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Ramsey County rolls out new ‘Red Flag Law’ procedures
More than 150 police officers, attorneys, social workers and victim advocates met in Saint Paul to discuss ‘red flag’ gun laws.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Since Jan. 1, when Minnesota’s ‘Red Flag Law’ first went into effect, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said his office has requested three Extreme Risk Protection Orders to take a person’s guns away.
A “red flag law” allows a family member, law enforcement or city official or guardian to petition for an Extreme Risk Protection Order that works to prohibit a person from possessing firearms for up to one year if “the respondent poses a significant danger of bodily harm for other persons or is at significant risk of suicide by possessing a firearm.”
Statewide, Choi said 77 Extreme Risk Protection Orders have been requested since the law went into effect. Those numbers may be lower than you’d expect. Choi said it’s because law enforcement officials are still figuring out how to use this new tool properly.
“We can use this new tool and be intentional about it,” Choi said.
Moving forward Choi said his office will require every officer who refers a case for felony charges to fill out a checklist to see if the individual may be a danger to themselves and others.
If the individual does pose a risk, then the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and law enforcement officers would work together to request an Extreme Risk Protection Order to take the person’s guns away.
“This is about preventing tragedy,” Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said.
Sheriff Fletcher supports this aggressive approach because in many cases he said a dangerous person could walk away without charges, but an order could still take their guns away temporarily.
“We talk to family members, and they say well we tried to warn people, we called the police, we told you what was going to happen,” Sheriff Fletcher said. “Our job is to be smart and to think ahead and figure out where the next tragedy is going to occur.”
The county is also working to educate the community so that family members can request an order to take a loved one’s guns away as well, and there are options to keep that request private so they don’t damage a person’s reputation.
“A judge has the option to seal those cases and keep them from public view, which helps maintain the dignity of a person who is likely going through a mental health crisis and needs to seek help,” consultant Christopher Carita said during a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Carita is the founder of Violence Prevention and Threat Management. He is a consultant Ramsey County hired to help officials create new procedures to better utilize Minnesota’s new ‘red flag law.’
Carita said Minnesota is among 21 states that have ‘red flag laws’ in place. In Florida there have been cases where officers responded to a mental health crisis and were able to request and obtain an Extreme Risk Protection Order within a few hours.
“They were still on the scene when it came back,” Carita explained. “This law is all about how an agency approaches it. Different police departments treat it as okay, it’s good we have it, we’ll worry about it if we need it. The problem with that is when no one takes responsibility for moving it forward that’s exactly what happens, you wait until there’s a tragedy where you needed it and then you’re not prepared to use it properly,” Carita said.
On Thursday, more than 150 police officers, attorneys, social workers and victim advocates met in Saint Paul to discuss Extreme Risk Protection Orders and how they could be used more effectively in the community.
“We can actually save lives. I really believe that,” Choi said.
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office also provided the following statistics that show which trends have emerged since Minnesota’s ‘red flag law’ went into effect on Jan. 1:
For the first 8 months of 2024
77 ERPOS (Emergency Risk Protection Orders) filed statewide
90% filed by law enforcement
Gender: Predominantly male, 88%
Race: Most respondents white, 80%
Mental Health: Three-quarters had a history of mental health issues
Firearms: 41% had one gun in the home, 19% had two, 40% had more than three
Domestic Violence: Half of all ERPO cases involved a risk of domestic violence
Mental Health: 26% of subjects were reported to be experiencing psychosis at the time of the filing
Threats to Law Enforcement: 19% of cases included threats directed toward law enforcement, often involving “suicide by cop”
Murder-Suicide Threats: 35% of cases involved threats of murder-suicide
Sheriff James Stuart with the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association also shared a statement regarding Minnesota’s ‘red flag law’ and the opportunities to use this new law more effectively in the future:
While Minnesota does not have a “Red flag law”, per se, the MSA has been actively engaged with the ERPO implementation process.
Our association has provided insight on the state’s ERPO implementation and has offered training and resource for Minnesota law enforcement, and several other professions that have been impacted by this law.
Once people understand the specifics of the law, we have generally found it to be well received within the community.
It has also been used as a tool by families and law enforcement to keep communities, and individuals, safer.
The sheriffs who have been involved with this process to this point, have not expressed any difficulties to us.
The elected sheriffs of Minnesota always strive to provide the safest communities possible.
The ERPO is another tool that can be used to accomplish that objective in appropriate circumstances.
We have not heard any Minnesota sheriffs express an unwillingness to enforce an ERPO, nor would I expect to hear such a thing.
Jacob Ryks and Mason Conlin rescued 5 children from a burning home during a Jan. 3 fire.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Not often do first responders do something so heroic that their colleagues take notice. But on Jan. 3, St. Paul firefighters Jacob Ryks and Mason Conlin did just that.
“Some of the stuff that they did really, really humbled me as the fire chief, and I’ve been on for 30 years,” said St. Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks.
On Jan. 3, six young children and their mother were trapped inside their St. Paul home. Ryks and Conlin ended up rescuing five of the kids, giving them a chance to survive. Tragically four of them passed away at the hospital.
“Each time they emerged, they carried an unconscious child, passing the victims to waiting EMS providers, before plunging back into the smoke filled home,” said Minnesota 100 Club Executive Director Julie Gotham.
On Thursday, the two were presented with firefighter of the year awards by the Minnesota 100 Club. The non-profit provides financial assistance to families who lost a first responder in the line of duty.
“This isn’t my award,” said Ryks. “This is the award for everyone that was there that day. This is the award for everyone in the ER and the ICU.”
Ryks and Conlin met each other the morning of the fire, but became best friends since. The two united through their heroism.
“Any other job, or most other jobs, you leave work and you are done with work, but this one it’s kinda like all of you, it’s everything that you do,” Conlin said.
“For me personally, loving my kids the way I do, loving my wife the way I do, that’s why I go into a burning building, because somebody loves those people just as much as I love my people,” Ryks added.
The two were also awarded the inaugural Mayors Medal of Honor at St. Paul’s State of the City address earlier this year.
Sisters Isabelle and Caroline have a booming bath business in Edina.
MINNEAPOLIS — When Minnesota sisters Isabel and Caroline Bercaw started making bath bombs in their basement ten years ago, little did they know their hobby would turn into a big business that now sells to thousands of stores across the US and Canada. Their retailers include Target, Ulta Beauty and CVS.
Da Bomb bath bombs fizz, release fragrances and create vibrant colors in your bath water. They also have a fun surprise inside.
The surprise might be a small toy, figurine, charm, or casual jewelry.
Their family-run business is based in Edina, where they’ve created over 200 jobs in the local community. All their products are handmade at their production facility and contain just a few simple ingredients.
Da Bomb has licensing agreements with brands like Disney, Star Wars, Hot Wheels, Barbie and Marvel.
They just launched the following bombs: Disney Princess, Moana and Lilo and Stitch.
Isabel and Caroline currently attend Columbia University in New York.
Though their parents and a team of employees now run the day-to-day operations of the Edina-based business, Isabel and Caroline can stay reasonably involved, especially when it comes to new product development and social media.
Along with authoring two DIY bath and beauty products books, Isabel and Caroline have received numerous local and national business awards including EY Entrepreneurs of the Year and Forbes 30 Under 30.
Fravel was charged with four counts of murder in Maddi’s death after her remains were discovered in a remote culvert near the Iowa border on June 7, 2023.
Dana Thiede, Felicity Dachel, KARE 11 Staff
11:25 AM CST November 7, 2024
11:28 AM CST November 7, 2024
MANKATO, Minn. — A jury in Blue Earth County has found Adam Fravel guilty on all counts in the 2023 murder of Maddie Kingsbury.
Fravel was charged with four counts of murder – two first-degree (premeditated, and with a pattern of domestic abuse) and two second-degree (intentional, and while in commission of a felony). Maddi was reported missing on March 31, 2023, after she and Fravel dropped their daughter and son off at daycare. Her remains were found weeks later on June 7, in a remote culvert near the community of Mabel, where Fravel’s parents live.
Both counts of first-degree murder carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
After listening to closing arguments Wednesday jurors deliberated for seven hours, resuming Thursday morning at 8 a.m. before announcing they had reached a verdict just before 10:45 a.m.
A medical examiner ruled her cause of death homicidal violence and testified Maddi likely died of asphyxia due to a bathroom towel wrapped around her neck that covered her mouth and nose.
Kingsbury’s family and friends sat on one side of the crowded courtroom during Wednesday’s closing arguments with Fravel’s family sitting behind him and his defense team.
During his closing, defense attorney Zach Bauer focused on what he described as “tunnel vision, revisionist history, and secret truths” that he says mar the state’s case. Prosecutors spent significant time drilling down on testimony from people about the troubled and deteriorating relationship between the defendant and Kingsbury, referencing testimony that included allegations of violence and manipulation.
After hours of deliberating Wednesday jurors returned to the courtroom with questions about premeditation and how that finding could impact other counts, a signal that the panel was getting close to a verdict.
