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02 27 15 JTF1 1 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 FEBRUARY 27, 2015 National Police Week is an annual celebration in Washington, DC in May. The focus of this week is to honor law enforcement and memorialize officers who have been killed in the line of duty. This year, members of the Mendota Heights Police Department plan to accompany the family of Officer Scott Patrick to participate in memorial ceremonies. http://www.policeweek.org/ To raise money for the family and the team to attend this amazing event and for future lega- cy ideas, please save the dates for the following events. The Moose Country is again hosting a Wing-Eating Contest on 3/21/15 and the other coming event is on 4/11/15 in Bloomington. We are attaching in this issue the Wing-Eating Contest flyer—stay tuned for more details on the April event. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A GRAND JURY? Per MN Statutes, certain serious crimes require an indictment, or criminal charges to be issued by a grand jury. MN Statute 628 defines how a jury can issue an indictment, who can provide them with legal advice and who can be present while they deliberate a potential indictment. The grand jury will review all facts on a case to determine if enough evidence/probably cause exists to indict the suspect. The grand jury is selected randomly from the general population to consider a case and they must have at least 16 persons but not more than 23. They are paid a juror’s fee and mileage if they are required to travel. They can receive a hotel and meal reimbursement of up to $35 per day. If a case involves multiple counties, the judge ordering the grand jury shall ensure the counties are equally represented on the jury. The judge will also determine how the counties split the costs of the jury. The persons specified in rule 18.03 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure may, subject to the conditions specified in that rule, be present before the grand jury when it is in session, but no person other than the jurors may be present while the grand jury is deliberating or voting. One other important purpose for grand juries is that the proceedings are kept in strict confidence which is meant to protect all parties and encourage them to speak out freely without fear of retaliation or damage to reputations. The following websites are helpful for more insight:  https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=628  http://www.mncourts.gov/district/1/?page=957 2 2 Warrant Arrest Friday 15:16 hours Officers John Larrive and Nick Gorgos were dispatched to Friendly Hills Middle School in reference to a person with an active warrant who was present at the school. Officer made contact with the suspect and the warrant was confirmed. The adult male was taken into custody by Officer Gorgos and was transported to the Dakota County Jail and cited for trespass, as he was trespassed from school property. Theft Friday 19:55 hours Officer Michael Shepard responded to a business to take a theft of a purse report. Victim stated that some- time while she was at work someone stole her purse from her work. She said that she never left her desk and that whoever stole the purse took it while she was focused on her computer. There are no suspects at this time but there was video of the work area. Case currently under investigation. Mental Health Crisis Saturday 07:35 hours Officer John Larrive was dispatched to a police department lobby call. The reporting party was a mother of a juvenile boy who had concerns about the mental health of her son based on some threats he expressed towards her and himself. Officer Larrive consulted Dakota County Crisis on the matter and it was deter- mined that the best course of action at this time was for Dakota County Crisis to work with the parents and child. Theft of Gas Saturday 8:32 hours Officer John Larrive was dispatched to a gas station on report of a gas drive-off. Officer Larrive met with the gas station attendant who said a male had just pumped $25.49 worth of gas and then drove off towards I35E. The attendant did provide a license plate number but it did not match the description of the vehicle nor did the description of the suspect match the registered owner of the license number provided. Due to lack of evidence this case is inactive. Suspicious Person Saturday 08:41 hours Officer John Larrive responded to a residence where the homeowners received a phone call from a man who talked about the couple recently signing up for Microsoft and computer bugs that the couple was experiencing with their computer. As the conversation with the unknown caller progressed he was able to persuade the couple to log onto a website. Once the couple logged onto the website the person on the phone was able to take control of their computer. The phone caller demanded that they go to a Western Union in West Saint Paul and send him cash. The couple did not provide any money or financial information to the phone caller and ended the phone conversation. However, they told Officer Larrive that they continue to receive phone calls from the suspicious phone number. Officer Larrive advised they have the phone number blocked and report to the police if they discover any financial loss. 3 3 Trespass Monday 15:45 hours Officer Jenny Fordham was called to Henry Sibley High School on report of a juvenile who was trespassed from the school property after school hours and is now at the school. Officer Fordham made contact with the juvenile and issued him a citation for trespassing. Stalking Tuesday 09:56 hours Officer John Larrive was dispatched on a call in reference to stalking/harassment. Officer Larrive spoke with the reporting party/victim who stated that over the past 10-12 days he has been receiving harassing phone calls and texts, some of which are threatening in nature, from a male whom he employed. Over one weekend the victim received over 600 texts from the suspect. The victim has since blocked this phone number. This case is currently under investigation. Vandalism Thursday 15:21 hours Officer Todd Rosse took a vandalism report from a homeowner who stated that she discovered six eggs had been thrown at her house the previous night. Officer Rosse checked around the neighborhood for further damage but did not say any other signs of property damage. There are no witnesses or suspects. The case is inactive pending further leads. 4 4 02/20—02/26 2015 YTD Calls for Service 104 903 Citations 4 73 Warnings 6 48 Police Reports 20 151 Response Time Average 4.79 5.13 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 Officer 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! A sign of warmer months and longer days is approaching. Sunday, March 8th at 2 a.m. marks the beginning of Daylight Saving Time for 2015. When you change your clock remember to change the batteries in your smoke alarms. Did You Know?  Smoke alarms should be tested monthly.  Smoke alarm batteries should be changed at least once a year.  All smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years.  A working smoke alarm save lives.