Star Tribune
Anoka man led police on high speed chases, found with escalating amounts of drugs and guns in four run-ins since 2020
For nearly three years, Timothy Allen Torell Wetzstein kept running afoul of Twin Cities law enforcement, leading them on high-speed chases and being found with a firearm and a cache of drugs that swelled in each of the four run-ins that dated back to October 2020.
What federal prosecutors would later bill as a “drug-and-gun-and-fleeing escapade” started when he raced away from an attempted traffic stop at speeds of more than 120 miles per hour. Officers found 82 grams of meth and a .22 caliber revolver when the chase ended. The drug amounts kept growing each time police stopped Wetzstein after that chase: 1,491 grams of meth in June 2021, 2,199 grams of meth and 47 grams of fentanyl in July 2022, 2,146 grams of meth and 260 grams of fentanyl during his latest arrest following a foot chase a year later.
In all of those episodes, according to court documents, police found firearms – including one he tossed during his July 2023 arrest, three more in a backpack in his car at the time, and an additional three guns held at a storage locker rented by Wetzstein.
On Monday, Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz sentenced Wetzstein to 13 1/2 years in federal prison in a case his own attorney described as a “blessing in disguise” for a man whose life has been saturated with abuse and addiction.
“How nothing more serious than property damage occurred is a minor miracle, and he knows it,” attorney James Becker wrote in a memo to the court outlining his arguments for sentencing. “Again, Mr. Wetzstein agrees that significant punishment is warranted. And it is in this process that his path to redemption and rehabilitation has been divined, and Mr. Wetzstein is presently walking this path.”
A message was left seeking comment after Wetzstein’s Monday sentencing in Minneapolis.
Schiltz’s sentencing judgment – which includes five years of supervised release once Wetzstein is released – split the difference between the 11 years Becker asked for and the more than 15 years sought by the government. Wetzstein quickly pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine last fall, in exchange for the dismissal of numerous gun and drug charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner likewise noted in the government’s own position pleadings how remarkable it was that no one was hurt or killed during Wetzstein’s run-ins with law enforcement since 2020. Warner wrote that Minneapolis police did not shoot the man when he pulled a pistol from his waistband during one encounter.
Wetzstein racked up four felony convictions before his arrest last year – controlled substance possession, check forgery and two thefts – three of which took place since 2020. Throughout that time, however, he managed to access firearms while being legally barred from possessing them.
“At some point, a defendant must run out of chances,” Warner wrote. “At some point, the criminal justice system’s patience is exhausted. At some point, enough is enough. The time has come for Mr. Wetzstein to face meaningful consequences.”
According to Gomez, workers have had wages withheld under threats of possible deportations. Unauthorized workers are less likely to seek legal aid due to their legal status.
“What I want from this program is for other people not to suffer the same abuses that we’ve suffered in the past,” Gomez said. “This program is designed to prevent these abuses.”
CTUL said workers’ rights under the program will be shared in multiple languages.
Gomez specifically named Yellow Tree, United Properties, and Solhem Cos. as developers he’d like to see join the program. CTUL called for these companies, as well as Roers, Doran Properties Group, and MWF Properties, to adopt the standards.
Those working under developers in the program can report abuse to the standards council. After a complaint is made, the council will monitor contractors’ worksites to make sure they are complying with the standards.
If the council finds that a contractor is abusing workers, developers in CTUL’s program would be legally required to stop working with the contractor.
One man is dead and two others were fighting for their lives Saturday, as Minneapolis police searched for suspects following a triple shooting in the early morning hours.
According to police, officers responded to reports of automatic gunfire at a homeless encampment near E. 21st Street and 15th Avenue S. shortly before 5 a.m. They arrived in the Ventura Village neighborhood south of downtown to find three victims with gunshot wounds.
The men were given aid and transported to HCMC, where one of them died. Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the other two remained in critical condition. The identities of the men, who were homeless, were not immediately released.
Investigators believe that an altercation occurred after three people approached the camp. One of the victims had a BB gun that resembled a real pistol, but it was unclear if that was a factor in the shooting.
“Once again, tragedy has occurred at a homeless encampment and all three of the injured are known to police,” O’Hara said at a news conference Saturday. “Residents in the area have been very frustrated. This is an ongoing issue with encampments and all of the activity that’s associated with it. As soon as one encampment is cleared, another one pops up somewhere else and crime in the area immediately rises.”
Citing department data, O’Hara said that around 13% of all Third Precinct crime, and 19% of the precinct’s gun violence, happens within 500 feet of encampments. He said he believed that the camp where the shooting occurred appeared after officials had closed a larger encampment by a Franklin Avenue overpass.
Paula Williams, who has lived in the area since the late 1970s, said she often greets youth from the encampment and that none have made her feel threatened. But Williams said drug use and sex trafficking have become an issue.
“It’s just been whack-a-mole,” she said. “The police come daily or every other day. Somebody calls and they get chased away and by the evening, they’re back.”
“… This summer an alcohol fueled argument escalated into something that I deeply regret. I said and did things that are unacceptable and I take full responsibility for my actions. Although there was never any physical violence I am deeply remorseful for the fear and trauma caused by my anger. I’ve since been given an opportunity to step back, reflect, assess, heal and grow. Although the path was unfortunate, the destination was necessary. I’ve been able to embrace sobriety, spirituality, and integrity. I’ve been able to find myself again and love myself again. The clarity and perspective I now possess is priceless and has fueled my determination and dedication. It’s no coincidence that this next chapter of my life begins as I turn 40 and I can’t wait to live the rest of my life as the best version of myself I’ve ever been and continue to give back to my community.”
Bullshit. Then, and especially now.
It’s clear Sutherland’s primary concern has been the impact of his legal case on his career. Plus, he knows he has the power to shape the narrative about the next chapter of his life.
Influential men always do. Sutherland’s success and charm could still provide the platform for him to earn an abundance of grace, and an apparently consensual meeting with the alleged victim will only enhance those ambitions. But those accused of domestic violence should not have the ability to proclaim their redemption. They’re not reliable sources.
The criminal complaint from the summer incident states that the alleged victim told police Sutherland had been physically and verbally abusive in the past. It’s a familiar story. Too familiar. According to the National Domestic Hotline, 4 out of 5 victims of intimate partner violence from 1994 to 2010 were women. And more than three-quarters of the female victims ages 18 to 49 were “previously victimized by the same offender.”
Thursday’s arrest complicates Sutherland’s legal case and perceptions about his summer encounter with his girlfriend. But it doesn’t change the facts.
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Pope Francis’ Catholic church reform process ends without giving more equity to women
New program protects nonunion workers from wage theft, other abuses