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08 02 13 JTF1   The latest from the Mendota Heights Police Department SUPPORT STAFF Kim Henning Susan Donovan Trista Miller Becky Pentel POLICE OFFICERS Jerry Murphy Scott Patrick John Larrive Bobby Lambert Tanner Spicer Todd Rosse Chad Willson Jeff Vonfeldt Steven Meyer Denise Urmann Michael Shepard Peyton Fleming SCHOOL RESOURCE OFC. Jennifer Fordham INVESTIGATIONS Mario Reyes Chad Willson SERGEANTS Neil Garlock Brian Convery Eric Petersen RESERVES Randy Pentel Jarrod Spicer Jim Knox Jeff Parker George Castillo CHAPLAINS Frances Cuenca Joel Detlefsen Lynn Liberman Butch Millett Sue Plucker John Snider David Wick CHIEF Mike Aschenbrener A Trend to Avoid... It seems that we hear about domestic abuse victims more than ever! It’s true! In 2012, MN District Courts handled nearly 24,000 domestic violence cases! Domestic Abuse as defined by Minnesota Law, One of the following acts committed by a family member or household member against another family or household member: Inϐliction of physical harm, bodily injury, or assault Inϐliction of fear of imminent physical harm Acts of criminal sexual conduct Interference with an emergency call A family or household member is one of the following: Spouse or former spouse Persons involved in a signiϐicant romantic or sexual relationship Parents and children Persons related by blood Persons living together or who have lived together in the past Persons who have or had a child in common (born or in utero), regardless of whether they were living together or ever married. We are here to protect and serve with a goal of crime prevention, but prevention isn’t just our job—it’s also yours! You should not have to experience or be victimized by any form of violent behavior in your life. Stop it by contacting your local PD, seeking alternate resources, taking action and following thru. We can arm you with assistance, information and resources, but cooperation is truly the best armor! For the sake of your safety, your children’s safety and your family’s legacy, choose a life that deϐies violence. You are worth it! For helpful Dakota County information and links, go to: http://www.co.dakota.mn.us/LawJustice/CrimePrevention/DomesticViolence/Pages/default.aspx Helpful Tips to Request an Order for Protection (OFP) Contact the Court to request an OFP: 1.) Consult with an advocate who knows the process and steps. For a statewide online directory of advocate agencies, please visit: http://www.mcbw.org/mnservices#!local‐programs/c20wq 2.) You can go to your local courthouse to ϐill out OFP Forms or do it online at: http://www.mncourts.gov/selϐhelp/?page=1690 . The requestor of the OFP is called the “Petitioner;” the party it is against is called the “Respondent.” You can also request it on behalf of (OBO) minor children. 2   KUDOS! As you can imagine, there is a lot of work that is done behind the scenes to investi- gate information, follow-up on sus- pects, connect inci- dents to solve crimes and simply assist our citizens. Keep up the good work! Domestic Thursday 0801 hours Officer Scott Patrick was dispatched to the MHPD lobby on report of a domestic. The woman went to dinner with a friend and when she returned home, the boyfriend was very upset. He held her up against a car, removed her engagement ring and stated the engagement was off... again (as it has been threatened several times in the past). The man then proceeded to her vehicle to rev the engine to cause damage and run it out of gas. The man’s mother helpfully intervened. No injuries had been sustained to the woman; she only wanted to report this incident, not press charges. Disturbing Peace Thursday 2356 hours Officer Peyton Fleming received a call regarding people in the pool making noise. Fleming made contact with the individuals and the pool party was advised to move it indoors. Alarm Friday 0122 hours Officer Steve Meyer responded to a home on a burglar alarm. When Meyer arrived the homeowner greeted him and stated “they’re gone.” The man checked the garage; noth- ing unusual was found. In checking the video from the outdoor cameras that cover the basement door, the only thing caught on video was the officers shining their flashlights. No signs of burglary. Most likely a system malfunction. Suicide Attempt Friday 1502 hours A call came in from a local hotel stating a woman called the front desk asking for help. Officer Scott Patrick arrived at the scene to find a woman who had overdosed on pills in an attempt to commit suicide. The woman was very regretful in her attempt and was voluntarily transported to the hospital by HealthEast Ambulance. Apple Assault Friday 1657 hours A woman called in for possible damage to her son’s car. Officer Peyton Fleming arrived at the home to learn that mom was sure an apple was catapulted at her son’s car. If it wasn't catapulted it surely was shot from a slingshot based on how hard it hit the car. She was curious if there had been any similar reports of apple catapulting. No other reports of high velocity apples (fruit or vegetables of any kind) in the city. Lost out of Baudette Saturday 1632 hours Caller reported there was a man in his late 70’s who was lost at their home. The man said he is from Baudette and that his father was the principal at the school nearby. A 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. 3   Online Girlfriend A man came in to the PD lobby to report fraud. In January the man started an on‐line relationship with a woman who said she lived in Colorado. The woman soon informed him she was to get a large inheritance; however, the money was tied up in Nigeria and a bond needed to be posted to get the money out of the country. The helpful man spoke with the woman’s “attorney” and sent numer‐ ous funds for bonds, fees and various expenses such as airline tickets. The poor woman then fell severely ill and needed MORE money for hospital bills. The generous man was then contacted by an al‐ leged “FBI Agent” working the case of the swindling woman and he now was entitled to $12 million! There was even a CNN news story of him winning the “Federal High Court of Texas” case and they help‐ fully sent him a copy. The catch— he had to set up a special bank account to receive the funds, which never came. 7 months and roughly $30K later—well, you get the picture. If it sounds too good to be true….! female called a short time later and said she was missing her 83-year-old husband who went for a walk. This man was her husband who suffers from short-term memory loss and he did in fact grow up in Baudette. Everyone reunited. Traffic Stop Saturday 2033 hours Officer Michael Shepard spotted a car with a pizza sign on top that was going 60 mph in a 40 mph zone. He proceeded to pull the vehicle over and the woman in the pizza car was cited for speed. Looking back at her history, she has been stopped 9 times since De- cember, all with just warnings. She claims her employer encourages her to drive fast to make pizza deliveries. Maybe her employer will pay her fine, too! Disturbing Peace Sunday 1822 hours Complainant called in on a disturbance of the neighbor jack hammering in front of his house. This loud noise was disturbing the residents at a nearby group home. Sergeant Brian Convery spoke to the homeowner who stated he was doing a small landscaping project and that he was done for the day and returning the jackhammer. Health & Welfare Check Sunday 2025 hours Officer Michael Shepard was dispatched to check the Mendota Bridge for a suicidal fe- male who was threatening to jump. The therapist of the female had stated that she called her and said she is going to kill herself by jumping from a bridge. The bridge was checked and there was no sign of the female. The female had attempted suicide in the past, once by driving her vehicle at 60 mph into a brick wall. The female has severe post traumatic stress disorder. At 2120 hours, the female had returned home to her father and stated to her father and to Shepard that she did mention the suicide comment but promised she would not follow thru. The female was transported to a hospital on a health and welfare hold. Bad Day Monday 1226 &1306 hours As Officer Todd Rosse was doing the daily inspection of his squad car he spotted a fe- male passenger in a car screaming at the driver. He spoke with both of them at length, provided some guidance and a resource card before heading out on patrol. Moments later he spotted another man being screamed at outside of a car. Unfortunately or fortu- nately there was a bit of a language barrier. Apparently someone had locked the keys in the car, the car was unlocked. The two were briefly counseled and given a resource card. What a way to start your day. Smoke Monday 1447 &1805 hours Officer Todd Rosse responded to a report of smoke from the woods near the south side of the Mendota Bridge. A small illegal recreational fire was located and put out. The 4   If you are a Mendota Heights resident and you are going out of town/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; we have similar forms in the MHPD lobby and we will take your info over the phone. 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. fire starter was also located and warned about having fires. A few minutes later another call of smoke in the same area was reported. Officers quickly located the fire, MHFD was cancelled and the man was taken to Ramsey Detox by Sgt Convery. Unfortunately the man became assaultive and instead ended up in the Ramsey County Jail charged with 4th Degree assault. AOA Edina PD Tuesday 0106 hours Officer Steve Meyer monitored radio traffic of a pursuit headed E/B on I494 across the river from Bloomington at speeds in excess of 100 mph. He was in position and ended up assisting Edina PD with a high risk traffic stop on the river crossing bridge. Happy 21st Birthday Tuesday 0257 hour Caller reported a 21 YOA female kept throwing up in his car. The woman was con- scious and breathing. The caller stated when she gets upset she vomits. Officer Jeff Von Feldt arrived and learned the rest of the story. The young woman had been celebrating her 21st birthday at a bar in Eagan, had consumed way to much alcohol and was not making it home without throwing up. HealthEast Paramedics determined it would be far safer to finish the rest of the birthday party at the hospital. Theft of Gas Tuesday 1954 hours Sergeant Brian Convery responded to a gas station regarding a $65 dollar drive off. The suspect vehicle is a gold SUV, the driver is described as a W/M, tan, wearing black pants and black t-shirt. The employee had a license plate number of 768JXT which unfortu- nately listed to a sedan. No further information at this time. Runaway Wednesday 0012 hours Officer Steve Meyer responded to a local residence on a 15 YOA female who had runa- way from home. The young lady had a disagreement with her parents, left and returned. A short time later left a second time. The parents report things have been escalating for the past month as she has runaway before. She currently has no cell phone or Internet privileges. She has only one friend close by and about $20. An attempt to locate was broadcast and referred to Investigations. Parking Wednesday 2316 &2327 hours While on patrol Officer Jeff Von Feldt found a young couple “saying goodbye” before they both head off to college. Both advised the Village parking area was not an appro- priate place to say goodbye. A few minutes later in the street on the north end of town a second boyfriend/girlfriend were found talking in the backseat. They were also advised to move along. 5   07/26 ‐ 08/02 2013 YTD Calls for Service 181 5,004 Citations Issued i.e., DUI, Domestic Assault, Etc. 22 934 Warnings 16 792 Police Reports 21 617 Response Time Average 5.91 5.10 Submitted By: Police Ofϐicer Tanner Spicer It never fails: you’re in a hurry and running late for work, you’ve successfully scalded off most of your taste buds with your molten hot coffee and the yahoo in front of you thinks it’s time for a Sunday drive. Finally you catch a break, the slow-poke in front of you turns off, the road opens up and it’s time to make up some time. Things are finally starting look up! As you press down on the accelerator you think to yourself, “This day may not be so bad after all,” until... right at the bottom of the next hill there’s a cop sitting on the shoulder. Your heart skips a beat and sinks as you see the squad pull in behind you and the red and blue lights start dancing in your mirror. You pull over, realizing your day’s tone has indeed been set. Finally, after the officer hands you your speeding ticket, you ask him, “Do you have a quota to meet or something?” His jovial reply, “Yep, just twelve more tickets this month and I’m going to Disney Land! Have a nice day.” Did you know that quotas are illegal in the State of Minnesota? According to Minnesota State Statute 169.985 Traffic citation quota prohibited: A law enforcement agency may not order, mandate, require, or suggest to a peace officer a quota for the issuance of traffic citations, including administrative citations authorized under sec- tion 169.999, on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis. The opening incident, though meant to be humorous, does illustrate how frustrating it can be for a motorist when he or she is pulled-over and issued a citation. Rest assured, we really do understand “bad days” and do quite often act with compassion and discretion. If not for the law prohibiting quotas, there would be no warnings given. Thank you and happy motoring! Have a Safe Week!