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Judge sentences 18-year-old woman for role in park stabbing
Proscutors say Kristy Hanson of Plymouth worked with her boyfriend to carry out an attack on a person she claimed was part of a group that sexually assaulted her.
NEW HOPE, Minn. — An 18-year-old woman was sentenced to more than six years in prison for her role in an attack on a man in a New Hope park.
Court documents indicate that Kristy Hanson of Plymouth will serve a sentence of 74 months (6.1 years) in the Shakopee Women’s Correctional Facility after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting first-degree assault leading to great bodily harm. In exchange for the plea, a more serious charge of aiding and abetting first-degree attempted murder was dropped.
The criminal complaint filed against Hanson details how squads were dispatched to Civic Center Park in New Hope on July 25, 2023, on reports of a stabbing. Upon arrival, bystanders directed officers to a man who was covered in blood and had obvious stab wounds to his neck and chest. The victim was rushed to a local hospital and treated for 10 separate lacerations and puncture wounds.
Witnesses told police they heard screaming and ran to the park pavilion where they found a man, later identified as 21-year-old Chong Vang, on the victim. They said Vang kept saying the victim was a rapist. After the bystanders pleaded with him, Vang eventually got up and fled the park.
Police recovered surveillance video that captured both the attack and events that proceeded it, including footage from the nearby Hy-Vee store that showed the victim entering the store and purchasing a soda. While he was making the purchase, a woman could be seen taking a photo of the victim. Police soon identified her as 18-year-old Kristy Hanson.
The court documents say investigators learned where Hanson lived, went to the address and found both her and the alleged attacker Vang. Both were taken into custody.
When questioned Hanson reportedly told detectives that she had been dating Vang for about 10 months and during the relationship, she told him that a group of at least five men had sexually assaulted her previously. She provided the names to Vang, including the name of the man who would become victim of the attack. During the interview Hanson allegedly told investigators Vang promised he would get “injustice” for her, and they discussed how he would kill the individuals if he found them.
The complaint says Hanson admitted the couple went to Hy-Vee on July 26 looking for one of the alleged rapists and saw his car in the parking lot. After finding the man inside the store, Hanson told police she took his picture and called Vang. Following the attack, prosecutors say the defendant picked Vang up in a vehicle, took him to a nearby YMCA to wash the blood off, and then reportedly took him to Target to buy him some new clothes. They then returned to her home.
Investigators recovered Hanson’s journal and found an entry that read “On Wed July 26 Justice was served.”
Minnesota law calls for Kristy Hanson to serve two-thirds of the 6.1-year sentence. She will be credited for 227 days already served.
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The chief was discussing the shooting of Davis Maturi, who for months had been contact with the MPD about escalating harassment from his neighbor, John Sawchak.
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said his department “failed” after a man was shot, allegedly by his neighbor in the city.
“We failed this victim. 100%, because that should not have happened to him,” said O’Hara in a Sunday evening press conference.
The chief was discussing the shooting of Davis Moturi, who for months had been contact with the MPD about escalating harassment from his neighbor, John Sawchak.
Sawchak was charged with shooting Moturi as he was pruning a tree on his front yard on Oct. 23.
Moturi remains hospitalized with a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion.
O’Hara and the MPD came under a heavy attack from the Minneapolis City Council after it was revealed that the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office had charged Sawchak, but the MPD had not arrested him.
“MPD still has not arrested the suspect despite charges from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for Attempted Murder, 1st Degree Assault, Stalking, and Harassment and a request from the HCAO for a warrant with $1 million bail. MPD told the HCAO they do not intend to execute the warrant ‘for reasons of officer safety,’” said the letter from the Minneapolis City Council.
“We failed to act urgently enough,” said O’Hara, before citing staffing concerns as a contributing factor.
It was a stark difference from the tone the chief initially took on Friday, then saying “If we wound up in a deadly situation, the headlines would read ‘MPD shot mentally ill person’.”
On Sunday, O’Hara said his previous comments were meant as a response to accusations that the MPD “didn’t care,” about the case.
“This is the result of over-politicizing policing in Minneapolis,” said O’Hara.
O’Hara stated that the MPD will, for the moment, continue waiting for Sawchak to exit his home to arrest him, but the chief added “We are running out of options before we have to escalate the matter.”
The heated back-and-forth between the city council and the chief continued earlier Sunday when Minneapolis City Council member Emily Koski released a statement questioning O’Hara and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey actions in the matter.
“Our Chief of Police is hiding behind excuses, and our Mayor…is just hiding.” said Koski in the statement.
Cities across Minnesota expanded voting hours and locations for the upcoming presidential election.
MINNEAPOLIS — Expanded early voting hours and locations are giving Minnesotans more opportunities to cast their ballots before the general election.
Over 1,000 people visited Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services over the weekend to make their voice heard.
“We have always voted as a family. We have this right as Americans to vote, and we wanted him to know right from the get-go that you’ve got to vote in every single election because this is our voice, this is our opportunity to really pick the future that we want based on the candidate that we vote for,” said Kelly Wallander.
Kelly and her husband, Claude, picked up their son Harrison from college, so they could all vote in the general election for the first time as a family.
“It’s interesting. It’s cool to see elections on TV, basically as long as I can remember, and now know that I’m a part of it and being able to vote with my parents is cool,” Harrison said.
“I like voting early just because exactly you miss the line and you get it in there,” Claude said.
Director of Elections and Voter Services for the City of Minneapolis Katie Smith said the past two days have been busy.
“We’ve had really solid turnout. We’ve had about 42,000 people who have already voted in this election,” she said.
She anticipates next weekend will be even busier.
“Every year we kind of looking at how many people we’re planning for and how many people are coming through. We try to always expand our service hours as we get closer and closer to the election,” she said.
Smith said they’ve also started using pop-up voting locations to reach more people.
“In 2023, there was a legislative change that allows for us to have sites around the city that are open for different lengths of time as well as different dates form our main site. We’ve really taken the opportunity to host some one-day early vote pop-ups… in some unique and really great spaces throughout the city,” Smith said.
Sunday’s pop-up was at the Capri Theater. Paige Gayle voted here along with her sister.
“I like early voting because it’s convenient, it’s fast and it’s quick,” she said. “I work on actual election day, so for me it was important to get out beforehand.”
Smith said offering more voting opportunities for people in Minneapolis is crucial to their work.
“It’s so important to be able to offer all of these voting methods so that people can find something that works really well for them and make their voting plan,” Smith said.
Voters tell KARE 11 one of the perks to early voting is little to no wait. Voting early also gives them peace of mind and is one less thing to do on election day.
“It’s so much more convenient. This way I don’t have to worry about it. I’ll still be working on election day, so I would have had to go in before or after work. Now, I don’t have to worry about it. I know my vote will be counted,” Macy Bauers said.
Bauers said she votes in every election and hopes more people take advantage of early voting in the coming days.
The two adults who were killed were both male, according to the department, which is investigating the shooting.
MINNEAPOLIS — Three people were shot, two of them fatally in a Minneapolis encampment on Sunday afternoon, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.
The shooting occurred on the 4400 block of Snelling Avenue shortly after 3 p.m., said the MPD.
The two adults who were killed were both male, according to the department, which is investigating the shooting.
A woman was also taken to the hospital after the shooting and is in critical condition, said the MPD.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
