Minnesota State Senator who tried to meet teen for sexual encounter sponsored a bill declaring "Trump Derangement Syndrome" a mental illness

Every Republican accusation is a confession.

Eichorn is known for introducing bad bills based on far-right dog whistles like chemtrail paranoia and transphobia. In 2021 Eichorn objected to a bill requiring Minnesota schools to teach about sexual orientations and gender identities, saying “before you know it, they’ll be reading kids ‘50 Shades of Grey.’ This discussion is better had at a more mature age.”

https://apnews.com/article/senator-justin-eichorn-resigns-b79bc500b740f61d1e5f280e3822fb9b

Minnesota state senator resigns after he was charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution

By  STEVE KARNOWSKI

Updated 2:43 PM CDT, March 20, 2025

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Republican Minnesota state senator who was caught in a sting operation resigned under fire Thursday after he was charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution, stepping down before the Senate could vote on whether to expel him.

Justin Eichorn, of Grand Rapids, submitted his resignation in a brief email to Gov. Tim Walz, saying: “I must focus on personal matters at this time. It has been an honor to serve in the Minnesota Senate.”

His former colleagues expressed relief.

“Decisive action needed to take place, and we did not want this to cloud up the issues of the budget going forward, and the things that Minnesotans really need,” Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, of East Grand Forks, told reporters. “So we want to take care of this quickly and be done with this.”

Eichorn, 40, has been jailed since his arrest in Bloomington on Monday in an undercover operation targeting commercial sex involving juveniles.

At Eichorn’s first court appearance Thursday, Magistrate Judge Shannon Elkins ordered his release to a halfway house with GPS monitoring once a space opens up. She ordered him to have no unsupervised contact with minors and only restricted, monitored access to computers and the internet. He did not enter a plea. His next court appearance is set for Wednesday.

Federal defender Aaron Morrison, who represented Eichorn only for the purposes of Thursday’s brief hearing, told the court that Eichorn was still in the process of hiring a private lawyer. Morrison declined to take questions afterward.

The nameplate on Eichorn’s desk in the Senate chamber was removed before Thursday’s floor session. Afterward, Johnson said the charge was “so severe” and the charging documents so “very damning” that his members agreed unanimously that the rare step of expulsion was justified and they were prepared to vote him out.

“This would’ve been a cloud hanging over the Senate. We don’t need another one of those,” he said. “So now we’re able to get back to work.”

Investigators had placed multiple ads online offering sex for money, according to the charging documents. Eichorn exchanged text messages with an undercover officer purporting to be a 17-year-old girl for several days until they arranged a meet-up, where he was arrested.

“I saw your post and (sic) chance you are still available tonight?” one asked, according to an FBI affidavit, while a later message asked, “What’s a guy gota do to get with the hottest girl online tonight.”

After his arrest, officers seized two cellphones, a condom and $129 in cash.

The federal charge is attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution. Six other suspects were arrested in the sting, prosecutors said. Federal prosecutor LeeAnn Bell declined after Thursday’s hearing to say why federal authorities had taken over the case from the county prosecutor.

According to Eichorn’s profile, which has now been removed from the Senate website, he is married with four children. He listed his profession as entrepreneur and was first elected in 2016. He got some national attention earlier this month as one sponsor of a not-very-serious bill that would have designated “Trump derangement syndrome” as a mental illness.

The governor, who had been among the many Democrats who also called for Eichorn’s resignation, will have to call a special session to fill the empty seat. Until then, Senate Democrats will have a two-seat majority. The northern Minnesota district voted heavily for President Donald Trump in the November election.

Senate Democrats have come under GOP fire for protecting Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell, of Woodbury, who was arrested last spring on a felony charge for allegedly burglarizing her estranged stepmother’s home.

Democratic leaders, who have resisted GOP efforts to force her out, say she deserves to have the legal process play out first. Mitchell was absent from Thursday’s floor session where the vote to expel Eichorn would have taken place.

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, of St. Paul, said she was glad that Eichorn resigned, but drew a distinction between his case and Mitchell’s. She said letting him return would have put interns and other Senate employees at risk.

“It is hard to conceive of a way that Mr. Eichorn could have returned to this Capitol to operate in any way other than putting others at risk,” Murphy told reporters. “It is a night and day situation, and they’re not comparable.”

Star Tribune Reporter Christa Lawler offers sympathy for the devil in pro-killer fluff piece

This one-sided fluff piece fails to mention a few facts. First, the Axtell family claims they're donating the procees of their dubious "fundraiser" to child abuse charitis but the Axtells had stated on their Facebook page it was going to Levi's defense. This fluff piece fails to mention anything about Levi Axtell's Facebook posts discussing murdering "pedophiles" or his vandalism charge that was removed from his record after his 3-year probation term was completed. According to some who knew him, Levi apparently had a drinking problem and was apparently drunk the day of the murder. 

There's no way Levi Axtell did not plan the murder. 

On the upside, this article inadvertantly points out two important points. One-- Axtell based his bogus restraining order on rumors, not reality, and two, the Axtell family has been directly involved in messing with Lawrence Scully, not just Levi. That whole family should be hauled to jail as far as I',m concerned. 

ADDENDUM: The Star-Tribune is trying to prevent us from criticizing this yellow "journalist." Ever heard of the Fair Use Doctrine?

https://www.startribune.com/he-killed-a-monster-grand-marais-mans-death-has-locals-pulling-for-his-alleged-killer/600271170/

'He killed a monster': Grand Marais man's death has locals pulling for his alleged killer

Levi Axtell, who has confessed to murdering Lawrence Scully, has a lot of support from those who knew about the dead man's past. 

By Christa Lawler Star Tribune APRIL 29, 2023 — 4:21PM

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. — Brandy Aldrighetti had long known the details of her next-door neighbor's past — a conviction for child molestation decades ago. She kept a stun gun in her home and was always hyper-aware of Lawrence Scully's movements. There haven't been a lot of children who have lived in the Gofer Cabins complex, but she warned the families of those who did.

Aldrighetti said she wasn't surprised when she heard that Scully had been murdered by a man who feared he was stalking his daughter and other children. Levi Axtell, in a bloodied shirt, walked into the police station on March 8 and confessed to beating Scully, 77, to death with a shovel and deer antlers, according to court records. The 27-year-old said he had known Scully for years, believed he had sexually abused children in the past and feared he would again.

Aldrighetti, herself a victim of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a relative, voices support for Axtell.

"To me, Levi is like St. George who slayed the dragon — he killed a monster," she said.

(COMMENTARY: Who cares what this rando thinks? What does that have to do with the cae at hand?)

Many in this town of 1,300 on the North Shore of Lake Superior have rallied around the confessed killer — including members of the dead man's estranged family, who have their own accusations of sexual abuse against Scully and have helped with fundraising drives for Axtell's family.

"It's too bad that it came to this," said Amber Lovaasen, Scully's niece who designed T-shirts with slogans that support people affected by sexual assault, the proceeds of which go to Axtell's family. "But nobody is sorry he's gone."

(Commentary: Lawler fails to mention the T-Shirts have fists on them, thus promoting using physical violence)

***

Scully's house is only four blocks from the police station. A wooden sign — "Live on Larry" in block letters — sits next to a trailer on Scully's property on the outskirts of town. Intricate antler carvings, which Scully was known for, sit on a wooden beam. It's the closest thing to a funereal remembrance to Lawrence Scully.

(COMMENTARY: I have spoken with loved ones of Lawrence Scully and they're not given the opportunity to speak out.)

A sign warns against trespassing; another about surveillance. Black plastic garbage bags are stacked alongside the house, some partially covered by tarps. The yard is dotted with satellite dishes, and a Virgin Mary statue faces the driveway.

On a recent gray afternoon, a porch light was on, a window cracked open, but no one answered the door.

Scully is believed to have at least three children, none of whom live in Grand Marais. His son Tim Scully, who lives in Florida, did not respond to messages. Andrew Scully could not be located.

Levi Axtell and Lawrence Scully first officially tangled about five years ago when Axtell petitioned Cook County Court for a restraining order against Scully. He accused the longtime resident of parking near the Cook County YMCA where young children, including Axtell's nearly 2-year-old daughter, regularly walked past his van.

"I fear for my daughter's safety and well-being knowing that Scully is out there stalking and grooming children — like giving them gifts and stuff," Axtell said, according to transcripts from the court hearing. "And while I'm at work and unable to watch out for her, it's very distressing for me."

Axtell didn't have specific instances of harassment. The request was based on things that he had heard second-hand about Scully — a prison sentence, rumors of public misconduct at a local restaurant, that he waved at children when they passed by him.

(Commentary: So here we hear some facts. In reality, Levi Axtell just made shit up!)

Cook County Judge Michael Cuzzo told Axtell that he couldn't justify a restraining order, but if Scully were to interact with Axtell's daughter, in light of the hearing, the father would have a reason to reapply.

"But what I've also heard from Mr. Scully is that he has no intent of doing anything like that, and I certainly hope that's the case," Cuzzo said at the 2018 hearing. "Because I would hope that we don't have to have people come back into court as a result of acts that may have occurred that may potentially justify the issuance of that harassment restraining order."

Cuzzo, who is currently handling the murder case, is not able to comment for this story. Axtell's family declined an interview request.

***

...

Scully's felonious past might have remained a rumor, passed by word of mouth from longtime residents to new neighbors, if he hadn't run for mayor of Grand Marais in 2014. In the days before the election the Cook County News Herald reported on his conviction. He lost the mayoral bid.

Patrick Scully got a 50-year, 1,000-foot perimeter restraining order against his brother on behalf of several family members — his wife and his brother Jon. It was still in effect when Lawrence died. In the petition filed in 2019, Patrick Scully cited a "life long history of sexual and verbal (abuse) and torture to myself and our 6 other siblings." He said Lawrence also followed his car and watched him from afar, sometimes interrupting both him and his wife at work.

The restraining order didn't keep Lawrence Scully away. He continued to pop up on the periphery at public events, occasionally in a Gandalf costume, watching him, Patrick said.

In late 2020, Alison McIntyre of Cook County Public Health and Human Services filed a petition for a judicial commitment for Scully, who was deemed to pose "a risk of harm due to mental illness." According to court documents, his case worker at the time was Anna Ross, a social worker for Cook County Community Human Services. She was married to Axtell between 2018 and 2020 and shares a child with him.

(Comment: Anna Ross should be fired immediately. How did she get away with a blatant conflict of interest?)

Ross did not respond to messages.

Scully was briefly given a stay of commitment, but he was unable to meet his conditions and was sent to a mental health facility in Baxter, Minn. He wasn't gone long.

Patrick Scully remembers the phone call he got from his brother about two months later.

"He's back," Jon Scully told him.

***

Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen said there have been murders in Grand Marais, but he can't recall someone being beaten to death in the way Scully was.

Grand Marais Mayor Tracy Benson described the case as painful in all directions — including two families with long histories in the community.

"These are the people we see at the Post Office, the grocery store, we work with them and share interests, faith communities, volunteer together, [and] raise kids," Benson said in an email. "Our local enforcement and our county attorney's office work under the double weight of their professional services while in their private lives interacting with all as well."

The connection between the confessed killer's family and the victim's estranged family was first forged online almost immediately following the murder. Katrina Axtell, Levi's sister, started an online fundraising campaign. Lovaasen was quick to help out, designing and then selling T-shirts, with proceeds going to the Axtell family and organizations that support survivors of sexual abuse.

(COMMENT: The Axtells admitted the fundraising money was going to them and for xtell's attorney. And the T-Shirts promote vigilante violence and have fists on them.)

Earlier this month, Patrick, his wife, Tracy, and Jon Scully all wore the matching dark T-shirts with the words "Our Connection Is Our Strength. Two Families. One Goal. Stop Childhood Sexual Abuse."

The family has offered to donate proceeds from the sale of their parents' property to help pay for the near-stranger's defense.

"Emotions are strong, no doubt about that," said Eliasen, who knows Axtell and his family and said Scully had often visited his office with complaints. "Given the past of Mr. Scully and even the past of Mr. Axtell, you have people on both sides who feel very strongly."

Around town, people here think fondly of Axtell, who has a big smile and favors dad jokes, they say. They aren't in favor of vigilantism, but they won't miss Scully.

A truck parked downtown had a bumper sticker in its back window: "Love for Levi."

Michael Farnum said he is heartbroken for Axtell, whom he considers a friend.

"I have four kids," he said. "Who knows where I would start and stop. I feel betrayed by the judicial system."

Franklin Smith described Axtell as guy whose family was of utmost importance to him.

"Anyone you talk to will be siding with Levi," he said.

(Comment: Not "Anyone," just the ones this yellow journalist chooses to quote. Lying sack of dung!)

Passive-Aggressive workers at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program makes phony Facebook group to mock detainee activist group

 For years, I've endured a nasty, pathetic waste of space who thinks that parodying everything I create is somehow going to stop me from speaking out against the registry. To quote Rocky the Flying Squirrel, "But that trick never works."

So I imagine that a few asshole-ish workers at the Moose Lake concentration camp *ahem* "civil commitment center" must be thinking when they devised a similar strategy. 

For years, the workers at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program ShadOw Prison (MSOP) have tried hard to silence the prisoner group "Overcoming Corruption Encouraging All Nations" (OCEAN). MSOP has tried making it a rules violation for prisoners to support OCEAN (aka End MSOP). 

Since silencing criticism isn't working, passive-aggressive workers at the MSOP concentration camp has created a closed Facebook group called "The Voices of LAND (MSOP Support)" The group description:

"LAND. Learning About New Dangers. This group is about supporting the men and women who put their lives on the line to ensure that peoples deepest fears do not become a reality (again.) As some know, but not all, a Facebook group called OCEANS is active and trying to downplay the severity of the crimes committed by those residing at MSOP and protesting for their release before proper treatment has been achieved, all while spreading misinformation about the staff and the facility as a whole. Thus creating an extremely dangerous place to work!

!Disclaimer!

The opinions expressed on this page are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the MN DHS."

This is obviously a mockery of OCEAN, as LAND is opposed to OCEAN. Consider this --Notice they said "OCEANS" not OCEAN." The owner of this page cannot even write a coherent statement. And 70% of the world is covered by the OCEAN. The ones polluting the OCEAN live on the LAND, which they also pollute. So maybe it is fitting that the MSOP trolls are using LAND to describe themselves.

Quite frankly, everyone in this group should be immediately fired. 

"Midwest Predator Catchers" leader Chase Johnston has an extensive criminal history and is now accused of sexual assault

This Vanilla Ice looking clown is Chase Johnston, yet another common criminal who is trying to gain notoriety as a vigilante. According to this report, Johnston already has served time for drugs and theft, was civilly committed, as well as currently facing charges for assaulting his girlfriend and threatening to kill her family members, and now add a second assault with sexual undertones to the mix. 

The typical online vigilante is like this guy. Cops should look at all of these chumps as criminals and lock them all up.

https://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/youtube-vigilante-on-mission-to-expose-sexual-predators-faces-his-own-sex-assault-charges

YouTube vigilante on mission to expose sexual predators faces his own sex assault charges - Post Bulletin | Rochester Minnesota news, weather, sports

ROCHESTER — Chase Johnston began his crusade to hunt down alleged child predators earlier this year.

The Rochester man, 28, taking a cue from the now-defunct NBC show "To Catch a Predator," confronts men who he believes are potential child predators, luring them to a location and filming their responses after being confronted. Each of Johnston's videos have garnered thousands of views as he and his vigilante group confront individuals.

His group, Midwest Predator Catchers - Rochester, aggressively goes after people they believe are trying to lure children in for sex. They pose as children in online forums.

"I got online one day and I think within an hour I had a guy respond and offer me $400 for sex, and when I told him I was 14, he had no cares at all," Johnston told the Post Bulletin. "He just wanted to take advantage of this 14-year-old girl."

Comment after comment on his YouTube videos show signs of encouragement.

"VERY educational and entertaining catch. You guys did well," reads one comment.

"You guys are awesome keep up the great job exposing these creeps," reads another.

But Johnston's and his friend's tactics during these videos differ dramatically from the calm and collected way "To Catch A Predator" host Chris Hansen approached his marks.

Johnston's videos often include threats of violence against the people he's filmed.

"We don't assault them," Johnston said. "We do want to scare them a little bit sometimes, but we don't want to physically hurt them."

Johnston said at least one of the people who comes along for the stings has a license to carry a firearm.

Complaints from targets

In an ironic twist of events, Johnston was charged with sexually assaulting one of the men during a May 2022 confrontation in a Rochester gas station.

The YouTube video on Johnston's channel shows Johnston and his friends berating and threatening a man they accuse of trying to lure a 15-year-old boy for sex. The criminal complaint in that case alleges that Johnston struck the man in the genitals and face.

"I'll never plead to those charges," Johnston said. "I'll take this all the way to trial."

The judge ordered Johnston not to have any contact with minors, according to Johnston.

"I said, 'Well, that's not going to be problem for me, judge. The only person that has a hard time staying away from minors is the alleged victim," Johnston told the Post Bulletin.

The man told law enforcement that he had been chatting electronically with someone he thought to be a 15-year-old male. He told the juvenile he did not want to do anything sexual with him and that they were talking about the juvenile having issues coming out as gay to his family.

In the complaint, a Rochester police officer confirmed that account fairly reflects the content of the exchange of messages.

Johnston, however, insists that the man had sexually explicit conversations with the decoy juvenile. That man, however, has not been charged in connection to any activities related to the video taken by Johnston and his team.

Law enforcement concerns

The Rochester Police Department and Olmsted County Attorney's Office issued a joint statement regarding Johnston's efforts.

"RPD investigators have talked with Mr. Johnston several times and informed him that the best way to file complaints is through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. NCMEC properly handles evidence and works closely with law enforcement," the statement reads in part.

In 2021, RPD received 21 tips from NCMEC and worked on 22 cases with Internet Crimes Against Children, a national network of task forces dedicated to investigating, prosecuting and developing effective responses to internet crimes against children.

"Mr. Johnston’s aggressive nature is also very problematic. For the safety of all parties, RPD strongly discourages confrontational practices like the ones used in the videos," reads a statement from RPD.

Johnston said that law enforcement hasn't done a good job at following up on his accusations against multiple people. He accuses some law enforcement of just not wanting to pursue charges.

"I have a lot of respect for cops and stuff, but their response has not been very good and hasn't been very professional," Johnston said. "They haven't really gone through these videos, and they tell me to just report it the center for exploited children, blah, blah, blah, but it's like, if you guys aren't doing anything about it now when I'm getting these guys to admit to this on tape and to you, what makes me think that anything's going to be done if I simply report it?"

From video to arrest

One of Johnston's sting operations has led to charges. Thirty-year-old Joseph Lee Carlson is charged in Dodge County with a felony for allegedly soliciting someone he believed to be a child. Carlson was the subject of a sting in September 2022 in Dodge Center.

"I'm glad that somebody is finally being held accountable for their actions," Johnston said. "I'm thrilled to find out that my work helped bust this guy."

In the criminal complaint against Carlson, one of the witnesses is alleged to have spit on Carlson.

"Dude, we can turn the (expletive) camera off right now and I'll show you what assault is (expletive)," a man can be heard saying to Carlson in the video.

Johnston also faces a misdemeanor assault charge related to the incident.

However, Carlson faces more severe charges for his part in the incident.

"Text messages submitted to Investigators show the group discussing a number of times that they are a 14-year-old male. Carlson solicits the child for sex explaining that having sex with a 14-year-old is a big fantasy of his that he never gets to complete," Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose wrote in a news release about the incident.

"Carlson stated that he would meet at North Park, positively identify the party and if he was truly a juvenile, then he would turn him away as he did not want to get into any trouble," reads part of the complaint against Carlson.

In the criminal complaint, it is noted that Carlson has a previous conviction as a juvenile for felony second-degree criminal sexual conduct while being armed with a dangerous weapon. Carlson is also facing charges related to possessing child sexual abuse material, as part of an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security.

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind the public that the actions of groups like the Midwest Predator Catchers, regardless of any good intentions, can be dangerous and problematic. Their aggressive behavior towards their alleged suspects and willingness to confront these subjects without involving law enforcement could easily result in someone getting injured or worse. Also some of their tactics can and have resulted in the inability to charge these alleged offenders. If you believe someone is soliciting juveniles, please contact your local law enforcement and let them conduct the investigation.

Investigators allege that they found in Carlson's possession hundreds of images of at least 47 different juveniles in various states of undress and performing sexual acts. Carlson is also charged with trying to solicit two more juveniles. The images depict at least one juvenile that was an infant, according to the complaint.

During a hearing in Dodge County District Court on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, Carlson's bail was set at $250,000. He is currently in custody at the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center.

The Dodge County Attorney's Office declined to comment about the case and charges.

Problematic investigations

The Rochester Police Records Department is processing a request by the Post Bulletin for all incident reports related to contacts with Johnston in the last six months.

"It is incredibly important for prosecutors that investigations are done by trained forensic investigators," Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem wrote in a statement to the Post Bulletin. "NCMEC and ICAC provide the integrity necessary for successful investigation and prosecutions. Lay persons should report their concerns to the appropriate authorities and allow them to investigate."

Johnston said police departments have told him they don't have the manpower to do these types of stings. That frustrates him as a father of a newborn daughter, he says.

"Somehow I've got the manpower to do that, which makes no sense to me," Johnston said. "So I can't morally stop doing this if there's nobody else doing it."

The legality and ethics behind Johnston's aggressive tactics remains in question.

"It could look like they are purposely raising the heat of the encounter so it looks like a good film," said Dr. David Schultz, law professor at the University of Minnesota and Hamline University, after viewing one of Johnston's YouTube videos. "I thought, 'This has got a Jerry Springer look to it.'"

Schultz viewed a video in which Johnston and his crew accuse a man of trying to meet up with an underage juvenile for sex. In it, people threaten the man and push down his motorcycle.

Schultz said charges against Johnston for his aggressive behavior may be warranted, and that a defense attorney has grounds to get any charges against the men Johnston targets dismissed.

While talking to a juvenile about sex might be considered immoral or wrong, it's not really a crime until further action to initiate actual sexual contact is taken, according to Schultz.

"It looks like they're setting somebody up to harass (and) embarrass the person, to try and expose them and say, 'Here's a potential child molester or a person who is potentially committing sex crimes,' when, in fact, there's no evidence that the person has done anything wrong," Schultz said.

Mistakes on tape

In one video, Johnston and his crew bang on a man's door in the middle of night. They accuse him of trying to have sex with a juvenile. Johnston's crew later learns that they were at the wrong house.

In another video, Johnston's crew accuses a man of trying to seduce a juvenile into a threesome with him and his wife. The man's wife denies any knowledge of the incident. Johnston's crew reassures the woman that her face and her child's face will be blurred. The video is currently uploaded to YouTube with the faces of both the woman and her child clearly visible.

"There's a little bit of a rush that goes along with it," Johnston said. "Trying to figure out what exactly might happen; is this person gonna flip out on me or is he going to pull out a gun or a knife or something like that, and I think about my daughter and her future."

Some people in Johnston's videos mention struggles with mental illness or disabilities, but Johnston said he doesn't let that get in the way.

"Certain people have a sob story, and it kind of gets me in my feelings a little bit and I'll start to feel for that person for a second, but then I remember exactly what they're doing and what they might have done to a child," Johnston said.

One of the subjects of his stings filed a harassment restraining order against Johnston. It was initially denied by a judge, but was subsequently granted following a hearing. The restraining order mentions Johnston uploading videos to social media accusing him of being a pedophile.

Chase Johnston Facebook post

A screenshot of a Facebook post that links to a video of a man who was granted a harassment restraining order against Chase Johnston. The Post Bulletin has edited out the man's name because it is the newspaper's policy not to identify people who have filed restraining orders without their consent.

The man who filed the restraining order did not respond to a request for comment from the Post Bulletin.

Johnston admits that his earlier videos were aggressive and that his crew let their emotions get the best of them, but says they have since become more professional.

"We might make fun of them and clown on them, yell at them a little bit, but we are passionate about what we do and we are trying to serve a community in a way," Johnston said.

His YouTube channel was initially named Prisoners vs. Predators — a reference to Johnston's own personal history that includes drug and theft crimes, and a pending guilty plea for assault — but Johnston said he's a changed man and just wants to do something good in this world.

"We served our time and now we're trying to be productive members of society," Johnston said.

A troubled past

Johnston has a long history of drug and theft charges, and he was civilly committed last year for six months due to his drug addiction.

"I've struggled with heroin addiction on and off since I was about 19 years old," Johnston said. "I'm actively working on staying sober and being a better person."

Johnston is currently facing charges in Olmsted County related to a June 2022 incident in which he allegedly assaulted the mother of his child and threatened to kill her family members.

He has submitted a plea agreement in the case in which he will plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of domestic assault in exchange for other, more serious charges being dismissed. The plea deal calls for him serve probation.

"We got into an argument. The argument became heated and I was upset. I pushed her and caused her head to hit the wall," reads a part of the deal submitted by Johnston.

Johnston told the Post Bulletin that he's being held accountable for his actions, and that he wishes police would do the same for others.

"Me and my girlfriend are very much in love, and we are sticking together through all of this and we're going to come through on the other side stronger than we were before," he said.

Mark Wasson has been a public safety reporter with Post Bulletin since May 2022. Previously, he worked as a general assignment reporter in the southwest metro and as a public safety reporter in Willmar, Minn. Readers can reach Mark at mwasson@postbulletin.com

Pearl -clutching OpEd by Zach Husted of Victoria, MN claims kids are pissing themselves over Registrant placement

If you want to see the dumbest example of Chicken Little writing, read the last paragraph. If I had to take a guess, he ate every oyster he could find until he got enough pearls to make a necklace so that he may clutch them. 

https://www.swnewsmedia.com/chanhassen_villager/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/letter-work-toward-a-better-minnesota/article_bd0aacdd-4259-5def-b449-edceb26aa7ee.html

Letter: Work toward a better Minnesota

Mark Olson Jul 22, 2021 

Editor’s note: The author submitted the following letter on behalf of Wassermann neighbors in response to: “Victoria neighborhood protests level 3 sex offender.”

Minnesota uses a determinate sentencing model, whereby a level 3 child predator is serving his last one-third of his sentence among 700-plus children within a 1.5-mile radius of his residence.

The DOC informed our community they have a “density of victim” factor when reviewing placements, and determined on July 2 that this factor will remain arbitrary. In other words, the DOC does not have any legal responsibility to review the location of a level 3 child predator when it comes to the density of children living near his residence.

This community was given two business days of notice, that a level three child predator, who has a history of “sexualiz[ing] 90% of minor females” and “after three years of treatment is scoring at high risk to reoffend” (according to public court record, county attorney’s summation letter) will be living among their children.

Moreover, the Department of Corrections is minimizing the fact that he was leveled just prior to release — as the highest risk of reoffending — when it states, “… we have an extremely successful record working with this type of clientele.”

Our community appreciates the difficult position the DOC is in when it comes to lack of funding and limited resources for placing level 3 child predators, yet the DOC seems to be villainizing a community when claiming people are not giving him “the opportunity to succeed.” Our community wants nothing more than for the DOC’s “clientele” to be rehabilitated, and that is just the point. Approve a placement that will foster his rehabilitation.

How can the DOC find it ‘acceptable’ to approve a level 3 child predator’s residence surrounded by a high density of children resembling his previous victims, and when the sentencing judge states in a previous publication “The bottom line is this, [y]ou are not allowed to have contact with children period.”

Last week’s article includes a statement to our community, wanting the level 3 child predator to have an “unobstructed opportunity to succeed or fail on his own.”

How can failure be observed and reported without 1:1 supervision of potential non-contact sexual probation violations, or when the residence is allowed to record our children playing in their own backyards? Or, does failure come at the expense of another innocent child? There is no “fail on his own” with those horrifying circumstances, and failure is perpetuated in the lives of his victims indefinitely.

Lastly, our community is aware that only more level 3 child predators will be released this year, the next, and the following. It is our commitment to work with legislators such as Rep. Jim Nash, Rep. Greg Boe, and Sen. Julia Coleman to provide a framework for the DOC when placing level 3 child predators in the future.

As we watch our neighborhood children have night terrors, pee themselves in their own home, start antidepressants, see therapists, are unable to have use, enjoyment, tranquility in their own backyards, we will continue to work towards a better Minnesota that can find a more acceptable process than tormenting our children.

Zach Husted

Victoria

Minnesota Court rejects civilly committed registrant's bid to change legal name to "Better Off Dead"

It is New years, so you know what that means, time for the annual Shiitake Awards! Click the link to take the survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZTFRNYL

And for the New Year, lets start it off with an interesting case. 

I have been in contact with some folks at the Minnesota Civil Commitment Program (MSOP) and have hosted a blog on behalf of one person currently indefinitely detained for 10 years. Those in the MSOP ("Minnesota State's Other Prison" as it is derisively called on the inside) have tried many ways to share their experiences. This way certainly received some attention. I commend Mr. Better Off Dead for trying this unique protest.

Too bad the courts rejected this form of protest and I thumb my nose to this kangaroo court. 

Maybe I'll retire my old "Fallen One" moniker and legally change my name to Derek "F**k-The-Registry" Logue someday. 

MN COURT REJECTS CIVILLY COMMITTED SO’S NAME CHANGE TO “BETTER OFF DEAD”

Edited from following source: Rochelle Olson. “Court rejects sex offender's attempted name change to 'Better Off Dead'.” Minneapolis Star-Tribune. 30 Dec. 2019. 

A man indefinitely committed as a sexual predator can't rename himself "Better Off Dead" even when he claims he's doing it for religious reasons, the state Court of Appeals ruled Monday.

Hollis John Larson has been committed since 2008 under the MN SO Program (MSOP) that allows for indefinite confinement for predators. Larson "professes a religious belief involving Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Agnosticism," the court said. His desired name change is "in accordance with that religious belief and to express his freedom of speech."

A three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeals agreed with a lower-court ruling denying the name change in part because "Better Off Dead" is an idiomatic expression, contains no pronouns and is "inherently misleading."

Larson, who represented himself, said the only way for him to "achieve reconciliation with the divine is to escape the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth by being and remaining dead," according to the ruling.

The District Court didn't buy it, saying that the name Better Off Dead "has no known connection to any particular religious faith or belief."

Anoka Co. objected to the name change on the grounds that it would be confusing to law enforcement. The District Court, and now the Court of Appeals, agreed with that argument. The courts also said that denying the change wouldn't impinge on Larson's constitutional rights. Larson failed to convince the court that he did not intend to "defraud or mislead," the ruling said.

The inmate stated that every document "created by his current captors" with his new name Better Off Dead would also refer to his old name and wouldn't cause confusion or harm public safety. Anoka Co. countered that the name change would compromise the public's ability to maintain and access his records.

The Court of Appeals also rejected the name change on freedom of speech grounds. Larson claimed that renaming himself Better Off Dead was a "peaceful form of protest against [the government], all these entities that caused me this pain and suffering and leading to my philosophy in life." He argued that the name change would allow him to "officially communicate his life philosophy to society," the ruling said.

The case is an “unpublished opinion.” In the Matter of the Application of: Hollis John Larson for a Change of Name, A18-2153 (MN Ct of App. 30 Dec. 2019)

Minnesota pushes for a mandatory half-century supervision period (HF 2944)

Pretty straightforward, and pretty stupid. Ten years, the current law, is a stretch, but 50 years is a complete waste. Do you know what happened 50 years ago? MLK was assassinated. Today, MN is looking to assassinate human rights.

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text.php?number=HF2944&session=ls90&version=list&session_number=0&session_year=2018

Description
Sex offenders required to serve 50-year conditional release or probation terms, and intensive probation for sex offenders established.

Authors
Grossell ; Lohmer ; Poston ; Dettmer
Actions
Separated Chronological
House
02/22/2018 Introduction and first reading, referred to Public Safety and Security Policy and Finance pg. 7088 Intro
03/05/2018 Authors added Lohmer and Poston. pg. 7223
04/09/2018 Author added Dettmer. pg. 8075

Grabby Garcia might want to avoid Minnesota if HF 2800 passes

Sorry, I can't stop laughing over that MeToo shill Grabby Garcia, but this bill is no laughing matter, and it actually has a chance of passing.

If you want to follow the progress of HF 2800, CLICK HERE.

Description
Fifth degree criminal sexual conduct exclusion for nonconsensual, intentional touching of another person's clothed buttock eliminated.

http://www.kare11.com/article/news/bill-would-make-backside-groping-a-sex-crime/89-528698971

Bill would make backside groping a sex crime

A bill moving through the Minnesota Legislature would make it a sex crime to grab someone's clothed buttocks without permission.

Author: John Croman

Published: 10:57 PM CDT March 14, 2018
Updated: 10:57 PM CDT March 14, 2018

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A bill moving through the Minnesota Legislature would make it a sex crime to grab someone's clothed buttocks without permission.

The fact it's not already a sex crime is surprising to some, but it's a loophole intentionally crafted by legislators in 1988 when they created the offense of 5th Degree Sexual Conduct.

"I am closing the loop on an exemption that I don’t believe belongs in the law," Rep. Regina Barr, an Inver Grove Heights Republican and chief author of the bill, told KARE.

"My bill specifically it makes criminal to touch somebody on the buttocks or derriere, without permission, in other words, it has to be nonconsensual and intentional touch."

Current law lists several descriptions of sexual contact that would constitute a violation, but carves out a clear exception -- "but does not include the intentional touching of the clothing covering the immediate area of the buttocks."

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said, if the bill becomes law, prosecutors would use their discretion and consider the context. For example, the slapping that happens in athletics wouldn't land people in jail.

"I don’t know that any prosecutor would prosecute a situation like a baseball coach slapping somebody on the butt and saying get out on the field right now, right?" Choi remarked. "You still have to prove sexual intent."

He said the original exception was probably an attempt to protect coaches and athletes from overzealous prosecution.

Rep. Barr said she was already working on the proposal before then-Sen. Al Franken was accused by women of grabbing them, through their clothing, during photo ops. Barr, herself, says she has experienced harassment during her professional career.

"We have a different generation that’s not gonna tolerate some things that may have been tolerated before," she said.

Her bill cleared it's first hurdle Wednesday, winning approval of the House Public Safety Committee.

Choi is currently president of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, which supports the legislation.

"If someone was doing this to my daughter without her permission, I'd be very concerned. I would want that person to face consequences."

He said it's difficult to prove an accused person's frame of mind, but circumstances surrounding the groping incident would come into evidence, including statements and texts made before and afterwards would shed light on intent.

This offense is a gross misdemeanor, which carries a maximum sentence of up to one year in jail. Choi said first-time violators would not have to register as sex offenders.

Minnesota State Rep. Matt Grossell wants to bury the hatchet inside Minnesota's registrant population (figuratively, at least)

This is what happens when you vote for a guy who is such a redneck his campaign shirts come in blue camo.

http://www.kare11.com/mb/news/investigations/sex-offender-sentencing-bill-introduced-following-kare-11-investigation/412951330

Sex offender sentencing bill introduced following KARE 11 investigation

A.J. Lagoe , KARE

ST. PAUL, Minn. - “Enough is enough, it’s time to start stopping this!” said State Representative Matt Grossell (R - Beltrami)

Grossell is the chief author of a sweeping bill he calls a first step in reforming Minnesota’s sex crime sentencing laws which critics have labeled some of the weakest in the nation.

Grossell, a former law enforcement officer, said he watched KARE 11’s report on how a type of plea deal known as a Stay of Adjudication allowed hundreds of child sexual predators in Minnesota to have their crimes masked by the legal system.

“This is wrong to me! That’s just wrong!” he added, “So we decided to eliminate the stays of adjudication and imposition.”

Stays of imposition result in a felony charge being reduced to a misdemeanor if the defendant successfully completes probation. Stays of Adjudication disappear completely and the entire time the defendant is on probation the case is listed as pending. That means there’s no record of it on the Minnesota Court system’s online database.

“When young children are victimized like that, that tears me apart,” said Grossell, with tears in his eyes. He apologized for being emotional, adding “and to think that that person won’t be held accountable the way they should be, makes it even worse. You can never give that child back the innocence that they had, but you can keep that person from hurting somebody else.”

Governor Mark Dayton also called for reform following KARE 11’s reporting.

“Innocent people need to know that there are people around them who have a history of sexual abuse, and we need to protect the public first and foremost,” said Dayton.

The proposed changes also increase the penalties for child pornography, and orders the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission to toughen up recommended penalties for sex crimes. It also calls for more intensive probation for certain sex offenders.

Robert Small with the Minnesota County Attorneys Association said he had not had a chance to read the bill in its entirety, but said prosecutors in his association had concerns that the bill goes too far. He likened it to “using an axe where a scalpel is needed.”

Grossell contends, “it’s time for the hatchet and not the scalpel.”

A hearing on the proposed changes has not yet been scheduled.

Putting Semen in someone's coffee will lead to registry status if Minnesota bill passes

Pat Maahs got a little too much cream in her coffee. Now, she wants her co-worker added to the public registry

Yes, what the guy did to this woman was nasty, and I'd be pissed if someone creamed my coffee. But, do we need yet another way to squeeze a few more names onto the registry?

You can find the text of HF 0889 HERE. I'd much rather hear an audio of the actual floor debate. According to the audio below, it was extremely lively.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/297894541.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Bill on bodily fluids merits much more than snickers
Article by: JON TEVLIN , Star Tribune Updated: March 28, 2015 - 10:32 PM

The debate on the floor of the Minnesota House surfaced near midnight, when most of the curious and the connected had gone home.

It followed a long and contentious argument over lowering the minimum wage for restaurant servers. Members were no doubt tired, and the issue at hand, many acknowledged, was something that they found uncomfortable to discuss aloud.

Words such as “body fluids” and “semen,” and the discussion of a horrible sexual violation of a woman who drank semen put into her coffee by a co-worker.

What followed was a strange debate, even by legislative standards. A couple of legislators cracked jokes, made odd comparisons to putting gum under a dinner plate and questioned whether a new law would punish mischievous students who spit in another student’s soup. At times, there was laughter.

Little did many of the legislators know, the victim of the assault was sitting in the gallery.

The idea for a bill was brought to Rep. Debra Hilstrom, DFL-Brooklyn Center. The impetus was a crime brought to court back in September. A Blaine man, John R. Lind, 34, admitted to police that he ejaculated several times into a co-worker’s coffee and onto her desk. He was, he said, trying to get her attention. He got it when the woman caught him near her desk, and notified police.

Lind was initially charged with criminal sexual conduct, but a judge found that the act he committed was not covered under state sex offender laws, and the case was dismissed. Lind was later charged with indecent exposure, a misdemeanor.

Hilstrom is seeking to change the act to a felony for adults who put bodily fluids in food or drink, knowing someone else may consume it. There would also have to be intent to arouse or gratify sexual desire, or involve a child, to be considered a felony sexual offense.

During Monday’s debate, Rep. John Lesch, a prosecutor, offered some reasonable questions. “It appears to be legislation designed out of a specific incident, an incident that elicits disgust from any person who hears about it,” he said. “But in crafting legislation this way, I think it falls victim to the folly of so many bills, where policy is written as a reaction to an incident that garnered a lot of press controversy, and that folly is a lot of ill-considered construction of law.”

While prompted by the Lind case, this is not a bill targeted to one strange incident, Hilstrom said.

“This isn’t the one-time thing,” Hilstrom said in an interview. She pointed to the movie “North Country,” which depicted the same type of behavior in the mines of the Iron Range.

I know. I covered the lawsuit and read thousands of pages of disgusting testimony of how some men sexually abused some female co-workers. I have also worked in a couple of factories, and have witnessed similar “pranks” toward both men and women.

Hilstrom also pointed to a California teacher who baked cookies for his students that included his body fluids, which launched a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.

“This is an indication that, clearly, Minnesota law needs to be tightened up,” Hilstrom said.

The night took a strange turn when Rep. Ron Erhardt, DFL-Edina, began with an odd anecdote about putting gum under his plates and putting them into the dishwasher. Then he and others questioned whether we should actually make it a felony to spit in people’s food. Erhardt mentioned a commercial for the television show “Friends,” in which one of the characters licks her coffee cup so no one would use it. He actually pretended to lick a coffee cup to illustrate.

Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, then rose to ask: “Suppose a child spits into his own soup, how is that covered under your bill?”

Assured that spitting in your own soup would not be a felony, Kahn asked if a kid who tried to spit in his own soup, but spit in someone else’s soup instead, would face a felony.

Hilstrom, who remained impressively calm through the questioning, said the bill would not make that a felony.

”If saliva is the part that gives the body heartburn, I’m happy to delete saliva from the bill,” Hilstrom said. “If members are OK with people spitting in their food and eating it, we can amend the bill.”

Hilstrom should have performed an epic microphone drop at this point and exited.

Instead, the bill was referred back to committee to decide whether spitting into someone’s food should be a felony, or simply bad manners, and whether putting semen in someone’s coffee would make someone a sex offender (seems obvious to me). The Senate Friday passed a bill making the acts of putting bodily fluids in food a gross misdemeanor. The Legislature will ultimately decide how far the law should go.

I asked Hilstrom what she thought of the “debate.”

“Sometimes nothing good happens late at night,” said Hilstrom, who acknowledged colleagues were tired but added “that is not an excuse. I was disappointed.”

Maybe “disappointed” is the Minnesota way of saying “disturbed.”

Hilstrom was being magnanimous, and so was the person whose abuse launched the bill, Pat Maahs, who watched the discussion from the gallery and heard the snickering.

“To me, it kind of hurt to see people act like this,” said Maahs. “It’s likely because they don’t know what something like this can do to a person. I still don’t know what Lind’s medical history is. A lot of diseases can stay with you for life.”

So, Maahs will have to get tested regularly to make sure she didn’t contract a disease, such as AIDS or hepatitis C.

“At first I was very, very, very embarrassed and tried to hide it,” said Maahs. She courageously came forward so other women wouldn’t have to suffer.

“It’s really sad when we have to legislate morality,” Maahs said.

It may be hard to see an upside to a story like this, but Maahs volunteered one.

“How about a little free advertising for Beisswenger’s Hardware?” Maahs asked.

She has worked at the New Brighton store for 26 years, and they have arranged her schedule so she could try to change state law.

“Everybody there, from the owners to my co-workers, have been wonderful,” Maahs said. “Just wonderful.”

Minneapolis Salvation Army therapist offers soup, salvation and sex

This story gives a whole new meaning to "bell ringer"

My first thought when I read this story was I couldn't get any service from my local Salvation Army, much less what this lady was offering. But there is more to the story than meets the eye. Apparently at the heart of the issue, a woman assigned to give counseling to sex offenders was taking a "hands-on" approach to therapy. The bad part was that she coerced some of the patients to live out her rape fantasies. As if all sex offenders are rapists. [eye roll]


http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_25378309/minneapolis-salvation-army-program-director-gets-6-months

Minneapolis: Ex-Salvation Army staffer gets 6 months for abusing sex offender
By David Hanners
dhanners@pioneerpress.com
POSTED:   03/19/2014 12:01:00 AM CDT | UPDATED:   A DAY AGO

The former head of a Salvation Army addiction-recovery program was sentenced Wednesday to six months in the workhouse after she was convicted of having sex with a man in the program.

Amy Andrea Horsfield, 39, of St. Paul said little at sentencing, but Hennepin County District Judge Mark Wernick had plenty to say, telling her she had manipulated her victim, himself a registered sex offender who had sought treatment in the program she oversaw.

Horsfield's actions were "as cruel, mean and as criminal as it gets," the judge said.

Wernick said the woman had preyed upon her victim, who had been "struggling with sex addiction for at least 20 years" and she had "manipulated him by talking to him about her dark side and her rape fantasies."

An assistant Minneapolis city attorney had asked for a 365-day sentence, the maximum for the gross misdemeanor. Wernick, after adjourning the hearing for a few minutes to mull his decision, said he was sentencing her to a year, but was staying 185 days of that for two years.

She'll get credit for the 28 days she's spent in jail since a jury found her guilty of the crime Feb. 20 after a six-day trial.

He placed conditions on the married mother of one. Among them: She has to get mental-health and sex-offender counseling, she can't have contact with her victim or any "vulnerable" adult and she can't work as a chemical-dependency counselor.

She also must register as a predatory sex offender.

Horsfield had been the program director/coordinator of the Beacon substance abuse recovery program at the Salvation Army's Harbor Light Center, just west of downtown Minneapolis.

Given the chance to speak before sentencing, Horsfield -- wearing a bright orange jail anti-bacterial garment, her hair wadded in a bun -- only denied a prosecutor's claim that she had sent a letter to another former Beacon client with whom the state says she had a relationship.

Wernick asked her if she had anything else to say. No, she said.

Before the hearing, defense attorney Robert Paule had given Wernick 17 letters from people asking for leniency. Among the correspondents: Horsfield's husband, her 12-year-old son ("She only wants to help people and provide comfort for them," the youth wrote), former co-workers and classmates at St. Catherine University and even former Beacon clients who said Horsfield had given them hope in their darkest hours.

At the time the crime was occurring, her husband also worked at the Harbor Light Center.

The Minneapolis city attorney's office charged her last May with criminal sexual abuse, claiming that in her capacity as a caregiver, she had preyed upon a "vulnerable" adult.

Police reports said she and a client in the program, identified in court documents by his initials, A.M.B., engaged in a consensual sexual relationship from November 2010 until April 2011.

Evidence indicated they'd had sex in several locations, including her vehicle, Beacon's housing area and at the Midway Motel in St. Paul.

Investigators found that Horsfield had talked to the man about maintaining a sexual relationship and that she "confided to A.M.B. that she had a 'rape fantasy' and said she wanted to fulfill that fantasy with A.M.B.," Assistant City Attorney Lisa Godon wrote in one court document.

The relationship continued after the man left the Beacon program.

Horsfield didn't testify at her trial last month, and Paule offered no witnesses, arguing to the jury that prosecutors failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Jurors disagreed.

In court Wednesday, Godon asked Wernick to sentence the woman to the maximum time behind bars and to ignore a probation officer's presentence report that recommended a couple of months.

"The defendant continues to minimize and deny what happened in this case," she told the judge. "The defendant continues to maintain that nothing happened."

She said Horsfield had been in therapy for 10 years, and it appeared she'd gained little from it.

"She has failed to accept responsibility for her actions," Godon said. She also said there was evidence Horsfield had had three similar inappropriate relationships while at the Salvation Army.

Paule told the judge that acceptance of responsibility "is a term of art in the legal community" and that, all things considered, his client "has been following the court's orders" and she could be released without endangering the community.

At one point, Wernick seemed incredulous at the defense argument, jumping in to say that Horsfield had told the probation officer doing the pre-sentencing report "not only did I not have sex, but there were no sexual communications."

Among the evidence prosecutors gathered were sexually explicit text messages between Horsfield and the man. At one point, she mailed him a pair of panties.

A.M.B., now 43, is serving a 366-day sentence at the prison in Stillwater for failing to register as a predatory sex offender. In January, he filed a civil suit against the Salvation Army and Horsfield, claiming negligence, maltreatment, sexual exploitation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other things.

The court docket doesn't indicate that Horsfield has filed an answer, but the Salvation Army did, denying wrongdoing.

The Salvation Army said the man "comes before this court with unclean hands because plaintiff's own conduct and actions have caused any alleged damages or loss of personal freedom."