Ex-Prior Lake cop gets 30 days for bedroom invasion

Article by: Star Tribune
Updated: March 2, 2010 - 9:15 PM

Michael Ficken was armed and in uniform when he broke-down a door and confronted his ex-girlfriend and another man.

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A former Prior Lake police officer who was charged with breaking down his ex-girlfriend's bedroom door while on duty last year will spend 30 days in jail.

Michael Alan Ficken, 34, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Scott County District Court to one count each of disorderly conduct and damage to property, both misdemeanors, in connection with the June 10 incident at his former girlfriend's Prior Lake home.

According to charges, the woman had asked Ficken to move out of her home about a month before the incident, but he still had a key.

He drove there June 10, noticed a car he did not recognize and ran the license plate before entering the home. When the woman refused to open the locked bedroom door, he broke in and yelled at her and a man with her. He was in uniform and armed.

As part of the plea, prosecutors dropped charges of misconduct of a public officer, a gross misdemeanor, and fifth-degree assault, a misdemeanor.

Judge Richard Perkins sentenced Ficken to 30 days in jail, 30 days of electronic home monitoring and a year of probation. Perkins also ordered him to pay restitution of $430.49 and submit to a psychological evaluation.

The Dakota County attorney's office handled the case to avoid a conflict of interest.

Ficken, who had been with the department since 2003, was fired Sept. 21 following an internal investigation.

ABBY SIMONS