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The latest from the Mendota Heights Police Department
CHIEF
Mike Aschenbrener
SERGEANTS
Eric Petersen
Tanner Spicer
Peyton Fleming
POLICE OFFICERS
Jerry Murphy
John Larrive
Bobby Lambert
Todd Rosse
Jeff Vonfeldt
Steven Meyer
Denise Urmann
Michael Shepard
Nick Gorgos
Robin Nelson
INVESTIGATIONS
Chad Willson
SCHOOL RESOURCE
OFFICER
Jennifer Fordham
SUPPORT STAFF
Kim Henning
Trista Miller
Lisa Brandt
Becky Pentel
RESERVES
Randy Pentel
Jim Knox
Jeff Parker
CHAPLAINS
Butch Millett
John Snider
David Wick
Frances Cuenca
Alberto Vargas
Lynn Liberman
Sue Plucker
Joel Detlefsen
Lenny Andrie
APRIL 17, 2015
DAKOTA COUNTY CHIEFS OF POLICE ASSOCIATION
WSPPD: LIEUTENANT INVESTIGATOR MATT SWENKE
Tireless work and leadership with not only the Officer ScoƩ Patrick murder
invesƟgaƟon, but also with the con‐current invesƟgaƟons of a homicide and an
aƩempted homicide. While many of us found closure in the arrest of Brian Fitch, Lt.
Swenke had none unƟl his convicƟon & sentencing.
WSPPD: INVESTIGATIVE TEAM
This team, comprised of Lt. MaƩ Swenke, InvesƟgators Dan Cook, Michael Eberlein,
Casey Kohn and MaƩhew Muellner and InvesƟgaƟve Aide Jerri Schmidt, worked
Ɵrelessly on the case against Brian Fitch. Together, they pulled together an air‐Ɵght
case and showed immense professionalism, dedicaƟon and aƩenƟon to detail. Our
whole country has immense pride in this team.
MHPD: SERGEANT TANNER SPICER
DedicaƟon and commitment to the Patrick family in service as the designated Liaison
Officer. Tanner demonstrated his professionalism while displaying the heart of a
hero and servant and he dedicated significant Ɵme and energy into the service role
on behalf of ScoƩ.
DCSO: PROGRAM SERVICES SUPERVISOR STEVE ANDERSON
Steve successfully secured several grants, including a MN Office of Traffic Safety
Grant, for which he also acted as the Fiscal Agent, and the Violence Against Women
Act to enhance the response to violent crimes against women. Grants are criƟcal to
funding for impacƞul public safety projects.
Thanks to the Dakota County Chiefs for making time to nominate county-wide staff that
you encounter and observe making a positive and lasting impact in our communities.
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Mental Health Thursday 19:30 hours
Sergeant Tanner Spicer along with Officer Nick Gorgos responded to a group home on a crisis call that was
reported to a suicide hotline. Officers spoke with the male who stated he did attempt suicide with a battery
and that he wanted to die. The male stated he was having painful flashbacks which ultimately made his
decision to want to die so he smashed his iPod to get the battery out trying to electrocute himself. HealthEast
arrived and he was transported to the hospital on a health and welfare hold.
Theft from Vehicle #1 Friday 08:57 hours
Officer Todd Rosse responded to a home on a theft from vehicle report. Upon arrival, he was met by the
homeowner who stated that her vehicle that was parked on her driveway overnight, was entered and a mini
flashlight and vehicle rescue kit were stolen from the center counsel. The woman was unsure if her vehicle
was locked or not.
Theft from Vehicle #2 Friday 09:46 hours
Officer Todd Rosse responded to a home on a theft from vehicle report. Upon arrival, he was met by the
homeowner who stated that his vehicle that was parked on the driveway overnight, was entered and his
prescription medication had been stolen. The male said his vehicle was left unlocked.
Theft from Vehicle #3 Friday 09:48 hours
Officer Bobby Lambert responded to a home on a theft from vehicle report. Upon arrival, he was met by the
homeowner who stated that his vehicle that was parked on the driveway overnight, was entered and two
backpacks with several contents had been stolen. All of the stolen items except a tablet were later found in
the backyard of the residence. The vehicle was left unlocked.
Counterfeit Currency Friday 13:17 hours
Officer Bobby Lambert was dispatched to McDonalds on a counterfeit report. Lambert was met by the
manager who stated a Caucasian male with blue eyes, short light brown hair, wearing a jersey and jeans
attempted to pass a counterfeit $20 bill in the drive thru. Store employees checked the bill with a marker and
it was confirmed counterfeit. Employees notified the male of the counterfeit bill and he did not seem overly
surprised nor disappointed. He did pay his bill with a legitimate $5 bill and employees could observe several
other $20 bills in his wallet. The suspect then left and a employees were able to obtain a license plate
number. Lambert followed up on the plate number but the description of the vehicle owner did not match
that of the suspect. A letter was mailed to the registered owner. Case pending.
Theft from Vehicle #4 Friday 14:15 hours
Officer Todd Rosse took a walk in report from a male who stated that sometime overnight, his UNLOCKED
vehicle had been entered in his UNLOCKED detached garage and had been rifled through. All that was
noticed missing was some miscellaneous change.
Theft from Vehicle #5/Burglary Friday 23:00 hours
Officer Nick Gorgos responded to a home on a theft/burglary report. Upon arrival, he was met by the
homeowner who stated that sometime overnight, his UNLOCKED garage was entered and his UNLOCKED
vehicles were rummaged through. The only item missing was the son’s backpack containing textbooks. There
were other bags in the vehicles containing laptops and other valuables however, they were not taken.
Residents — PLEASE, lock your vehicles and remove all valuables from it.
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Vandalism/Property Damage Sunday 10:18 hours
Officer Robin Nelson responded to a home on a property damage report. Upon arrival, she was met by a
contractor who stated that he has been working on this home and sometime overnight, the home had been
vandalized. The contractor said there were several punch holes in the basement insulation, caulk spread on
insulation panels and floor with a name “Larry” written on it. He also said that someone had urinated on the
second floor bathroom and defecated in the bathtub but had cleaned up prior to Nelson’s arrival. He
believed he had locked the doors the previous day before leaving but couldn't be positive as there were no
signs of forced entry into the home. No suspects at this time.
Medical Monday 11:28 hours
Officer Robin Nelson was dispatched to a home on a woman who had gone into cardiac arrest and CPR had
been started. Nelson arrived on scene and took over CPR while HealthEast prepared the LUCAS and AED
machine. The AED and LUCAS machine were now in place so Nelson started her breathing with a bag valve
mask. A pulse was shortly found and she was transferred to hospital via ambulance.
Theft Tuesday 14:44 hours
Officer Robin Nelson was dispatched to the Courtyard by Marriot on a theft report. Upon arrival, she was
met by hotel employee who stated that overnight, a guests tires and rims had been stolen off of her Chevrolet
Tahoe and concrete blocks were placed in its spot. The owner of the vehicle was out of town and the hotel
did not have a phone number for her. Nelson attempted to obtain a phone number for her, found one, but
when she called there was no answer and no voicemail had been set up. There has been a trend of this same
activity in neighboring cities where tires and rims are being stolen off Chevrolet Tahoe’s. Case pending.
Identity Theft Wednesday 15:59 hours
Officer Todd Rosse was dispatched to a home on a fraud report. Upon arrival, he was met by the
homeowners, a wife and husband. They stated that when they went to file their taxes earlier in the day, the
tax agent informed them that they had to reject it because there was already a return filed in her name. The
woman received a letter a week prior from Pay Pal advising her that there had been two attempts on her
account which did not get completed and was rejected. It is unknown at this time how her information had
been obtained. She was advised to contact the IRS and Pay Pal. Case pending.
Dog Complaint Thursday 14:00 hours
Officer Todd Rosse responded to a neighborhood on a barking dog complaint. Rosse could hear habitual
barking coming from the backyard of a residence. He went around the home and could see the dog. The dog
seemed healthy and not in distress. Rosse attempted contact with the homeowner but no one responded to
the door. Rosse sat outside the home and monitored the dog for over ten minutes. The dog habitually
barked. In looking at previous records for the home, this was not the first instance of the barking dog. There
had been several calls in the past and the homeowner was issued a citation a couple of weeks prior for
violating Ordinance 4.1.4. Rosse issued and mailed the homeowner a second citation.
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04/10—04/16 2015 YTD
Calls for Service 132 1,879
Citations 8 159
Warnings 13 146
Police Reports 22 290
Response Time Average 5.37 5.06
Check out the MH Crime Map!
Click below to search your neighborhood:
https://www.raidsonline.com
1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55118
If you are a Mendota Heights resident and you are
going out of town or on vacation, you can notify
MHPD of your outing and we will be more than happy to
keep a watchful eye on your home while you are away.
The House Check Request online form is available on
our website; you can complete a form found in our
lobby, or simply give us a call and we’ll help you out.
MHPD offers monthly Car Seat Safety Checks.
To schedule an appointment, call 651.452.1366
to contact Ofϐicer Jennifer Fordham.
MHPD has a Medication Disposal Box in the lobby of the
PD where Dakota County residents can safely and
anonymously dispose of their prescription drugs and
over‐the‐counter medication.
Please send us your positive
feedback on our staff to:
pdrecords@
mendota-heights.com
Your feedback is greatly appreciated and
helps boost the morale of our staff.
HAVE A SAFE WEEK!
On March 21st the
Moose Country held
the 2nd Annual
Wing Eating
Contest.
Town Square
Television was there
to get all the
footage showing our
very own Officer
Steve Meyer “The
Carnivore” get
MHPD the bragging
rights for the second
year in a row!
To see all of the
excitement, please,
CLICK HERE
This event raised
$3,200!