Man Identified as Person of Interest in Wetterling Case Files Lawsuit
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man who was wrongly named as a person of interest in the 1989 abduction of Jacob Wetterling is suing authorities.
Dan Rassier filed his federal lawsuit Wednesday. He was publicly named as a person of interest in 11-year-old Jacob's abduction in 2010 after his central Minnesota farm was searched by authorities.
Rassier maintained his innocence but wasn't cleared until last year after another man confessed and led authorities to Jacob's remains. Danny Heinrich is serving a 20-year sentence on a separate child pornography charge.
Rassier and his mother, Rita, are seeking more than $2 million in damages.
Among other things, the lawsuit against Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner and others alleges investigators obtained the search warrant for the farm illegally. A defense attorney says the investigators' actions were reasonable.