An Inver Grove Heights man flying a homemade experimental aircraft had to make an emergency landing Friday morning in Wisconsin, according to the Pierce County sheriff’s office.
Steven Hulse’s homemade experimental “Sonax” aircraft is seen in the grass after a crash landing Friday, July 29, 2022, on Wisconsin 35. (Courtesy of the Pierce County sheriff’s office)
Officials said Steven Hulse, 69, lost engine power and made the emergency landing shortly before 7 a.m. on Wisconsin 35 and County Road E in Oak Grove Township.
During the crash landing, the airplane struck multiple road signs, skidded across the highway and came to rest in the west ditch. Hulse was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul. The sheriff’s office did not provide further information about his condition.
The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Prescott Fire Department and Allina Medical Services assisted on the scene.
YMCA of the North said Thursday it plans to shutter its temporary West St. Paul branch in October, but remains committed to finding ways to build a permanent one in the area.
Mike Lavin, YMCA of the North vice president of operations, said Thursday its three-year lease for the 15,000-square-foot space at Southridge Center will end in November. The Y’s site will close Oct. 28.
“The operational model that is currently in this leased space no longer is conducive to providing the best resources for us to serve the community in this capacity,” Lavin said.
The old West St. Paul branch was heavily-used for five nearly decades — it had as many as 7,000 members in 2019 — and included a rare and sought after 50-meter outdoor pool. A vocal group of members tried to convince the nonprofit to reconsider shutting it down.
But even before the sale was complete, Y officials said a study showed the building along Thompson Avenue just east of South Robert Street was outdated and not big enough to serve the community’s long-term needs. They vowed to look for ways to develop a “new state-of-the-art YMCA that better serves the community” in either West St. Paul or the surrounding northern Dakota County area.
Y officials told West St. Paul branch members Thursday in an email they tried to make it happen, but could not find a partner.
“Our Y had hoped through our extensive efforts to identify a partner by this time to build a new Y in West St. Paul,” said Glen Gunderson, president of YMCA of the North. “We have had discussions with the school district, Dodge Nature Center and various municipalities that have not yet come to fruition. We continue to meet with city leaders in West St. Paul on potential opportunities.”
Opportunities explored were hampered by the coronavirus pandemic, Y officials said.
The YMCA will continue to have discussions with potential partners to build a permanent home in the area, Lavin said.
In the meantime, he said, the YMCA will look for new ways to put its resources in the community, in addition to continuing to provide services that include lifeguards and staff at West St. Paul’s city-owned pool, youth summer programs and free drop-in child care support at Dakota County’s Northern Service Center.
“As sad as this day is for our membership model that has been present in this community for many years, this breathes new opportunity for the YMCA to show up in places where people haven’t been able to get to our services,” he said.
Membership at the West St. Paul branch has dwindled to around 750, according to Lavin, who attributes the big drop to the pandemic.
The YMCA said in its email to members it will help them “transition” to other Y locations starting Thursday. Y members can go to any location in Minnesota; the closest one to the temporary site is about five miles away in Eagan.
All West St. Paul YMCA employees will be offered roles in other locations, the nonprofit said.
Meanwhile, Hy-Vee officials in April said it has scrapped plans to build stores in West St. Paul and four other metro-area cities, saying the sites do not fit into a new company strategy that centers around building larger stores and putting more distance between future locations.
As a result, the West Des Moines, Iowa-based grocery store chain said its land in West St. Paul, Farmington, Blaine, Maple Grove and Chaska will go up for sale. Hy-Vee did not give a timetable for selling them.
The passenger of a pickup truck was killed Friday afternoon when the vehicle she was in drifted off the road on Minnesota 62 in Mendota Heights.
The crash happened about 2:45 p.m. near Dodd Road. The 2023 Ford Ranger, driven by Epifanio Armenta Zuluaga, 70, of Inver Grove Heights, was traveling eastbound when it drifted into a ditch, hit a tree and rolled, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Margarita Cruz Garcia, 66, was killed in the crash and Zuluaga had injuries that were not life-threatening. Both were wearing seatbelts and alcohol was not a factor in the crash, the State Patrol said.
A St. Paul man convicted of burglarizing auto dealerships and repair shops went back to his old ways after being released from custody in May and into supervised probation, according to new charges filed in two counties.
Adam William Klemmer (Courtesy of Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)
Adam William Klemmer, who has 24 felony convictions since 2016, faces several more burglary and theft charges after allegedly striking four businesses from late June to late July in Ramsey and Dakota counties. Authorities say additional charges are pending against the 26-year-old after he was identified burglarizing an auto dealership and a church in Maplewood on July 4.
Klemmer’s latest alleged crime spree came to an end on July 29, about three hours after charges say he was seen on surveillance video breaking into the Maplewood Midas at 1415 White Bear Ave., stealing money from a register and trying to start three cars with a key or tool.
Officers spotted Klemmer walking on English Street at state Highway 36, several miles northwest of the business. Klemmer, who had at least two warrants for his arrest at the time, “aggressively” resisted arrest but was taken into custody, according to the criminal complaint filed last week in Ramsey County charging him with second-degree burglary, third-degree burglary, motor vehicle theft, first-degree damage to property, theft and attempted theft.
Klemmer, who declined to give a statement to an investigator, is being held at the Ramsey County jail. He has a second court hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Two days before the Midas burglary, Klemmer was caught on video breaking into Caliber Collision at 1190 University Ave. in St. Paul just before 9 p.m., the complaint alleges. He got into a Hyundai Tucson SUV, rammed a front gate until it opened and drove away in a 2018 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck he stole.
Dakota County prosecutors charged Klemmer with motor-vehicle theft and third-degree burglary on July 8. Video surveillance footage shows him breaking into a car dealership in Inver Grove Heights around 2:30 a.m. June 23, grabbing keys to three cars and making off with one of them, according to the complaint. The car was found ditched in St. Louis Park the next day.
Video surveillance footage also shows him breaking into MC Auto at 1202 Dale St. in St. Paul just after midnight July 21 and stealing an Android tablet and a 2012 Chevrolet Captiva, according to a July 28 complaint charging him with motor-vehicle theft and third-degree burglary.
Klemmer’s 24 previous felony convictions are for burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, theft and receiving stolen property. Seven of them came after a 19-count complaint was filed a year ago alleging Klemmer committed a series of burglaries and auto thefts throughout Ramsey County during an eight-hour stretch in July. Four of the seven burglarized businesses were in Maplewood — Audi St. Paul, Schmeltz Countryside Volkswagen, Eurowerks and AAMCO — while two were in St. Paul and one in North St. Paul.
Klemmer entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors this past March; 11 charges were dismissed at sentencing.
Klemmer was sentenced May 10 by Judge Paul Yang, who stayed a five-year prison sentence and gave him five years of probation. He was also ordered to serve 309 days in the county workhouse — with credit for 309 days already spent in custody — and to pay a restitution to several of the businesses.
Several cities and school boards in Dakota County will see new leadership as numerous races lack an incumbent.
Here’s who’s left running for office after the Aug. 9 primary for the larger cities that had them and the Aug. 16 candidate filing deadline for the remaining municipalities and school boards:
APPLE VALLEY
In Apple Valley, Mayor Clint Hooppaw is being challenged by Frederic Contino.
There are three candidates for two city council seats: Ben Baglio and incumbents John Bergman and Tom Melander.
BURNSVILLE
Burnsville city council members Dan Kealey and Vince Workman face Chris John and Kriystauhl Fitchett after three other challengers were knocked out in the primary. Voters will elect two in November.
There are four candidates for four Burnsville-Eagan-Savage school board seats: Safio Mursal and incumbents Abigail Alt, Lesley Chester and Scott Hume.
CANNON FALLS
Incumbents Bill Thompson and Luke Winchell are running for two of three Cannon Falls school board seats against Matt Belford, Lori Ann Clark, Pamela J. Collins, Christopher Dobson, Amber Garrett, Mark Lund and Clinton Sjoquist.
Running in the special election are Peggy Decker, Mario Pranke and JoLyn Williams.
EAGAN
Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire has no competition for his job.
For city council, incumbents Paul Bakken and Gary Hansen face challenges from Edward Arias and Margaret Jae Cody.
FARMINGTON
Holly Bernatz and incumbent Nick Lien are the only candidates for two city council positions.
There are no incumbents among eight candidates for three Farmington school board seats: David Barr, Becky DeWilde, Joe Fritz, Melissa Gorman, Kelsey Jezierski, Maggie Storlie, Steven Tschetter and Sue Tullar.
HASTINGS
Mayor Mary Fasbender is running uncontested.
The incumbent-free race for two city council seats was pared from seven candidates to four in this month’s primary. On the Nov. 8 ballot will be Angie Haus, Tom Wright, Ian T. Martin and Dave Pemble.
Running in a special election for a three-year Hastings school board term are Todd Kullmann, Pamela Onnen and Mark Zuzek.
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS
With Tom Bartholomew leaving after a single two-year term, the race for Inver Grove Heights mayor is between two city council members whose terms are up, Brenda Dietrich and Rosemary Piekarski Krech.
That leaves no incumbents for the two open council seats. Advancing from a nine-person primary election are Jennifer Beck-Brown, Kathy Fischer, Tony Scales and Mary T’Kach.
LAKEVILLE
City councilor Luke Hellier is lone candidate for mayor, a job now held by Doug Anderson.
With two city council seats on the ballot, incumbents Joshua Lee and Michelle Volk are being challenged by Richard Henderson, Abdi Abdulle and Sham Shaaban Abdel Khalek.
Lakeville voters will pick four school board members. Running are Carly Anderson, Kim Baker, Marilee Jager, Andy Lundblad, Bree Schindele, Brian Thompson and incumbent Kathy Lewis.
LILYDALE
City councilor John Diehl is running for mayor against Steve Grego as Warren Peterson steps aside.
Mary Kleinberg and incumbent Deborah Cornell are the lone candidates for two council seats.
MENDOTA
In tiny Mendota, only incumbents are running: Mayor Brian Mielke and councilmembers Clark Donnelly and Melody Rasmussen.
MENDOTA HEIGHTS
In Mendota Heights, Mayor Stephanie Levine is being challenged by John Maczko.
John Mazzitello is the lone incumbent in the race for two city council seats; he’s running against Sally Lorberbaum and Jeff Nath.
ROSEMOUNT
City councilor Jeff Weisensel is running for Rosemount mayor against Jason Moore as Bill Droste steps aside.
Tammy Block and Paul Essler are the only candidates for two council seats.
SOUTH ST. PAUL
With three city council seats up for grabs in South St. Paul, the primary election cut the eight-person field to six. Advancing are incumbents Tom Seaberg and Joe Kaliszewski, along with Matthew Thompson, Ugbad Abdilahi, Raymond Aaron Jr. and Joe Gullerud.
Bill Arend is the lone incumbent on a long list of candidates running for four school board seats. The others are Bernie Beermann, Colinda Blackbird, Anne Claflin, Brian Couihan, Fred Everson, Tim Felton, Deborah Franzen, Kim Humann, Gage Kemp, Hugh Kenety, Jean Lubke, Michael Mathews, Jeff McClellan, Erica F.J. Petersen, Ted Pieper, Thomas Rongitsch, Nicole Scheiber, Peter Skwira, Ashley Wickenhauser-Greif, John Wilcox and Wendy Woods Felton.
SUNFISH LAKE
Mayor Dan O’Leary is running unopposed.
Ginny Beckett and Mike Hovey are looking to defend their city council seats from challenger Shannon Nelson.
VERMILLION
Mayor Brian Mann is unopposed.
Incumbent Joe Munson and newcomer Ross Brockman are the lone candidates for two city council seats.
WEST ST. PAUL
Mayor Dave Napier is unopposed.
Pam Armon faces Kimetha KaeJae Johnson for a Ward 1 city council seat.
Incumbent John Justen is unopposed in Ward 2.
Ward 3 has incumbent Wendy Berry facing Jake Nelson.
Correction: An earlier version of this article had inaccurate information about Mendota candidates because of missing data on the Secretary of State website.
The state patrol has identified two people killed in a motorcycle crash in Newport that shut down Highway 61 for several hours Friday night as an Inver Grove Heights pair.
Brandon Mitchell Mckeon, 41, was driving a 2007 Harley Davidson FLTR, which crashed about 6:23 p.m. while he was trying to negotiate the Highway 61 ramp to I-494.
He and his passenger, Kecia Lynn Mckeon, 41, both died at the scene.
They were not wearing helmets, according to the state patrol report.
Authorities say that three people were arrested and booked on suspicion of murder after investigators responding to a 911 call early Saturday morning in Inver Grove Heights found a man dead inside the home.
According to a press release, shortly after 2 a.m. police went to the 2100 block of 78th Court East after someone called 911 and hung up. When they arrived they found a man on the floor who was unresponsive and later determined to be deceased.
Officers responding to the 911 call stopped a vehicle leaving the area with three adults who were detained, questioned and then booked on suspicion of murder.
Authorities say the following people were booked at the Dakota County Jail:
• Logan David Slack, 25, of Minneapolis, is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary.
• Fotini Anest West, 25, of Minneapolis, is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary.
• Sean Richard Lumley, 30, of Monticello was booked on suspicion of aiding and abetting murder in the first degree and then released.
Police say the death was not a random incident and that there is no danger to the public.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office will release the victim’s name and cause of death at a later date.
Investigators ask anyone with information about this crime to leave a message on the police tip line at 651-450-2530.
Authorities on Monday released additional details about the homicide victim found in an Inver Grove Heights home over the weekend, saying he was a 43-year-old man who was shot in the torso.
Michael Chang-Beom Lee died of a single gunshot wound early Saturday at 2133 78th Court E., the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office said. He was pronounced dead at 2:27 a.m.
Three people have been arrested in connection with Lee’s killing, which was not a random act, according to Inver Grove Heights police. They had not been charged as of Monday.
Police said Saturday in a statement that officers went to the home just after 2 a.m., after someone called 911 and hung up. When they arrived they found a man on the floor who was unresponsive and later pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers responding to the 911 call stopped a vehicle leaving the area with three adults who were detained, questioned and then booked on suspicion of murder.
Logan David Slack and Fotini Anest West, both 25 and of Minneapolis, are being held at the Dakota County jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary.
Sean Richard Lumley, 30, of Monticello was booked on suspicion of aiding and abetting first-degree murder and then released from custody, police said.
The gunman in Saturday’s killing of an Inver Grove Heights man told police he shot the 43-year-old after he refused to pay for an erotic massage a woman gave him at his home, according to charges.
Dakota County prosecutors on Tuesday charged alleged shooter Logan David Slack and Fotini Anest West with two counts of second-degree murder in the killing of Michael Chang-Beom Lee. An autopsy showed he died of a gunshot wound to his torso.
Logan David Slack and Fotini Anest West (Courtesy of the Dakota County sheriff’s office)
Slack and West, who are both 25 and from Minneapolis, made first appearances in Dakota County District Court on Tuesday and remain jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.
According to the criminal complaints:
Officers were dispatched to a home in the area of 78th Court East and Barbara Avenue just after 2 a.m. on an “open line” 911 call in which the dispatcher could hear a male yelling “help me” and “they are trying to get into my house.”
The dispatcher later aired that the male had gone silent and that it sounded as if the phone was outside in the wind. The dispatcher then discovered the phone was pinging west of Barbara Avenue.
The first officers on scene saw glass of a back door had been shattered and went inside, where they saw bloody footprints on the carpet. Lee was found dead in the basement bathroom.
Two people told police they saw a dark-colored, older SUV leave a cul-de-sac near Lee’s home just before officers arrived on scene.
An officer aired the description of the SUV and soon another officer saw an older, black Toyota SUV at the intersection of 80th Street and Barbara Avenue. The officer stopped the SUV, which was occupied by West, Slack and another man.
West had cuts on her arms and blood on her hands and chest. When asked what happened, West said she went to a man’s house and that he assaulted her when she tried to leave. She said she called Slack and the next thing she remembered, he was carrying her out of the house.
Slack was taken to the Dakota County jail for an interview. He told investigators he had dropped West off at Lee’s house to give him an erotic massage in exchange for money. He said West left the house and told him Lee assaulted her and said he wouldn’t pay her.
Slack said he grabbed a revolver from the SUV, broke the glass of the back door with the butt of his gun and went inside with West. Lee went to the basement bathroom and locked the door. Slack and West ran after him.
Slack said he made a large hole in the bathroom door, and that Lee called 911 during the confrontation. He said when Lee tried to grab him through the hole, he raised his revolver and pulled the trigger. He said the revolver was set on an empty chamber, so he pulled the trigger a second time, shooting Lee in the back.
Slack said he shot Lee to stop him from calling 911 and so he could get his phone to ensure electronic payment for the massage. He said he took Lee’s phone and he and West fled.
During a search of the SUV, officers found the revolver under the driver’s seat and Lee’s phone under the front passenger seat.
The Dakota County attorney’s office said Tuesday that the man in Slack’s SUV is not being charged in connection with Lee’s killing.
Minnesota court records show that neither Slack nor West have had a criminal conviction, other than misdemeanor traffic violations.
What qualifies you to hold this position? I am a current, first term City Council member, Owner of Hardline Concrete & Masonry, a family owned business in our community. Past Chairman of the board for River Heights Chamber of Commerce, delegate for the Chamber at the state & federal level and mentor to students in District #197. I have completed both the Police & Fire Citizens Academy.
What would your top priorities be if elected? 1. Continue to work on relationship building between residents, business partners and city staff. 2. Bring more commerce into our city to increase the tax base 3. Sustainable practices/funding of infrastructure & Public Safety.
To this end, I have had my hand in the hiring of 4 key department heads, including a new City Administrator.
What do you think is the primary role of government? To meet residents basic needs first by way of Public Safety, a sustainable plan for good quality roads & infrastructure and safe water to drink. Government needs to be held accountable for how residents monies are spent to better the community. I have also taken part in a Pavement Management Citizens Task Force this last year.
Website or contact: brendadietrich4mayor@gmail.com
Rosemary Piekarski Krech
Age: 72
Rosemary Piekarski Krech (Courtesy of the candidate)
What qualifies you to hold this position? I believe my work and life experiences are exactly what qualify me to represent our diverse and evolving community. As a life-long learner, former mayor and current council member, I have developed a balanced approach of process and people oriented problem solving skills. I believe in operating by consensus so all opinions are heard.
What would your top priorities be if elected? Balancing the needs versus wants of a growing community without burdening the taxpayers and maintaining fiscal solvency.
Our environment- protecting our water and land resources
The residents of our city- without a strong and engaged community a city cannot thrive.
What do you think is the primary role of government? The primary role of city government is health and safety. Drinkable water, sanitary sewer, plowed roads, fire and police protection- these are the things we are mandated to provide.
Website or contact: Elect Piekarski Krech on Facebook
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL
Jennifer Beck-Brown
Candidate information not available.
Kathy Fischer
Candidate information not available.
Tony Scales
Age: 55
Tony Scales (Courtesy of the candidate)
What qualifies you to hold this position? With 14 years on the Planning Commission and being a lifelong resident has given me a unique insight on how to help the city to better work with its residents. In my career, I’ve worked with major corporations to help grow and lead large facility operations by providing efficient and cost-effective solutions which I will bring to the City Council.
What would your top priorities be if elected? Strong support for police and fire. Fiscal responsibility ensures public safety, existing and new infrastructure is properly funded while not spending city funds on items that do not add value to the residents. A balanced approach to housing and commercial development. By working together we can build a strong community that benefits everyone.
What do you think is the primary role of government? The primary role of city government is to provide services to its citizens that support resident’s needs with public safety, parks and recreation, and public works to include good quality roads and infrastructure. This is done by being fiscally responsible while prioritizing items that add value to the residents.
What qualifies you to hold this position? My work experience in government, corporations, & nonprofits allows me to view problems and look for opportunities from diverse perspectives. I will use the skills I’ve gained in finance, community collaboration, HR, planning, project management, communication and common sense in my decision-making. I’ve actively participated in IGH for many years.
What would your top priorities be if elected? *Public safety programs that build community trust & respect and reduce crime
* Environmental awareness in city decisions
* Budget discipline & waste reduction
* Improve city communication with the community
* Housing choices to meet the changing needs of seniors & other residents
* Start the co-creation of a city vision by & for our community
What do you think is the primary role of government? Government’s role: serve the public interest, provide public safety, sound infrastructure, enact laws that provide for a well-functioning civil society such as speed limits, protect the environment and public health, offer a safety net for those in need, provide accessible public education, and be responsible and effective with public tax dollars.
A new landfill gas recovery project in Inver Grove Heights is expected to produce the equivalent of 6.3 million gallons of gasoline per year of low-carbon renewable natural gas.
A view of the new renewable natural gas facility at the Pine Bend Landfill near Inver Grove Heights on Oct. 25, 2022. (Courtesy of Opal Fuels)
The facility opened Tuesday and is headlined by OPAL Fuels, NextEra Energy Marketing and Republic Services. The group says it’s the first landfill renewable natural gas production facility of its type in Minnesota.
The new facility captures naturally occurring biogas, made up in part by methane, from Republic’s Pine Bend Landfill and transforms it into renewable natural gas (RNG), according to an OPAL Fuels release. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas.
“This facility is consistent with our belief that a substantial reduction of carbon emissions in the electricity, industrial and transportation sectors is possible, which represents a significant investment opportunity in the coming decades,” said Rebecca Kujawa, president and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy Resources.
The facility is replacing a landfill gas-to-energy facility at the site. Its renewable natural gas will be injected into Xcel Energy’s pre-existing gas pipeline instead, making it available as a transportation fuel. When used as a transportation fuel rather than diesel, RNG can reduce carbon emissions dramatically, according to OPAL.
Xcel has been partnering on similar projects since 2019, when Englewood and Littleton, Colorado, began pumping RNG from wastewater treatments facilities into the company’s natural gas system.
Matt Healy, area president for Republic Services, speaks at a ribbon cutting Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, for a new renewable natural gas facility at the company’s Pine Bend Landfill near Inver Grove Heights. (Courtesy of Opal Fuels)
Republic Services says it has entered a joint venture with Archaea Energy to develop 39 landfill RNG projects across 19 states, including the Pine Bend project in Minnesota.
“By utilizing a natural renewable byproduct of the landfill, we can produce a low-carbon transportation fuel that helps Minnesota and our local community achieve their climate action goals,” said Matt Healy, Republic Services Midwest Area president.
A former Inver Grove Heights city administrator has been sentenced to six months of probation and given a shot at a clean record in connection with an office incident with a city clerk in 2018.
Joseph Patrick Lynch (Courtesy of Dakota County sheriff’s office)
Joseph Patrick Lynch, 62, of St. Paul, was charged last year in Dakota County District Court with one count each of misdemeanor fifth-degree assault and misdemeanor disorderly conduct after Savage police investigated allegations levied by former City Clerk Michelle Clasen.
At a hearing Monday, Judge Dannia Edwards accepted Lynch’s Alford plea to the disorderly conduct charge, which means he maintained his innocence while acknowledging the state likely had enough evidence to convict him at a trial.
Edwards then sentenced Lynch to a stay of adjudication, meaning if he successfully completes probation, the charge will be dismissed. The judge dismissed the assault charge Monday.
Lynch’s attorney Paul Engh said Friday in an emailed comment that his client “maintains his innocence. … In six months, his case will be dismissed,” declining further comment.
Clasen, whose last name at the time of the incident was Tesser, left her job of four years in July 2019, after reaching a separation agreement with the city. She now works as a healthcare recruitment consultant, and on Nov. 8 won a seat on the Washington County board — representing Woodbury — after receiving 52 percent of the vote.
Clasen had brought other allegations against Lynch previously. In August 2018, she filed a discrimination complaint against him, and four months later he was suspended for three days without pay for his behavior in incidents not related to the last year’s criminal case. A law firm hired by the city found that he insulted her on April 5, 2018, and made an offensive comment about her dress on July 9, 2018, shortly before a council meeting.
Lynch and the city mutually parted ways on Feb. 28, 2021, after reaching a separation agreement. He had been in charge of leading the city since 2006.
What the charges say
According to the criminal complaint, Clasen told a police investigator that she was assaulted by Lynch, who was her boss, in her office on July 20, 2018.
Clasen, who is identified in the complaint by her initials, “M.R.C.,” said she had been exchanging emails with Lynch about her workload before he came into her office, yelled at her about getting her work done and slammed the door behind him, which startled her. She said that Lynch then walked quickly toward her while yelling and screaming, which “scared” her and caused her to back away and run toward the office door. She said Lynch was right behind her when she came around her desk and that she felt he was going to hit her.
“M.R.C. stated that she then opened up the door and had her back against the wall while Mr. Lynch stood directly in front of her with his chest out and his fist clenched,” the complaint read. “M.R.C. stated that she felt pinned against the wall by Mr. Lynch’s body.”
She told the investigator that she was shaking and asked Lynch what he was doing, and that he then left the office. She said her knees “gave out” and that she then went into a co-worker’s office.
In an interview with the investigator, the co-worker said that Clasen “frantically” entered her office and was shaking “uncontrollably.” She said Clasen slumped down and hid behind an office door. When the co-worker asked what had happened, Clasen said Lynch had “come at her,” according to the complaint.
The co-worker stated that Clasen “appeared traumatized after the incident.” The co-worker also “believed M.R.C. felt physically threatened,” the complaint read.
Two other co-workers told the investigator they saw Clasen crying and shaking afterward and that Clasen was afraid and concerned for her safety, according to the complaint.
The city paid Clasen a sum of $89,600 for “non wages” under her separation agreement, with terms that included she “releases and forever discharges” the city, its employees and elected officials and others involved from any and all claims, demands and lawsuits related to her employment. At the time, her annual salary was just over $96,000.
Meanwhile, the city council on a 4-1 vote gave Lynch six months of pay through his separation agreement with the city; his 2020 salary was nearly $163,000.
Clasen’s reaction
In a statement in reaction to the sentencing, Clasen said, in part: “The Alford plea speaks for itself and so does my victim impact statement.”
As she embarks on her new political role, Clasen also said her experiences would make her “a vocal advocate for victims of sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace.”
Eleven eagles are believed to have been poisoned from eating euthanized animals found in a landfill in Inver Grove Heights, according to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center.
“This heartbreaking incident is yet another example of how critical it is for humans to be mindful of what we are putting into the environment. We are all connected, and sometimes our actions can have unintended and devastating consequences,” the center on the U’s St. Paul campus said on its Facebook page and gave the following details of the poisonings this week.
On Sunday, an Inver Grove Heights police officer brought in a sick juvenile bald eagle that had been found in the snow near the Pine Bend Landfill, which is located less than two miles from the Mississippi River.
The center’s medical director determined the bird was suffering from poisoning by the same agent, pentobarbital, used in euthanasia solutions. Eagles can get secondary poisoning if they scavenge the carcass of an animal that was chemically euthanized.
The next day, Monday, the center receive a report of another ill bird found near the landfill. When volunteers from the Raptor Center went out to rescue it, they found nine birds that were sick. And then the following day, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found an 11th bird.
Raptor Center officials then confirmed that carcasses of animals that had been chemically euthanized were brought to the 255-acre landfill on Friday, Dec. 2. It wasn’t clear what type of animals were involved.
Of the 11 poisoned eagles, three were also suffering from severe lead poisoning, a common affliction in birds of prey, and one was also infected with the avian flu. That bird has died.
The remaining 10 birds are in intensive care.
The incident is under investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Inver Grove Heights police say two robbers restrained two bank employees with zip ties and fled with cash Thursday.
The robbery happened at Vermillion State Bank just before 11 a.m. No one was injured.
The suspects pulled up to the bank at 2975 80th St. E. in a gray or silver Buick LeSabre with the license plates covered and entered wearing hoodies and masks partially covering their faces, according to police.
Police are asking anyone with information about the heist to call its crime tip line at 651-450-2530.
A month after 11 bald eagles were found sick from suspected poisoning in Inver Grove Heights, officials are starting to release the rehabilitated birds back to the wild.
Officials from the University of Minnesota Raptor Center on Friday released six of the eagles at the Carpenter Nature Center near Afton. A seventh eagle was released last week at the nature center on the St. Croix River.
Raptor Center officials have been caring for the eagles since they were brought to the center in early December with suspected poisoning from the same agent, pentobarbital, used in euthanasia solutions. Eagles can get secondary poisoning if they scavenge the carcass of an animal that was chemically euthanized.
Of the 11 poisoned eagles, three also were suffering from severe lead poisoning, a common affliction in birds of prey. Those three are still being treated, but doctors are optimistic on their prognosis, said Jennifer Vieth, Carpenter’s executive director.
One of the eagles, which also was infected with the avian flu, has died, she said.
A 44-year-old Eagan man has been arrested and charged in last month’s Inver Grove Heights bank robbery in which two suspects restrained two employees with zip ties.
Deundrick Damon McIntosh (Courtesy of Dakota County Sheriff’s Office)
Deundrick Damon McIntosh was charged Friday with first-degree aggravated robbery and two counts of kidnapping in connection with the Dec. 22 robbery at Vermillion State Bank. He was arrested Wednesday.
Officers were called to the bank at 2975 80th St. E. around 11 a.m. and discovered that two employees had been restrained with zip ties by two robbers. One of the employees was bruised and scratched from the zip ties and from being moved around “roughly,” the criminal complaint read.
The robbers made off with $78,265 in cash, including “bait bills,” and more money in coins.
Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said Friday she extends her “best wishes to the victims as they work towards recovering and healing from this very traumatic experience.”
Authorities are working on locating and apprehending the second suspect, she said.
Police had released bank photos of the suspects to the public and asked for help in identifying them. The photos show them outside the bank in a gray or silver Buick LeSabre with covered license plates, and wearing hoodies and masks partially covering their faces.
Police identified and located the sedan and found coins, masks and a black bag that had been described by the bank employees, the complaint said. The car was traced back to someone who told police that McIntosh was one of the suspects.
Police were told that, on the day of the robbery, McIntosh was wearing clothes that matched those worn by one of the suspects and he had a backpack full of cash and loose change. He also spent “unusual sums of money” in the following days, police were told.
When McIntosh was arrested, he was carrying large amounts of $20 bills, including one of the “bait bills.” A search of his residence turned up other large sums of money, the complaint said.
Court records show McIntosh was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm in 2015 and of first-degree burglary and violating a domestic abuse no-contact order in 2018.
A list of missing people from the east metro ranges from cases less than two years old to more than 50 years old.
The Minnesota Missing and Unidentified Persons Clearinghouse is based on information from local law enforcement. Authorities ask anyone with tips to call the investigating agency or the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at 877-996-6222.
Long-term missing-person cases from Ramsey, Dakota and Washington counties include:
Kayode Awode, Inver Grove Heights
Kayode Awode
Inver Grove Heights police asked for the public’s help in May 2021 to find Awode, of Inver Grove Heights, who was then 28. He was last seen on April 28, 2021, at the Dar Al Farooq Center in Bloomington.
Awode’s vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Richfield on May 1, 2021, though it’s not known if he was the driver, according to a missing-persons bulletin from the time. His vehicle was found, police said recently. Awode had no phone, identification or money with him. He has ties to the Moorhead, Minn., area.
Haley Aymar, Mounds View
Aymar was last heard from Dec. 3, 2015, when she was 24. Her mother reported her missing at the time. Mounds View police have asked anyone with information to come forward.
Toni Bachman, White Bear Township
Holding a photo of his sister Toni Bachman, Tim Reineccius speaks following the sentencing of her husband, Norman Bachman, for her 1997 murder and dismemberment. Tim Reineccius is joined by his brothers, Jody, left, and Greg Reineccius, right. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)
Bachman disappeared from her White Bear Township home in 1997. Her husband admitted in 2015 that he killed and dismembered her, and he was sentenced to prison. But the 37-year-old Bachman’s body hasn’t been found.
Cindy Brown (also spelled Cindi), Roseville
Brown, 22, was living with Patrick Thomas Walsh in Roseville when she disappeared in 1980. When Roseville police investigated at the time, they learned Brown had told her supervisor at a Kmart store that she was leaving town and police thought she’d left of her own free will.
Walsh was arrested in the 1991 killing of 35-year-old Pamela Sue Sweeney, who was his co-worker, which led police to look at Brown’s case as a possible homicide, according to news articles from the time. Brown remains missing. Walsh is still in prison for Sweeney’s killing.
Feiner was 29 when she was last seen May 9, 1992, outside of Chuck’s Bar on St. Paul’s Payne Avenue. Witnesses saw her talking with a man who she’d been dancing with in the bar.
Feiner was from Oakdale, and Oakdale police said in 2002 that her case was being investigated as a homicide.
Roseanna Forcum and April Geyer, St. Paul
Roseanna Forcum, 15, left, and April Geyer, 21, were last seen in August 1998 at a party in St. Paul. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension)
Forcum was from St. Cloud and her family last had contact with her Aug. 10, 1998. Geyer’s family in Mille Lacs County reported her disappearance Aug. 14, 1998.
Todd Hanson, South St. Paul
Hanson, then 25, and his friend, Chad Birkeland, went missing from South St. Paul on May 2, 1993. Birkeland’s body was found in the Mississippi River near Hastings on May 13, 1993. Hanson remains missing and the case is under investigation by the Washington County sheriff’s office.
Hanson’s sister wrote in a 2022 letter to the public: “29 years ago today we started on a long, sad & bittersweet journey that I would never wish on anyone.” She asked anyone with information to come forward and wrote, “So many hearts have been hurting for so very long, we just want some closure.”
Bernard Hudalla, St. Paul
Hudalla was 21 when he left home in St. Paul without his wallet or car on March 3, 1983, and he hasn’t been heard from since. He may have been suicidal when he disappeared, according to a missing-persons bulletin.
Jermaine Hunter, Forest Lake
Forest Lake resident Jermaine Hunter, 39, has been missing since early April 2012. (Forest Lake Police Department)
Hunter’s family last heard from him in April 2012 when he was 39. He’d been living in Forest Lake with his girlfriend, but she told police they’d broken up and she hadn’t heard from him in weeks.
Soon after, a backpack containing documents with Hunter’s name on them was found in a trash bin in Lino Lakes. Hunter’s ex-girlfriend said she put it there because she was concerned about identity theft, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Kerze was 17 when he told his parents he needed to stay home sick from school on April 20, 1990. He left his Eagan home in his parents’ minivan and never returned. Although he sent his parents a suicide note, his body wasn’t found. Their vehicle was found about 20 miles north of Grand Rapids, Minn.
Koch left his Maplewood residence on June 27, 1989, when he was 60. He had planned to travel to the Bemidji area. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since. A 1996 article said authorities suspected he met foul play.
Hang Lee, St. Paul
Lee, 17, left her family’s apartment on Jan. 12, 1993, and went to a job interview at a man’s business. He said he dropped her off, but she was never seen again. Police have said the man, who is a convicted sex offender, is a person of interest in the case.
Michelle Meiser, St. Paul
Meiser was 22 when she went out the night of March 11, 1977, and never returned. The circumstances of her disappearance weren’t clear, a missing-persons bulletin said.
Eric Michael Peterson, Lakeville
Peterson’s family last saw him Jan. 19, 2010, when he was 24. His vehicle was found two days later in Bloomington near the Minnesota River and his valuables remained in the vehicle. Lakeville police are the investigating agency.
Harold Schroetter, Falcon Heights
Harold William Schroetter
Schroetter, of Falcon Heights, was supposed to meet with an attorney on Feb. 26, 2009, but never arrived. The 56-year-old was in the process of breaking up with his live-in girlfriend and was removing her from his will.
Schroetter worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 10 years and “never missed a day of work,” his son said.
Schroetter’s vehicle was found under suspicious circumstances in the area of Arlington Avenue and Jackson Street in St. Paul on March 1, 2009. Authorities discovered Schroetter’s blood in the trunk of his girlfriend’s car. They believe foul play was involved and Schroetter is deceased, but his body hasn’t been found, according to a missing-persons bulletin.
Philip Sherwood, White Bear Lake
Sherwood, then 69, was last seen in Stillwater on Feb. 1, 2019. The circumstances of his disappearance are unclear, a missing-persons bulletin said.
Susan Swedell, Lake Elmo
Swedell, 19, finished her shift at Kmart in Oak Park Heights on Jan. 19, 1988, and headed home to Lake Elmo. A gas-station attendant gave her permission to leave her overheated car at the station a mile from home. The clerk reported seeing Swedell get into another car with a man and she hasn’t been seen since.
William Squire Jr., Hastings
Squire left his Hastings residence the morning of Oct. 25, 1982, and it was the last time he was seen. The 27-year-old was driving a gray, two-door 1972 Pontiac Catalina.
Helen Ulvi, St. Paul
Ulvi was 59 when she left a halfway house after dinner. It was an unseasonably cold night on Oct. 21, 1978, and Ulvi departed without a coat, purse or personal belongings. She never returned home.
William Underhill, St. Paul/Minneapolis
A University of Minnesota student, Underhill was last known to be at a party on the U’s West Bank in March 1969. He wasn’t seen again. The 20-year-old lived in St. Paul.
An Eagan man has been convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for shooting a man over a disagreement about child care.
James Wilson (Courtesy of the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office)
James Wilson, 33, pleaded guilty in October to second-degree attempted murder in connection with the shooting, which happened in front of several children in Inver Grove Heights in October 2021.
Under a plea agreement, a first-degree assault charge was dismissed at Friday’s sentencing, as were two domestic assault charges relating to a separate case.
Wilson faced up to 207 months in prison for the shooting, based on his prior criminal history. Dakota County District Judge Dannia Edwards sentenced him to 147 months and 15 days. He will receive credit for 441 days already served in custody.
According to the criminal complaint, the shooting happened while Wilson was dropping off his children, whom he shares with their mother and the victim.
The mother said she and the victim were upset with Wilson. She told police Wilson had dropped off their children at the residence earlier that day when there were no adults home. He had returned to pick the children up later in the day.
Surveillance video from the residence shows Wilson exiting the passenger side of a vehicle parked on the street while the victim and his child walked on their driveway toward the road.
Wilson’s children walked behind him and entered his vehicle. Wilson walked closer to the man and pulled out a gun, causing the child to run away, charges say.
He pointed the gun at the victim and fired about six times from 20 feet away, the complaint states. The victim then tried to defend himself with bear spray, but he was too far away.
He was brought to the hospital with a shattered femur and needed metal rods to be permanently placed in his leg.
Wilson’s criminal record includes several drug-related convictions and one for domestic assault.
A Minneapolis man who told police he fatally shot a 43-year-old Inver Grove Heights man last year after he refused to pay for a woman’s erotic massage pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree intentional murder, according to court documents.
Logan David Slack, 25, entered the plea in Dakota County District Court in connection with the Sept. 24 fatal shooting of 43-year-old Michael Chang-Beom Lee at his home. As part of a plea agreement, Slack will be sentenced to 30½ years in prison, which falls at the top of the presumptive sentence. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 3.
Logan David Slack and Fotini Anest West (Courtesy of the Dakota County sheriff’s office)
Slack told police he shot Lee once in the back after he refused to pay for an erotic massage that Fotini Anest West had just given him, according to charges. Slack said he shot Lee to stop him from calling 911 and so he could get his phone to ensure electronic payment for the massage.
West, 25, of Minneapolis, was also charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Her case is pending in court, with a next hearing scheduled for Feb. 22.
A 25-year-old Minneapolis woman who gave an erotic massage to an Inver Grove Heights man, who then was fatally shot by her co-defendant after he refused to pay up, pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree intentional murder, according to court documents.
Logan David Slack and Fotini Anest West (Courtesy of Dakota County sheriff’s office)
The plea by Fotini Anest West came three days after the shooter — Logan David Slack — entered his guilty plea to the same charge in connection with the Sept. 24 killing of 43-year-old Michael Chang-Beom Lee at his home.
West entered a Norgaard plea, stating she could not remember the circumstances of the murder but that she reasonably believed the prosecution had sufficient evidence to obtain a conviction.
Slack, 25, of Minneapolis, told police he shot Lee once in the back after West told him that Lee assaulted her and wouldn’t pay for an erotic massage she had just given him, according to charges. Slack said he shot Lee to stop him from calling 911 and so he could get his phone to ensure electronic payment for the massage.
Slack and West both are scheduled to be sentenced May 3 in Dakota County District Court.
