Sheriff's deputy's wife appears in court in jail drug-theft case

Last update: July 23, 2008 - 1:46 AM

The wife of a Hennepin County sheriff's deputy charged with stealing drugs intended for treating jail inmates made her first court appearance Tuesday.

Sarah DeSpiegelaere, 36, identified herself with a quiet and wavering voice to Judge Peter Cahill before her lawyer requested another hearing. It was set for Sept. 9.

Charges are pending against her husband, Steve DeSpiegelaere, arrested last week in Dakota County. The couple live in Burnsville.

According to a search warrant, the investigation began last Tuesday when a jail supervisor was notified about suspicious activity involving the distribution of methadone, a painkiller that can also help treat addiction to heroin and morphine. After searching office records, the supervisor found discrepancies in DeSpiegelaere's distribution of medication.

Officers approached DeSpiegelaere as she left the jail in her car Tuesday and noticed her attempting to conceal something in the side compartment of the driver's door. A search netted seven prescription pills packaged with the name "Watson."

She was arrested at the scene and later released without bail to a medical center.

RODRIGO ZAMITH

Reward offered for information in St. Paul apartment fire

Fire officials announced Tuesday that they are offering up to $2,500 for information that lead to the arrest of those responsible for starting a fire that heavily damaged a St. Paul apartment building Friday.

Steve Zaccard, fire marshal for the St. Paul Fire Department, said the blaze that forced 11 families from an apartment on the 1600 block of Hamline Avenue was the work of an arsonist.

Everybody in the building was able to escape, but two residents jumped out of a second-story window and a third used bed sheets to slide to safety, Zaccard said.

Two residents were treated at Regions Hospital for minor injuries, but 11 families were left with no place to live. The building was deemed uninhabitable and will require $50,000 in repairs before residents can return.

Zaccard said the building was not required to have alarms or a sprinkler system because of its size and age.

Zaccard said authorities have not determined what the arsonist used to start the fire, but they have launched a criminal investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's arson reward line at 1-800-723-2020.

TIM HARLOW

2 men die in separate ultralight plane crashes in different counties

Two Minnesota men died Monday in two separate ultralight plane crashes.

Richard Eidem, 70, of Osakis died when his ultralight single-seat propeller aircraft crashed on Lynx National Golf Course in Sauk Centre Township, according to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office.

Witnesses say the aircraft was flying low as it neared the golf course and crashed about 8 p.m.

Less than a half-hour earlier, Daniel Steven Chisholm, 55, of Ideal Township died when his ultralight plane crashed into a field near Pequot Lakes, according to the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bees swarm highway after crash; would-be rescuers thwarted

A flatbed truck carrying a load of bees and beehives ran off the road near St. Charles, Minn., sending bees swarming and slowing traffic on Interstate 90.

The State Patrol says the crash happened about 6:45 a.m. Monday on I-90 near County Road 33. The truck entered a grassy median, rolled and lost its load.

Lt. Mark Holm said the truck was carrying several boxes of bees, with about 30,000 bees per box. Some boxes broke and bees swarmed the vehicle.

Winona County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Ron Ganrude says there were "bees everywhere." He says the driver was briefly stuck in the vehicle and passers-by tried to help, but there were too many bees. He eventually crawled to safety and was taken to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Three beekeepers helped with cleanup.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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