Minnesota briefs: Stearns County seeks to dismiss Daniel Rassier lawsuit

Stearns County is seeking to dismiss a federal lawsuit filed by a man wrongly suspected of being involved in the 1989 kidnapping of Jacob Wetterling. The county filed the motion to dismiss the case earlier this summer and a judge will make a decision on it by October.

Daniel Rassier sued Stearns County in U.S. District Court earlier this year, saying that law enforcement wrongly suspected him partly in retribution for comments he made about authorities doing a poor job of investigating the case.

Authorities dug up his St. Joseph, Minn., farm in 2010 to search for remains and made it evident that he was a "person of interest," court documents say.

The 34-page lawsuit alleges former Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner, former Capt. Pam Jensen and state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) agent Ken McDonald defamed Rassier and intentionally inflicted emotional distress, among other claims.

Rassier lived on a farm with his parents near the spot where Jacob was abducted. Rassier's mother, Rita, is also listed as a plaintiff.

In 2016, Jacob's remains were found on a farm near Paynesville, Minn., after Danny Heinrich confessed to killing the boy and led authorities to Jacob's grave. The boy's abduction remained a mystery for almost 27 years.

KELLY SMITH

The park is dedicated to the 41 miners who lost their lives on Feb. 5, 1924, when water and mud flooded the mine. Seven miners made it to the surface to survive the state's worst mining disaster.

The Crow Wing County Board approved the memorial park concept in December 2007. Earlier phases included a walking path, a shelter, a boardwalk, trails, kiosk construction and interpretive displays. Final work in 2017 includes a covered shelter and canoe landing.

The park is located at 26351 Milford Lake Drive, approximately 4 miles north of Crosby following Hwy. 6.

Mark Brunswick

Sunday marks one year after a man attacked 10 shoppers at St. Cloud's Crossroads Center mall, stabbing them before he was fatally shot by an off-duty police officer.

The town hall forum, which will begin at 4 p.m., is part of the weekly town hall meetings that Kleis holds across the city to give residents an opportunity to voice concerns or ask questions.

Holding the event at the mall, Kleis said, shows that community residents shouldn't be afraid to go on with normal daily activities such as shopping at the retail complex despite the memory of the terrifying attack.