EAGAN, Minn. — After carrying out an “extensive” investigation into an alleged sexual assault in a popular park, Eagan police revealed Monday that the report was fabricated. 

Eagan police spokesman Sgt. Rich Evans says the party who reported the incident at Lebanon Hills Regional Park on Nov. 7 now admits the assault never took place and that her claims were false. The woman will be criminally charged with filing a false police report, Evans says. 

The reported assault set off concern in the Eagan community, especially when residents learned of a previous incident that took place on Sept. 7. Sgt. Evans says a woman was walking the trails at Lebanon Hills when a man snuck up and grabbed her. She fell, and the suspect ran away. 

Police are making solid progress in that case, Evans shared, following up on tips and using cell phone data from the park that day to narrow down a list of potential suspects. 

“In an effort to promote public safety, we continue to ask the public to be aware of your surroundings, watch out for each other, and report suspicious people or vehicles,” Sgt. Evans wrote in a press release sent out Tuesday. “While this case was found to be false, we are continuing to follow up on the September 7th incident.”

Eagan Police are thanking residents for increased vigilance and patience while the probe into the Nov. 7 incident played out. 

A Dallas couple is taking the owners of a former bar in town to court after receiving first, second, and third-degree burns following a visit to the establishment that they claim turned to terror when they ordered a fiery cocktail that exploded. 

The bar in question, the ‘Twisted Trick’ along Cedar Springs, has since closed its doors following the incident. Attorneys for the owners have already responded to the couple’s claims in court and denied the allegations, underscoring that the couple has failed to provide facts to support them. 

But Abbi Hance-Briscoe and Dustin ‘Dutty’ Johnson told WFAA that the scars on their arms, chest, neck, and faces didn’t fall from the sky. 

“That night gets replayed more than it should,” Johnson told WFAA. “It was horrific, traumatizing, and life-changing.” 

“One little choice of a restaurant–made all that life-changing difference,” Hance-Briscoe said. 

According to the lawsuit, on Aug. 26, the couple decided to swing into the Twisted Trick for a drink. They both told WFAA that they hadn’t seen each other in a few days after Johnson traveled to a wedding out of town. They chose the spot, Johnson said because the bar was newer. 

“It wasn’t even supposed to be a planned date night. It was just a, hey, I’ve missed you, and let’s go get a drink and a meal together,” Johnson said. “This bar didn’t seem to be getting a lot of traction, so we wanted to support them and give them a chance.” 

Sadly, the couple said they never got around to getting a meal. 

Johnson ordered a drink called the ‘Flaming Pineapple,’ a spicy Everclear cocktail, and was unaware that it came with a garnished lime that was on fire. 

“We’ve been to Tiki bars before, and so when it came out, I understood what was going to happen. They would do a little show, like a flash of fire, and then I’d drink it. I was like, oh, cute. Cool. It’s on fire,” Johnson said. 

However, according to the lawsuit, the “bartender added more Everclear to the drink and like the drink itself with a torch.” Hance-Briscoe said the bartender gave an extra pour because they were all having good conversation. 

“He was excited for us. Some job things we had going on and the fact Johnson was back in town,” Hance-Briscoe said. “He goes, ‘I’ll give it a little more,’ and poured some more, then lit the bar torch and the Everclear on fire in our direction.” 

Per the lawsuit, the “…drink ignited, shattering the drink glass, and spreading the fire onto Abigael and Dustin.” Moments of panic, pain, and terror felt like hours, the couple said, as they tried to get the flames out.

Johnson said he spatially understood what was happening and backed away quickly, yet still rushed out of the bar with his shirt, face, arms, beard, and chest hair on fire. 

“You can see the exact line of where my sleeves are on my burns. I ripped my shirt off, smothered my face with it, and then wiped my chest and everything else. I then went inside to see Abbi rolling on the ground,” Johnson said. 

Hance-Briscoe said she dropped to the floor in pain and started to roll around to get the flames out. Eventually, someone from the kitchen doused her with water, she said. 

The two were then rushed to Parkland Hospital’s burn unit. 

“I realized I was in a lot of pain,” Hance-Briscoe said. “I was burned up to my cheeks. My ear was burned on my left side. They had to shave one side of my head in the hospital because there was concern about injury to my scalp,” Hance-Briscoe said. 

“It was the craziest thing to picture you and the person you love more than anything in the world being loaded into a stretcher at the same time,” Hance-Briscoe said. 

Johnson was hospitalized for several days, and his long beard saved much of the skin on his upper body and face. Hance-Briscoe had the worst burns, was in the ICU for a week, remained hospitalized for six more, and has had three skin grafts. 

She also has reconstructive surgery planned for next February, as some of the grafting work isn’t healing correctly. What’s worse–she got sepsis while in the hospital and can’t put weight on her right leg. She uses a walker to get around; both have undergone extensive physical therapy. 

Hance-Briscoe also does speech therapy because she can’t feel parts of her face. 

“My skin was falling off of my arm, and they had to cut my bra off because it was melted into my skin,” Hance-Briscoe said. 

The pair hopes their story leads to better regulations or practices around bars in the metroplex and that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission adopts them, as none are currently on the books. 

“Just some rules–some structure. Something to prevent this from happening to someone else,” Hance-Briscoe said. 

The pair walk through this challenging chapter together–through pain together. 

“I remember saying going into the ambulance not to separate me from Dustin–he’s all I have,” she said. 

To help the couple with their impending medical bills, visit their GoFundMe link here.

LINO LAKES, Minn. — Faraaz “Yussuf” Mohammed has been the focus of a lot of news coverage this year — most recently for suing the city of Lino Lakes for alleged religious discrimination after they paused his proposed Muslim-centric Madinah Lakes development.

But when KARE 11’s story reporting that Faraaz was using an alias and didn’t have a contractor’s license made its way to Atlanta, it gave Alston Padgett of Whitco Roofing deja vu.

“It was sort of shocking that this is still going on,” Padgett said.

Padgett sent KARE 11 News a recording of an 18-minute phone call in November 2022 between their Atlanta-based commercial roofing company and on the other line — Faraaz and his boss Kristy Workman from Oklahoma City-based Elite Force Building Supply calling to issue an apology.

Invoices show Whitco Roofing paid Elite Force Building Supply $606,000 during the supply-chain problems in the pandemic. Padgett said they used Elite Force Building Supply instead of their usual suppliers because Faraaz, a salesman for Elite, claimed they had a factory in Turkey that could ship right away.

The November 2022 phone call begins with Faraaz telling the Whitco Roofing CEO, “I have been, for a lack of another way to say it, been dishonest — both to the leadership of Elite Force Building Supply and to you and your team about the whereabouts of [the product].”

Faraaz goes on to say, “I, on multiple occasions, have fabricated stories as to where the product is and where it’s going to be. And I want to apologize to you sincerely for that.”

On the call, Faraaz and Workman — who are on the line together — admit Faraaz forged bills of lading and have spoken with law enforcement in more than one state.

“The police were notified yesterday. We have been on the phone and because it’s in multiple states, it will probably be the FBI,” Workman said. “Due to forged documents, massive misappropriation of funds and materials, Fazaaz is under investigation in the state of Oklahoma and in Florida,” Workman said, adding that Whitco Roofing is not the only company involved.

Whitco Roofing’s CEO Grant Whitney then responds, “I’ll just be honest with you guys, that’s why I was hoping you would just send me my money back because we’ve been working with the FBI for weeks.”

A letter from the FBI office in Oklahoma City sent to Whitco Roofing states that they opened an investigation.

Whitney then reveals that his company has done its own digging and discovered the bills of lading that showed the ordered supplies were actually phony. At that point, Faraaz speaks up again:

“And sir, I will confirm that I am the one that’s responsible for this, 100%. This is not anything to do with Kristy or with Matthew [Farmer, Elite Force’s CEO]. I was the one that was responsible for it,” Faraaz said.

The last word from Faraaz on the phone call: “I just wanted to apologize, sir, one more time. I’m not sure how I came down this path so far and I am trying to be fully cooperative as well and trying to make this right.”

Before the call ends, Whitney tells Faraaz and Workman that he would not pursue charges if they would pay back the money. But Whitco officials say they have not received a dime. On the phone call Workman says the money was spent on business overhead.

“They never ordered the supplies. They never had the supplies. They never had a factory that could make the supplies,” said Padgett, Whitco’s CFO.

The aspect of the Lino Lakes case that concerns the Atlanta roofing company the most is that Faraaz was taking deposits for people wanting to live in the Madinah Lakes development before his company Zikar Holdings even owned the land.

“It’s a bit frustrating that they haven’t been stopped,” Padgett said.

Seven days after that November 2022 phone call, Faraaz filed a police report in Blaine where he had just moved back with his parents. According to the police report, Faraaz said he had a “falling out with his ex-business partner Matthew Farmer” and feared for his family’s lives because of a threat.

When reached for comment, Farmer said the complaint was completely unfounded.

Faraaz Yussuf Mohammed did not respond KARE 11’s requests for an interview.

A spokesperson for his company Zikar Holdings, Jon Austin, issued a statement:

“Mr. Mohammed is not aware of any investigation into his activities in Oklahoma or anywhere else. While he was employed for a period of time by the company you mentioned, he was not the subject of the civil suit or any criminal prosecution in connection with the company or its business practices.

“In fact, Mr. Mohammed’s last engagement with this company was seeking – and receiving – a court-mandated restraining order against one of its owners for his unrelenting and threatening harassment of Mr. Mohammed and his family.

“Any allegations to the contrary are false and defamatory and wholly without merit. Anyone propagating such malicious falsehoods is exposing themselves to legal actions for their reckless behavior.”