Although not required to do so, a Winnebago police officer removed a social media comment he recently posted. “Josiah you have succeeded somehow in making this even funnier!!!” Jacob Pettit wrote in a post. Pettit was responding to a rock band’s song that was dubbed over a “low-speed” bike chase video he was involved in […]
Continue ReadingA man riding a bike with no headlight or reflectors late at night may be unsafe but also seemed a little suspicious to a Winnebago police officer. Local authorities have been investigating recent incidents of spray paint vandalism, so officer Jacob Pettit decided he should talk with the man. Pettit turned his squad car around […]
Continue ReadingIt turns out a bike not properly illuminated wasn’t the only reason a Winnebago police officer wanted to speak with its rider. According to the initial police department press release, officer Jacob Pettit saw a male riding a bicycle without a headlight or reflectors around 11:11 p.m. the evening of July 1 on Third Street […]
Continue ReadingSome residents may have seen or awaken by a Winnebago police car pursuing someone in the southwest part of town late Thursday night. The squad’s emergency lights and siren were activated as it followed the suspect who rode down alleys, several streets and yards. At one point the pursuit went between two houses on First […]
Continue ReadingAn agency that licenses and sets standards for Minnesota peace officers may soon determine the validity of a complaint filed against two Winnebago police officers. Tripleanews.com has learned the Complaint Investigation Committee (CIC) of the Peace Officer Standards and Training board held a hearing early last month in St. Paul. A complaint filed last summer […]
Continue ReadingInvestigation of a second complaint filed against Winnebago’s police chief and a police officer is complete and cost more than $20,000. City Administrator Jake Skluzacek says the city paid Isaac Kaufman of Red Cedar Consulting in Edina $22,122 for the investigation that began last July. Because of state Data Privacy Laws, says Skluzacek, findings in […]
Continue ReadingInvestigation of complaints filed against Winnebago’s police chief and an officer are almost complete. And, so far it has cost the city more than $3,100. “The investigation into the complaint on officer (Jacob) Pettit and Chief (Eric) Olson is still ongoing and the investigator is still completing interviews,” says City Administrator Jake Skluzacek. The complaint […]
Continue ReadingAnother 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 […]
Continue ReadingA state agency regulating law enforcement practices will review alleged complaints filed against the Winnebago Police Department. A 16-second video showing officer Jacob Pettit putting his arm around a person’s neck to take them down to the ground on May 6 has been turned over to the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training […]
Continue ReadingA friend of a Winnebago man says a local police officer used “excessive force” when he was arrested after being stopped for a traffic violation. “I am appalled. He used a chokehold,” says the friend. “Something needs to happen and I want it done right now. The friend is referring to a 16-second video that […]
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