Public safety briefs: Plea talks underway for militia member who bombed mosque

One of the three Illinois men accused of bombing a Minnesota mosque last year is now negotiating a possible plea agreement with government prosecutors, his attorney told a federal magistrate judge on Wednesday.

Although Michael James McWhorter, 29, pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges in his first appearance in Minnesota federal court, attorney Chris Madel said Wednesday that he has been negotiating a possible plea deal with prosecutors to resolve the case.

McWhorter is one of three men from rural Clarence, Ill., who were arrested in March for allegedly bombing the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington on Aug. 5, 2017.

Stephen Montemayor

A New Hope police officer acted properly when he fatally shot a suicidal man who aimed a gun at one of several officers closing in on him at his garage in Crystal, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Wednesday.

"Criminal charges are not supported by evidence or appropriate under law in this case," Freeman wrote in his evaluation of the case, which he reviewed with two prosecutors.

Officer Benjamin Harty fatally shot Ronald Klitzka on Nov. 11, 2017, after the 62-year-old man had fired his gun at least twice while police were trying to defuse the situation, according to investigators. Klitzka appeared to be taking aim at Harty when he was shot.

A man trapped in his home as it was leveled by a suspected natural gas explosion late last month died Tuesday.

John Lundahl, 80, died at Regions Hospital in St. Paul from injuries suffered in the Nov. 23 blast in the 600 block of Payne Avenue, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Firefighters discovered Lundahl buried under insulation and debris. It took several of them to get him freed amid the flames. Firefighter Joaquin Rosales was the first person to discover Lundahl, he recalled last month. Rosales called out to his colleagues, and with the help of about four other firefighters, pulled Lundahl out as several spot fires burned around them.

Paul Walsh

Scammers who hacked into the e-mail accounts of Ramsey County employees this summer had access to the personal information of about 500 people who used some of the county's health and social service programs, according to county officials.

Since the breach, the county has adopted new data security measures, including stronger password requirements and multistep authentication, Siqveland said. Clients of Ramsey County's health and social service programs who have questions may call the county at 651-266-2275.

Greg Stanley

A Normandale College student assaulted two faculty members Wednesday, fled and was soon arrested with a gun in his possession, Bloomington police said.

The 21-year-old St. Paul man struck a female instructor at the two-year school several times "following an earlier classroom dispute" with another student about 11 a.m., a statement from police read. A male faculty member intervened and also was assaulted, police added.

The woman was taken to nearby Fairview Southdale Hospital with noncritical injuries, Deputy Police Chief Mike Hartley said. The man was not hospitalized.

Burnsville's recreational supervisor pleaded guilty this week to felony theft in connection with $4,900 in personal purchases she made on her city credit card, as well as aggravated forgery for faking a city staffer's signature to withdraw money from her deferred compensation plan.

Kelly Jo Hansen-Mundahl, 45, of Prior Lake, received 30 days in jail and 100 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $4,900 in restitution.

Hansen-Mundahl, who had worked for the city of Burnsville since 2001, resigned after the county investigation. According to the criminal complaint, she bought Visa and MasterCard gift cards, an Xbox system and a Ninja blender for herself with the credit card given to her by the city to make purchases for city-sponsored events.

Erin Adler

A driver ran over and killed a retired nurse while rapidly backing out of a parking spot outside a hospital south of the Twin Cities, authorities said.

Darlene N. Ulrich, 83, of Faribault, was taken to the hospital and then to North Memorial Medical Center, where she died, police said. Ulrich retired after 44 years as a licensed practical nurse at the Faribault Clinic, not far from where she was hit, said her daughter, Peggy Minarcik.

Minarcik said her mother had a doctor's appointment and was walking back to her car when she was struck.

The driver was identified as Lana Good, 73, of Faribault.

Paul Walsh

A 19-year-old man will be nearly twice as old when his murder sentence ends for robbing a man playing dice on a St. Paul street and shooting his victim through the heart.

With credit for four months in jail since his arrest, Turner will first serve nearly 12 years in prison and the balance of his term on supervised release. He's also been ordered to pay $74,000 in restitution.