REGIONAL BRIEFS: Man faces charges of sex crimes with minors

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Credit: Forum News Service

Minnesota

Man faces charges of sex crimes with minors

HIBBING, Minn. -- A Hibbing man has been charged with 18 felonies and a misdemeanor for various alleged crimes, including having paid a minor for sex and possessing pornographic photos and videos of minors.

Albert Allen Gangl, 65, was formally issued a summons Friday in State District Court in Hibbing on one count of felony prostitution; 16 counts of felony possession of pictures of a minor; one count of felony use of a minor in a sexual performance; and one count of furnishing alcohol to an underage person, a gross misdemeanor.

Gangl has not been arrested but has been ordered to appear in court April 1. He’s described in the complaint as weighing 400 pounds and walking with two canes.

“We don’t believe he is a threat to flee the area,” Hibbing Police Investigator Jeff Adamich said.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Gangl denied committing the crimes.

“I can’t even do these things,” Gangl said. “I’m bedridden. I’ve only left the house in the last three years to go to the doctor.”

According to the complaint filed in State District Court in Hibbing, the investigation started in 2010, when a woman reported her 17-year-old son had been sexually assaulted by Gangl after offering to do chores for the man at his house, where Gangl offered the boy whiskey.

According to the criminal complaint filed with the court, Hibbing police executed a search warrant on Gangl’s home in Hibbing and found “100s of marked and unmarked CD-R’s and DVD-R’s, approximately 100 home VHS videos, numerous various sized photographs of naked males, ages unknown, but (who) appeared to be in their teens.” In all, some 100,000 images were found on various devices.

“I’ve done a lot of pornography cases, and this is by far the largest volume, either adult or child,” Adamich said in an interview.

Gangl once taught in the Owatonna school district, but Adamich said he believes all of the crimes happened in the Hibbing home and that Gangl has no prior criminal record.

(DNT)

Ruling gives fired Clay deputy his job back

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- An arbitrator has ruled that a fired Clay County sheriff’s deputy who appealed his firing should get his job back.

Deputy Ryan Carey said his attorney contacted him Tuesday to let him know he would get his job back, plus back pay.

“This is positive for me and my family -- it’s been tough,” said Carey, who was fired July 25.

County Administrator Brian Berg said Wednesday that Carey was let go after allegations of misconduct at a training event in the Twin Cities. He said Carey’s action during an internal investigation of the alleged misconduct at the training was the issue that prompted his firing.

“It would have been highly unlikely” that the initial allegations would have led to Carey’s firing without the actions the deputy took during the investigation, he said.

Berg declined to provide more details until officials had consulted with the county’s labor attorney. He would not disclose the specific terms of the arbitrator’s ruling, including whether the county was ordered to provide back pay to Carey or whether Carey would have any additional disciplinary action.

Carey said he did not know when he would return to work or how much money the county would owe him in back pay.

(FF)

Bill Gates tickets available April 15

MOORHEAD, Minn. – Tickets will be available at noon April 15 for Bill Gates’ address at Concordia College.

Gates will speak at 10:30 a.m. April 27 in Concordia’s Memorial Auditorium.

Tickets are free and are limited to two per person.

Tickets will be available at the Memorial Auditorium box office located in the Offutt Concourse from noon to 5:30 p.m. April 15-19 or until all tickets have been given away.

Event information is available at ConcordiaCollege.edu/billgates.

(FF)

North Dakota

Dardis to manage N.D.’s Success 2020 initiative

FARGO – Succeed 2020, an initiative that aims to improve the readiness of North Dakota’s students for college and the work force, named Louise Dardis as its program manager.

Dardis, who announced her resignation as the West Fargo School District’s assistant superintendent last week, will take over her new post April 15, the group announced Wednesday.

Succeed 2020 also aims to increase North Dakota students’ achievement in middle grades and high school. It was created with a $25 million donation from energy firm Hess Corp.

To learn more about Succeed 2020, go online to www.ndsucceed2020.org.

(FF)

Wisconsin

New Richmond paper challenges police policy

NEW RICHMOND, Wis. -- The New Richmond News has sued the city of New Richmond, alleging the police department is unreasonably restricting access to timely information on accident and incident reports.

The suit claims the department is misinterpreting a recent ruling by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in St. Croix County Circuit Court, names the city as a defendant because it is responsible for the police department’s actions. It asks that the department reverse its policies and pay attorneys’ fees and damages in the case.

The newspaper and the department disagree on the interpretation and application of the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act regarding requests for access to law enforcement records under the Open Records Law. The News contends that DPPA doesn’t require removal of personal information before public disclosure under the Open Records Law. The newspaper cites a 2008 Wisconsin attorney general’s ruling in its filing.

The police department contends that DPPA requires redaction or blacking out of identifying information -- names, address, birth dates and driver’s license numbers -- before records are released if that information came from motor vehicle records maintained by the Department of Transportation.

Kristina Williamson, representing the city, said the department stands by its decision to restrict the release of identifying information.

(NRN)

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