Fight, Mace Spraying at Olmsted County Fair Under Investigation

Update: Woman Charged for Fight, Mace Spraying at Olmsted County Fair

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an apparent fight and mace spraying at the Olmsted County Fair Wednesday night. 

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Sheriff’s Captain Tim Parkin said the incident was reported shortly after 10 p.m. It involved a group of young men and women. 

Limited information was available as of Thursday morning, however Parkin said an altercation involving members of the group appeared to have spilled over into a parking lot on the south end of the fairgrounds. At one point an adult female involved in the altercation deployed a canister of what was described as mace or bear spray causing the crowd to disperse. 

Parkin said the spray clung to hot and heavy air, causing deputies to call the Rochester Fire Department to scene to treat people for minor exposure. He said it’s unknown how many people were affected by the lingering spray but indicated no one was transported from the fairgrounds for further care. 

Parkin said some of the musical act’s crew members complained of the smell from the lingering spray, which is estimated to have clung to the air for about 30 minutes. Detectives have identified some of the individuals involved but Parkin says the sheriff’s office needs to comb through more witness statements and review security camera footage that captured part of the incident. 

None of the names of the individuals involved in the incident have been released. No word on whether or not any arrests were made.