Another video has been sent to a state agency investigating how two Winnebago police officers handled an arrest following a May 6 traffic stop.
This time, the footage shows three Faribault County deputies assisting the officers while trying to subdue the suspect while he is on the ground.
Winnebago City Council has hired two investigators to look into complaints filed against the two police officers.
Chief Deputy Scott Adams would not say whether the deputies have or will be interviewed by the investigators.
“I am unable to discuss anything while Internal Affairs are under investigation,” says Adams.
The Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) has already received two other videos of the arrest.
One of them is 16 seconds of officer Jacob Petitt putting his arm around the suspect’s neck to take him to the ground. Another shows officers appearing to deny him medical attention while being booked at the county jail.
In the latest video, deputies Chris Albers, Briar Bonin and Chase Davis are shown trying to handcuff the suspect while he’s on the ground.
When a complaint is filed against a city employee, council members usually discuss how to address the issue during a council meeting. However, that wasn’t the case this time.
“I spoke with the City Council one by one on how they wished to proceed with the investigation,” says City Administrator Jake Skluzacek. “They were all in favor of going with the investigators rather than another law enforcement agency.”
Initially, the city hired Michelle Soldo of Soldo Consulting and then Isaac Kaufman, manager and lead investigator of Red Cedar Consulting.
Skluzacek says investigators are charging $145 an hour plus any postal and copying charges.
In two prior investigations, Soldo issued favorable findings for Blue Earth Area School District and a Faribault County jailer.
For 11 years, Kaufman served as the general counsel for Law Enforcement Labor Services, Inc. (LELS), the largest law enforcement union in the state. He also represented officers in Internal Affairs investigations, grievance arbitrations and litigation.