorePolice Departments Forced To Cut Back On Fuel Use, Some Officers Fintally Have To Get Their Fat Asses Out Of Their Cars And Walk
May 23rd, 2008
NEWBERRY, SOUTH CAROLINA - With gasoline climbing toward $4 a gallon, police officers around the country are losing the right to take their patrol cars home and are being forced to double up in cruisers and walk the beat more.
The gas crunch could also put an end to the time-honored way cops leave their engines running when they get out to investigate something.
Some police chiefs think the moneysaving measures are not all bad, and might actually help them do a better job. But they worry about the loss of take-home cars, saying the sight of a cruiser parked in a driveway or out in front of a home deters neighborhood crime.
In Newberry, population 10,000, Chief Jackie Swindler is telling his officers to turn off the ignition whenever they are stopped for more than a minute or so, and to get out and walk around more.
Read MoreMinnesota Public Defender Mark Groettum Gets His Ass Kicked For Sabotaging Man’s Defense - Appeals Court Tosses “You Have The Right To An Attorney” In Man’s Case
May 19th, 2008
So he beat him up.
Lehman, 58, of Chisholm, Minn., who was on trial for assault, had asked the judge for a new attorney. The judge said no.
After everyone returned from a break, Lehman attacked public defender Mark Groettum from behind, locking his arm around his neck and punching him repeatedly in the face.
A chair was knocked over, and both men ended up on the floor.
“Blood was all over Groettum, the counsel table and the floor of the courtroom,” according to a court document.
And it all happened in front of the jury, the judge and all the others in the Hibbing courtroom.
Crazed Coon Rapids Minnesota Police Pull Student Of Of Class, Interrogate Him, Threaten Him With Arrest If He Attends Church’s Spring Fest
May 18th, 2008
Police say they pulled 15-year-old Trayvon Eatman out of class to tell him not to attend this weekend’s popular Spring Fest at Epiphany Church.
“My son goes to school with these kids okay? These are not kids my son hangs out with or goes to parties with. He goes to school with them,” explained Eatman’s mother Latine LeFlore.
She says police threatened her son that they would arrest him if he attended the festival. Coon Rapids Police told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Eatman ‘runs’ with a group that includes the three teens arrested for a recent rash of assault and burglaries.
“No I’ve never run with those guys,” Eatman said.
Dakota County Minnesota Deputy Sheriff Joshua Williams Receives Less Than A Slap On The Wrist After Killing Innocent Motorcyclist
May 15th, 2008
SHAKOPEE, MINNESOTA - A Dakota County sheriff’s deputy is sentenced to 40 hours of community service for careless driving that killed a motorcyclist.
In August, Joshua Williams took a left-hand turn from the right-turn lane of Minnesota Highway 3 and hit 58-year-old Bill Wallace of Farmington.
Williams joined the sheriff’s department in February 2005 and was in the final phase of his field training at the time of the crash in Empire Township.
Williams apologized to Wallace’s family when he was sentenced on Tuesday, saying, “I cannot tell you how sorry I am for what happened.”
A Scott County District judge also sentenced Williams to pay a $380 fine. He will spend his community service talking to new drivers and law enforcement recruits.
Williams driver’s license is also suspended for a year.
The Hennepin County attorney’s office handled the case because Dakota County prosecutors had a conflict of interest.
Read MoreVideo Released After Trigger-Happy Minnesota State Troopers Shoot And Kill Accident Victim With Multiple Shots From Taser Weapons
May 10th, 2008
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA - Troopers tried to communicate with Mark Backlund, but he tried to restart his minivan and then struggled with the troopers as they used a Taser to restrain him, according to video footage of the incident released Thursday.
The troopers used a Taser three times - though authorities said it was only effective the third time - on the 29-year-old Fridley man after he crashed the van on Interstate 694 in the northern Minneapolis suburb of New Brighton in January.
Shortly after the Taser was used a third time, Backlund became unresponsive. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The Ramsey County Attorney’s office cleared the troopers of any misconduct after reviewing an outside investigation by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. A medical examiner found that “acute cocaine intoxication” was the main factor in Backlund’s death.
Read MoreMinneapolis Minnesota Mayor R.T. Rybak Has Been Driving City Car For Months On Suspended License After Not Paying Speeding Ticket
May 9th, 2008
KSTP.com - Rybak has been driving illegally for months
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has been driving illegally for months, according to public motor vehicle records.Read MoreRybak told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he never knew his license was suspended and apologized Thursday evening.
“Sure this is embarrassing. But that’s part of the deal. I’m in the public eye and I have to be held to a high standard,” said Rybak.
He drove to work Thursday in a city-owned Toyota Prius, but it now sits in a parking lot because he says he found out he can’t legally drive.
The state suspended his driver’s license on Feb. 14 after not receiving full payment of his $222 fine for more than a year and a half.
A police officer wrote the Mayor a ticket for speeding in June of 2006, when he was driving back from a political event in Rochester.
St. Paul Minnesota Police Shoot And Kill Mentally Ill Man Using Taser Weapon
May 4th, 2008
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA - A man died after being Tased by St. Paul Police officers who had been called to the scene in response to the victim’s apparent suicide attempt.
The call was placed early Sunday morning on the 300 block of Wheelock Parkway, where officers came upon the 21-year-old male.
Police said they tried to calm the suspect down in an attempt to get him to paramedics, but the man began fighting with officers.
Chemical irritant spray was used, but the suspect began biting officers, forcing them to deploy a Taser, police said.
The man became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at the scene.
The Crimes Against Persons unit is investigating the incident. Both officers bitten by the suspect were treated at Regions Hospital.
The incident remains under investigation.
Crazed Mille Lacs County Minnesota Sheriff Brent Lindgren Obsessed With Investigating Non-Theft After Dumbass Undersheriff Marxhausen Leaves His Gun In Public Bathroom And Someone Turns It Into Police - County Attorney Tells Sheriff To Find A Real Crime To Investigate
April 30th, 2008
MILLE LACS COUNTY, MINNESOTA - The Mille Lacs County Sheriff has been continuing the investigation into what was reported as a theft - the theft of a gun. The gun had been left in a public restroom by the county undersheriff. The Mille Lacs County Attorney has suggested investigation should cease. obsessed
The gun was inadvertently left in the men’s restroom at Milaca Unclaimed Freight in January. It was found by a concerned citizen. The gun was turned over to the Milaca Chief of Police later the same day and returned to the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s office the following morning.
Mille Lacs County Sheriff Brent Lindgren has been investigating the case because it was reported as a theft.
“A crime was reported,” Lindgren said. “That needs to be investigated.”
Mille Lacs County Attorney Jan Kolb, in a letter to Lindgren, stated her concerns about continuing the investigation.
Read MoreCrazed Brooklyn Park Minnesota Police Violently Raid Innocent Couple’s Home Only To Find A Salt Water Aquarium - Dumbass Hot Water Heater Installer Smelled Vinegar, Runs To The Cops Crying “Meth Lab”, So Dumbass Judge Ivy Bernhardson Signs A Search Warrant - Our Tax Dollars At Work
April 29th, 2008
BROOKLYN PARK, MINNESOTA - Brooklyn Park police were looking for a meth lab, but they found a fish tank and the chemicals needed to maintain it.
And a few hours later, when the city sent a contractor to fix the door the police had smashed open Monday afternoon, it was obvious the city was trying to fix a mistake.
It happened while Kathy Adams was sleeping.
“And the next thing I know, a police officer is trying to get me out bed,” she said.
Adams, a 54-year-old former nurse who said she suffers from a bad back caused by a patient who attacked her a few years ago, was handcuffed. So was her 49-year-old husband.
“They brought us here and said once we clear that area, you can sit down and you will not speak to each other,” she said.
Read MoreDakota County Minnesota Deputy Sheriff Joshua James Williams Faces A Tiny Slap On The Wrist After Misdemeanor Conviction For Killing Motorist
April 27th, 2008
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA - A Dakota County Sheriff’s deputy has been found guilty of careless driving, a misdemeanor, in connection with the Aug. 30 accident that killed Farmington resident Bill Wallace.
Scott County judge William Macklin convicted 29-year-old Joshua James Williams April 15. Williams will be sentenced May 13.
Sentencing guidelines call for a sentence of up to 90 days in jail and fines of up to $1,000.
Williams, 29, was driving southbound in a bypass lane on Highway 3 when he tried to make a U-turn at 200th Street and turned in front of 58-year-old Bill Wallace. Wallace was on his way to his sister’s house to watch a Minnesota Vikings pre-season game.
Williams and deputy Dan Michener were responding to a domestic abuse complaint at the time of the accident and were reportedly having trouble finding the address.
Read MoreSuspended Former Watonwan County Minnesota Sheriff Joe Dahl Quits Amid Felony Theft Charges
April 27th, 2008
WATONWAN COUNTY, MINNESOTA - The former Sheriff of Watonwan County has ended his career early. Deputy Joe Dahl retired last night amid allegations of swindling public funds.He had been suspended and on paid leave for the past six weeks.The Sheriff’s department looks forward to getting back to serving the public, after years of controversy surrounding Dahl’s continued disciplinary issues and, now, sudden retirement.Sheriff Gary Menssen says, ”It has a lot to do, I think, with the allegations that were going on. He felt that was the easiest way for him.”Sheriff Menssen says it’s disappointing the process to discipline Dahl has taken this long.Dahl still faces felony theft charges.His initial hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
Appeared Here
Hennepin County Minnesota Sheriff Rich StanekTakes Credit For Shoplifting Bust In Which He And His Department Had No Role
April 23rd, 2008
HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA - A big shoplifting bust lead to a generous donation Tuesday, as piles of clothes stolen from Macy’s were given to needy Twin Cities women. But the act of kindness became overshadowed with a photo opportunity for the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department.
“We’re going to make some women very happy and make some great partnerships out in the community,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rick Stanek said in front of a sea of cameras and reporters.
However, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned that neither Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek nor his department had any role in the investigation.
In fact, two other law enforcement agencies conducted the entire investigation.
“The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office had nothing to do with it, so that’s what blew me away,” said former Edina Police Detective Brandon Deshler.
Read MoreDumbass Mille Lacs County Minnesota Undersheriff Alan Marxhausen Loses Gun - A-Hole Sheriff Brent Lindgren Wants To Charge Man Who Turned Gun Into Milaca Police Chief Charged With Theft
April 21st, 2008
MILLE LACS COUNTY, MINNESOTA - Mille Lacs County Undersheriff Alan Marxhausen forgot his gun in the men’s bathroom at Milaca Unclaimed Freight on Tuesday, Jan. 29 and when he returned to retrieve it, the weapon was gone.
Later that day, the holstered gun was turned into Milaca Police Chief Mike Mott at his home by the man who took the gun from the bathroom.
Mott’s son Jim, who was an officer in Todd County, contacted Todd County Dispatch and learned the gun had been reported stolen. Mike Mott contacted the sheriff’s office and returned the gun.
Recently, the Mille Lacs Messenger broke the story after obtaining an internal document from the sheriff’s office, which Sheriff Brent Lindgren says was obtained illegally. Lindgren called it a breech of security.
“That’s a separate crime that’s occurred,” Lindgren said.
The Times has yet to see the document.
Read MoreMinneapolis Minnesota Police Officer Mike Roberts And Lt. Lee Edwards Suspended Amid Federal Investigation
April 20th, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - It’s a high profile drama involving the top tiers of the Minneapolis Police Department.
On Friday night, Chief Tim Dolan put Lt. Lee Edwards and Officer Mike Roberts on paid administrative leave. A department spokesman Saturday said only it’s pending an investigation.
The move was the latest in a series of blows against Lt. Edwards. The former head of the Homicide Unit was demoted just last summer in the wake of allegations he drove drunk and made inappropriate comments. Edwards was later exonerated on that charge but didn’t get back his position. Instead, he became one of five black officers to sue the department over racial allegations.
Mike Roberts has been with the MPD for nearly 30 years. Sources say he’s the longest serving black officer in the department.
Investigation
KARE 11 News has learned the two officers are part of a federal investigation that has gone on for months.
Read MoreFormer Dakota County Minnesota Deputy Sheriff Joshua Williams Guilty Of “Careless Driving” After Killing Man On Motorcycle - Faces Less Than A Tiny Slap On The Wrist
April 18th, 2008
SHAKOPEE, MINNESOTA - A former Dakota County deputy has been found guilty of careless driving in the death of a motorcyclist.
Joshua Williams took a left-hand turn from the right-turn lane of Minnesota Highway 3 and hit 58-year-old Bill Wallace of Farmington in August.
Scott County District Judge William Macklin this week found Williams guilty of misdemeanor careless driving. Williams faces up to a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail, though it’s unlikely he’ll serve any significant jail time.
Williams’ attorney Frederic Bruno says his client is deeply sorry.
Wallace’s sister wants the judge to suspend Williams’ driver’s license for a year, put him on supervised probation and bar him from serving as a law enforcement officer in Dakota County.
Williams will be sentenced May 13 in Shakopee.
Appeared Here
Man Found Not Guilty After Attack By Minneapolis Minnesota Police Officers
April 15th, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - On April 14, after a week-long trial, Gus Ganley was found not guilty of charges stemming from last August’s clash between Critical Mass bike riders and Minneapolis police. On August 31, 2007, Gus Ganley was among 19 people arrested during Critical Mass, a bike ride that takes place on the last Friday of every month in Minneapolis. The August event, which drew hundreds of riders, included participants in the pReNC, a gathering organized by the RNC Welcoming Committee, an anarchist/anti-authoritarian group planning protests at next fall’s Republican National Convention.
After being held overnight, the 19 were released and most had their charges dropped. It wasn’t until two weeks later that Ganley learned he was being charged with assaulting a police officer and obstructing the legal process using force – both gross misdemeanors and fleeing a police officer – a misdemeanor.
Read MoreWoman’s Federal Lawsuit Charges Meeker County Minnesota With Strip Searches, Photographing Pierced Breasts
April 15th, 2008
LITCHFIELD, MN - A Big Lake woman is suing Meeker County, alleging she was unreasonably strip-searched after several arrests and once required to show her pierced breasts to be photographed.
Gail Lynn Simpson’s federal lawsuit seeks more than $75,000 and changes in the county’s strip-search policy.
Simpson says she was arrested on misdemeanor charges five times from 2004 to 2007, and she was strip-searched each time. Her lawsuit says Meeker County’s policy is to strip-search all arrestees without regard to the seriousness of the charge.
The attorney representing Meeker County, Jon Iverson, says the county’s policy does allow for discretion on who is searched.
Watonwan County Minnesota Deputy Sheriff And Former Sheriff Joseph Alphonse Dah Charged With Theft And Misconduct
April 9th, 2008
WATONWAN COUNTY, MN - Felony theft charges have been filed against a Watonwan County sheriff’s deputy and former sheriff who has had a long, controversial career since he started working for the county nearly three decades ago.
Joseph Alphonse Dahl, 50, has been charged with two felony counts of theft by false representation and theft by swindle, and three gross misdemeanor charges of misconduct by a public employee.
The criminal allegations against Dahl are similar to some of the concerns Watonwan County Sheriff Gary Menssen cited when he fired Dahl in 2006.
Dahl was later reinstated, with about nine months of back pay, after arbitrator Sara D. Jay issued a ruling saying Dahl deserved to be disciplined for the infractions cited by Menssen but not fired.
Read MoreLakeville Minnesota Police Officer Nick Reitmeier Arrested, Charged With Giving Alcohol To Minors, Possession Of Child Pornography After Filming Drunk Teen Girls
April 1st, 2008
LAKEVILLE, MN - A Lakeville Police officer was charged Tuesday with providing alcohol to minors and possession of pornographic photos of underage girls.
Nick Reitmeier, 25, was charged in connection with the off-duty Dec. 22 incident.
He and Shin Taniguchi, of Apple Valley, allegedly provided alcohol to underage individuals at Reitmeier’s home in Lakeville, according to the criminal complaint.
Tangiuchi allegedly took photos and videos with his celluar phone of two underage girls taking their shirts off and pointing handguns at each other.
In January, investiagors found the photos and video downloaded on Reitmeier’s computer, the complaint stated.
The Lakeville Police Department removed Reitmeier from duty and placed him on administrative leave.
“I am stunned and disappointed by the conduct,” said Lakeville Police Chief Tom Vonhof.
Reitmeier has been an officer since 2004. He made is first court appearance Tuesday. Taniguchi is expected to make his first court appearance on May 19.
Read MoreTaxpayers Hit For Rising Prescription Drugs Costs For Minnesota Jail And Prison Inmates
March 27th, 2008
MINNESOTA - It’s costing more to take care of convicted criminals in Minnesota.
County jails across the state are seeing a major increase in prescription drug costs for inmates. With the state budget as tight as it is, funding is becoming a problem. Officials are taking funds from other programs just to keep up.
21-year-old Adam Koepsell is developmentally disabled, but he works every day. His mom Shari pays a job coach to help Adam with his work.
Shari wants Adam to get into a county program that covers the nearly $800 per month it costs for his trips to work and for his job coach.
He’s been on the program’s waiting list for nearly 5 years. For Adam, and others like him, the waiting list is growing.
The program’s budget has stalled as other costs, like prescription drugs for local prisoners, have gone through the roof.
Read MoreDakota County Minnesota 911 Calls Don’t Get Through To Police, Fire, And Ambulance Services Due To Comptuer Glitch
March 27th, 2008
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA - It’s hit or miss if you call 911 in Dakota County.
Dispatchers told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS some people aren’t getting through due to a computer glitch.
Over 4,000 residents in Dakota County rely on the 911 Center to dispatch police, fire, and paramedic personnel.
Some residents with emergencies have called for help, only to get the sound of a never-ending ring tone.
Former Hastings Minnesota Police Officer Valerie Scharfe’s Excuses After Writing Bogus Traffic Warning Tickets To Meet Department Quotas Now Include Vision, Side Effects From Medicine (Only 1yr Of Meds, 2yr Of Bogus Reports), And Finally (Drumroll) Sexual Harassment, Sexual Discrimination, Defamation, Malicious Prosecution - And There Could Be More (Full Moon, Tides?) Coming
March 24th, 2008
HASTINGS, MN - Former Hastings Police Sergeant Valerie Scharfe is refuting charges that she intentionally filed false traffic warning tickets. Scharfe said the alleged discrepancies were the result of vision problems she was suffering from, which were side effects from medication she was taking to deal with what she called a hostile work environment at the department.
Scharfe and her lawyer Larry Schafer also said Friday they’re planning to bring civil charges against the city and Police Chief Mike McMenomy that could include, but are not limited to, sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, defamation and malicious prosecution. Schafer said he’s still compiling information for the case but said charges could be expected in the next few months.
Read MoreWitness Brutally Beaten As Hennepin County Minnesota Deputies Put Him In Same Jail Cell As Man He Was To Testify Against - Our Tax Dollars At Work
March 23rd, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - A Minneapolis man was beaten in Hennepin County Jail after being placed in the same holding cell as the man he was set to testify against.
Steven Hawkins had two black eyes when he took the stand to testify against Val Diggins in a double-murder case on Friday.
Prosecutors say the two were inadvertently placed in the same holding cell on Tuesday while awaiting separate court appearances. They were two of 20 men placed in the “bullpen,” a holding cell for those with scheduled court appearances that day.
Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Peter Orput and Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Michael Burns said they went to the jail last weekend to talk to Hawkins about testifying against Diggins and told the jailers to keep Hawkins and Diggins apart.
Despite the urging that there was a “strong necessity” to keep them separate, a mistake was made and the two were placed in the same cell, Orput said.
Read MoreD’oh! - Mille Lacs County Minnesota Undersheriff Alan Marxhausen Loses Gun, Reports It Stolen - After Leaving It In Public Restroom
March 22nd, 2008
MILACA, MN - Mille Lacs County Undersheriff Alan Marxhausen temporarily misplaced a loaded firearm in a public rest room. The gun was turned in to Milaca Police Chief Mike Mott and later returned to Marxhausen.
On Tuesday, Jan. 29, shortly after noon, Marxhausen reported that his gun was stolen from the bathroom at Milaca Unclaimed Freight earlier that day, according to the incident report from the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office.
The report says Marxhausen went into the store at about 8:30 a.m. While in the restroom, Marxhausen removed his firearm, a 40 caliber Glock 22, which was still in the holster, and placed it on the back of the toilet tank. When he left the rest room, he inadvertently left the gun behind.
About a half hour later he discovered he was missing his gun and returned to Milaca Unclaimed Freight to find it was no longer in the rest room. Marxhausen questioned store employees and reviewed store surveillance videos. The gun was then reported stolen.
Read MoreDumbass Former Hastings Minnesota Police Officer Sgt. Valerie Scharfe, Charged With Filing False Reports And Writing Bogus Warning Tickets, Blames Impaired Vision
March 21st, 2008
HASTINGS, MINNESOTA - A former Hastings police officer who allegedly forged traffic warning tickets blamed the problem on her impaired vision.
Valerie Scharfe said Thursday that her stress medication likely caused her to transcribe the wrong information from driver’s licenses.
The 38-year-old Hastings woman was charged Tuesday in Dakota County in the drafting of 37 false warning tickets. Thirteen of the tickets were connected to names not found in Department of Motor Vehicles records, and more than half of those cited on tickets said they were not driving in Hastings or denied being pulled over by Scharfe.
Scharfe will fight the charges and will sue the Police Department and city for alleged harassment over many years, her attorney said. Scharfe was the first female officer hired by the department.
Hastings Police Chief Mike McMenomy would not comment on the harassment allegations.
Read MoreVideo Catches Minneapolis Minnesota Police Officers Intimidating, Assaulting, And Harassing Deli Owner Who Told Them To Stay Out Of His Parking Lot - Our Tax Dollars At Work
March 21st, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - The argument between two Minneapolis police officers and a well-known business owner was supposedly quite a shouting match, and it was all captured on videotape.
So how did a debate over parking spots become heated?
Easter is the busiest season at Kramarczuk’s Deli. The store is packed inside and outside.
The store has an employee devoted to supervising the parking lot.
Orest Kramarczuk showed WCCO-TV his security video that he said captured the confrontation he had with Minneapolis police after he asked them not to park two squads in his store lot.
“See he came up to my face,” said Kramarczuk.
Kramarczuk said at one point one officer butted his chest up against him.
“And he said, ‘If you touch me, you’re going down.’ And I said ‘going down for what?’” said Kramarczuk.
Read MoreDumbass Former Veteran Hastings Minnesota Police Officer Sgt. Valerie Scharfe Charged With Filing False Reports And Bogus Warning Tickets To Meet Department Quota
March 20th, 2008
HASTINGS, MINNESOTA - A former Hastings police officer was charged with misconduct Wednesday, after she allegedly filed false reports and issued warning tickets to people who didn’t exist.
Sgt. Valerie Scharfe allegedly filed 37 false tickets between January 2006 and December 2008, so she wouldn’t be in violation of the department’s policy, according to officials.
The Hastings Police Department requires officers to make at least two traffic stops per 11-hour shift.
Thirteen of the false tickets were issued to people who do not exist, according to the criminal complaint.
Of the remaining 24 tickets, 22 were issued to people who are in the Department of Motor Vehicles’ records.
Investigators contacted the people who were ticketed and all of them denied even driving in Hastings on the dates Scharfe recorded.
“She made some poor choices and it discredits the 14 years of good service she has done,” said Hastings Police Chief Mike McMenomy.
Read MoreNTSB Won’t Hold Open Public Meeting After Minnesota I-35W Bridge Collapse - Our Tax Dollars At Work
March 18th, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC - A member of the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that the public deserves reassurance that the federal investigation into the I-35W bridge collapse is above politics.
“There’s been so much controversy over this accident,” NTSB Board Member Kathryn O’Leary Higgins said in an interview. “One way to address it is to have a public hearing.”
But Higgins and fellow board member Deborah A.P. Hersman lost their bid Monday to conduct an open meeting of the NTSB board and staff before the bridge investigation is complete. At such a meeting, board members could air what’s known to date and take public testimony.
Three of the five board members, including Chairman Mark Rosenker, voted not to hold an interim hearing after NTSB field investigators said it could slow their progress.
The development angered Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
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