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State orders Hennepin County to reduce jail population
The Minnesota Department of Corrections cited failures by the county to provide adequate well-being checks, in addition to staffing woes inside the jail.
MINNEAPOLIS — Citing a failure to provide adequate well-being checks and staffing woes, the Minnesota Department of Corrections placed the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center’s license on conditional status and ordered the jail to reduce its inmate population by more than 200 by Thursday, Nov. 14, at noon.
According to the order issued on Oct. 31, the “failure to comply with these legal requirements has contributed to conditions that have the potential to pose an imminent risk of life-threatening harm or serious physical injury to individuals confined or incarcerated in the facility if left uncorrected.”
KARE 11 Investigates has reported for years on the troubling pattern in the Hennepin County Jail, including the July 2022 death of Lucas Bellamy, whose family filed a federal lawsuit alleging that staff ignored his pleas for medical care and left him to die from a treatable ulcer. On Monday, it was revealed that Hennepin County settled with Bellamy’s family for $3.4 million.
In the time immediately after Bellamy’s death, the Department of Correction’s latest review cited seven additional deaths in Hennepin County custody since September 2022. In all of those deaths, the DOC found that the jail “failed to meet the requirements of the well-being check rule.” Additionally, the state faulted the county for failing to maintain staffing ratios.
“By failing to meet minimum staffing requirements,” the DOC wrote, “Hennepin County ADC is unable to adequately supervise inmates, respond to emergencies, care for the well-being of all inmates, and conduct well-being checks that comply with the rule.”
In a statement, Sheriff Dawanna Witt said she’s working closely with neighboring sheriffs to relocate inmates outside of Hennepin County and that about 180 inmates still need to be moved to comply with the state’s capacity limit of 600. According to Hennepin County Board documents, Dakota is among the neighboring counties helping to ease Hennepin’s jail population burden, with an agreement in place through 2026.
However, with so many inmates left to relocate, Witt said she’s requesting an extension from the DOC until Dec. 5.
“We were surprised and disappointed to receive this order. We have worked extensively with the DOC for the past several months to address some of the concerns that are raised in this order. Some aspects of this order contradict both Minnesota law and the DOC’s own standards and training materials,” Witt said. “We have raised these concerns repeatedly with the DOC and have offered to meet, but they have not responded to these offers. We intend to appeal the order and seek review by a court if necessary. Statewide, there is a frustration with the DOC’s sliding scale of care standards and procedures.”
Kevin Anderson, a Hennepin County Commissioner representing District 7, said Witt “is the right person to manage this.”
“It’s a big lift. We have some capacity at our adult correction facility to kind of flex some of our population,” Anderson said. “We also have agreements with neighboring counties. I’m sure that we will be able to meet the needs and comply with any of the orders.”
In an interview with KARE 11 earlier this year, Sheriff Witt spoke extensively about struggles inside the Hennepin County Jail and said her agency was about 20% short of licensed jail deputies. To bolster staffing levels, Witt said Monday that she’s offering more overtime and continues to aggressively recruit deputies.
“The staffing challenges in the aftermath of George Floyd has been absolutely devastating across communities, not just with the Sheriff’s Department,” Anderson said. “Public safety responders, in general, have been really stretched thin. But we’re getting there.”
Since Sept. 15, there have been 9 homicides in Saint Paul.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul officials are asking for the public’s help after a recent surge in violent crime.
In the last two months there have been nine homicides in the city and three shootings involving St. Paul police officers.
A group of police, city, and church leaders leaders, as well as community advocates gathered in front of media Thursday at SPPD headquarters. The main message from police, the mayor, and community advocates was a plea from residents to speak up and help them tackle gun violence. And that in order to tackle gun violence residents need to speak up.
Chief Axel Henry was among them and didn’t take questions about those specific instances because the BCA is investigating. Axel did say those three cases involved homicide suspects with firearms.
“We don’t want people being shot in our city,” said Henry. “Most of our weapons offenders, some of someone in their lives knew they had access to a gun or had a gun.”
“There are so many people that are on your side, young people,” said Senior Pastor Melvin Miller of Progressive Baptist Church. “If you find a young person that is stressed and is challenged and is about to make a bad choice, please reach out.”
Advocates are also calling for more resources for youth.
Despite this uptick in crime in St. Paul, the city is on track to see fewer killings than 2023. Police also pointed to the recovery of more than 550 guns this year.
Studies show 49% of preschool teachers say they suspended a kid in the past year.
MINNEAPOLIS — There’s a troubling trend nationwide, more preschoolers are getting expelled and suspended.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says the rate is three times more for preschoolers than children in K-through-12, and educators are sounding the alarm.
At a community briefing Thursday hosted by St. David’s Center, Doctor Tim Zeng with the Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation in Boston presented his research. Among other observations, Zeng found that 49% of pre-school teachers said they suspended a child in the past year.
Black children account for almost 50% of public preschool suspensions but less than one-fifth of all preschoolers. Children with disabilities are also more likely to be suspended, and boys are expelled 4.5 times more than girls.
“The children have to learn about problem solving skills in the classroom setting, instead of just sending them home,” Zeng said.
Grace Neighborhood Nursery School in Uptown aims to be part of the solution in turning the page on expulsion and suspension rates. The preschool’s executive director, Barb Murphy, says these early developmental years are foundational for lifelong success, and the school takes an individualized approach with each student.
“They are living in the real world, and we have to understand their world, so that we can tailor our strategies to meet them where they are,” Murphy said. “We want every child to leave here to say, I like school and I know how to do school.”
Murphy says in the 10 years she has been at Grace Neighborhood, they have never expelled a child. She believes a big reason for their success is because class sizes are small, and they have the staff to be able to give students the one on one time they may need. Unfortunately, this is a luxury not all preschools have.
The reward for a tip leading to an arrest in beloved physician Cathy Donovan’s death has grown to $25,000.
MILLE LACS, Minn — One year after the death of a beloved central Minnesota doctor, her family is pleading for justice.
Dr. Cathy Ann Donovan was struck by a vehicle and killed as the 56-year-old walked her dogs along Highway 169 near her home just outside Onamia, Minnesota, on Nov. 13, 2023.
The family is still pleading for justice.
“I think it was the assistant medical examiner who was one of the first people on the scene and just sat there with her and she told me that and so it’s been very hard for them,” said Donovan’s twin sister Robin Councilman. “This isn’t just a case, this is their doctor, their friend, their neighbor.”
Donovan – who worked at Mille Lacs Health System – was known by colleagues for her “strong and compassionate” leadership. She is survived by two adult children and her sisters and parents.
“It was a relationship so close, we knew what was going on with each other sometimes without even saying,” said Councilman. “I had never taken a breath that she wasn’t also breathing.”
The area where Donovan was hit is fairly remote and there’s no description of the vehicle involved, but law enforcement asked residents to watch for vehicles with “significant front-end damage.”
At one point investigators believed a Twin Cities resident who owns a Tesla was involved in the fatal hit-and-run, but charges were never filed and eventually authorities said that driver had been ruled out as a suspect.
The sheriff said any of the dozen or so vehicles of interest have since been cleared. He said they’re looking for a car that wasn’t caught on camera and only seen by witnesses near the area. He said it’s silver and similar to a Ford Focus.
The reward for a tip leading to an arrest in Donovan’s death has grown to $25,000.
Anyone with information on the fatal incident or the driver responsible is asked to contact the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office at 320-983-8346.
“That’s my hope, that somebody will decide to come forward,” said Councilman. “We need to know, we need to stop worrying every time the phone rings is this going to be the answer or not.”
