Sheriff

A McLeod County Jail remodeling project is still shooting for completion Oct. 1 despite some delays along the way, according to Jim Werket of Honeywell’s automation and control solutions group.

Jail staff will begin training on the new security control room equipment Monday (Sept. 22). An open house for county employees will occur late next week or early the following week.

Gillespie Quarters, a Hutchinson riding stable, is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever stole thousands of dollars worth of riding equipment.

The McLeod County Sheriff’s Office received a call about the missing gear at 4:25 p.m. Monday, Sept. 1.

Doris Gillespie, co-owner of the riding stable, said the equipment was stolen from their barn southwest of Hutchinson.

The missing gear includes:
• a Hereford roping saddle,
• a Saddle King barrel saddle with 15-inch seat,
• a Simco saddle with 14-inch seat,

Crews are halfway through a 60-day construction period on the McLeod County Jail remodeling project, and are trying to beat the clock.

“It’s not going as fast I would like to see it go … but they are getting things done,” said Jail Administrator Capt. Dennis Johnson in his update to the County Board Tuesday (Sept. 2).

The project requires a great deal of coordination, according to Johnson. “Everything is going OK, but it takes a lot of time to do little things,” he said.

Students enrolled in law enforcement degree programs or peace officer standards training can apply for a $600 scholarship from the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association.

As many as 15 students will be awarded the scholarship this year. The scholarship committee looks at a variety of factors when evaluating applicants: need, academic performance, volunteer and other outside experience.

The McLeod County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a death at S J & F Material Handling in Winsted.

James Edward Charpentier, 37, of Lester Prairie, received fatal injuries at about 4:43 p.m. Thursday (July 17), while in the S J & F parking lot. Communications Sgt. Jen Otto did not release more specific information because the investigation was “still unfolding.”

If criminal suspects give McLeod County Sheriff’s deputies a false name or ID, their fingerprints will soon tell a different story.

The sheriff’s office will soon receive two fingerprint-scanning identification devices from the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, free of charge.

The BCA will pay for any maintenance on the devices from the time the county receives them until Sept. 30, 2010.

The McLeod County Board passed a resolution Tuesday (April 22) “declaring an emergency” in the county.

There’s no need to panic, as the state-required resolution is merely meant to authorize the start of a jail retrofitting and energy conservation improvement project.

The resolution, in part, declares the project “an emergency measure necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health, safety and welfare …”

A rural Hutchinson couple were found dead in their home Sunday night after the McLeod County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an apparent homicide and suicide.

The couple were identified as Donald Francis Czeck, 41, and Katrin Rose Czeck, 35. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

The couple lived at 20152 Lace Ave., about seven miles east-northeast of Hutchinson and two miles west of Silver Lake. Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the home at 7:21 p.m. Authorities from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrived shortly after 10 p.m.

Nearly 14 years after a brutal Glencoe murder, the McLeod County Sheriff’s Office is preparing to extradite a fugitive suspect from San Antonio, Texas.

Martin Rivera Ramirez, 33, was one of five men charged in August 1994 with second-degree murder and three counts of felony assault, stemming from an attack which left 26-year-old Hugo Perez dead.

For medical reasons, McLeod County deputies were not able to extradite Ramirez earlier this month. But, the so-called “Gang’s All Here” case has long required patience.

The McLeod County Sheriff’s Office will kick off its 2008 Childprint Program this week.

The sheriff’s office will fingerprint kindergartners and sixth-graders. They will also fingerprint fifth-graders, but only in Hutchinson and Winsted.

If parents have their child’s vital information, photo and fingerprints readily available, it can help speed an investigation should the child go missing.

McLeod County Childprint Program 2008 Schedule

Tuesday April 15
8:15 a.m. at Holy Family School in Silver Lake, kindergarten and grade 6