No Charges For Officers Involved in Rochester Man’s Death
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Rochester police officers involved in an incident that resulted in the death of a Rochester man in March will not face any criminal charges in the case.
Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem asked his counterpart in Winona County to review the findings of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's investigation into the death of 39-year-old Albert Dashow and Karin Sonneman has found the evidence does not support bringing criminal charges against any of the officers. In a letter to Ostrem, Sonneman says the evidence indicates Dashow's death “appears to have resulted from his medical conditions in combination with the stress of the incidence.”
Rochester Police Chief Jim Franklin shared, “Mr. Dashow’s death was a tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
Dashow became unresponsive and died in police custody on the night of March 27th. Police reports stated the officers involved were attempting to make a traffic stop in the parking lot at Cub Foods when Dashow tried to drive away. The officers were able to stop him a short distance away and a physical struggle broke out as they were attempting to take him into custody. The investigative report indicated it was after Dashow had been subdued that he became unresponsive and the officers started life-saving efforts that included CPR and the law use of a portable heart defibrillator.
Sonneman's letter says the investigation determined the officers did not use excessive force toward Dashow and his death was not the result of criminal conduct by the responding officers. It was earlier noted that no weapons, including tasers, were used to subdue Dashow.
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