Meet John
I grew up in Rushford and have lived in the area my entire life. I graduated from Rushford-Peterson High School in 1995. My wife Jen and I have been together since high school and we were married in 2001. We have two children, our daughter Dana is 12 and our son Grant is 9. In 2003 my wife and I bought a few acres of land from her parents and built a home on the family farm south of Rushford, near Bratsberg. Our family is involved in the Fillmore County 4H program and we’re members of the Norway Go-Getters 4H club.
My wife and daughter have a passion for horses, and spend a lot of their free time riding and spending time with them. My son Grant lives for baseball, and also wrestles and plays football. As a family we all enjoy mountain biking, as well as hunting and fishing. We are longtime members of the Highland Prairie Lutheran Church near Bratsberg.
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We feel very fortunate to have lived in this area our entire lives, and even more fortunate to be able to raise our kids here so close to our families and friends. We look forward to many more years of being part of our community and watching our children grow up here with the same values that we were raised with.
Fillmore County Career
I was hired as a part-time Deputy, Dispatcher, and Jailer by Sheriff Jim Connolly during my second year of college in 1997. I graduated from the Alexandria Community and Technical College in May 1997 with an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Law Enforcement. I was hired as a full-time Deputy in 1999 and assigned to work in the City of Spring Valley.
In 2000, Sheriff Connolly promoted me to the newly created position of Fillmore County Narcotics Investigator. I spent the next 5 years assigned to the Southeastern Minnesota Narcotics and Gang Task Force, working with a team of Investigators from several other county and city agencies throughout southeastern Minnesota. This was during the time period of the “meth lab boom” in the Midwest United States, and I very quickly came to understand the devastation caused by methamphetamine use and the damage that accompanied the methamphetamine labs themselves. I operated in an undercover role in many cases throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
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In 2005, I was promoted to the position of Patrol Sergeant by Sheriff Daryl Jensen. In my role as a Patrol Sergeant I was responsible for leading the Patrol Division of the Sheriff’s Office. I also served as a firearms instructor, and a defensive tactics instructor. It was during my time as a Patrol Sergeant that I started to understand the difference between supervision and leadership. I value that time in my career for the opportunity that it gave me to build relationships with our staff, city Police Officers, State Troopers and others while working late nights, weekends, and holidays together.
Sheriff Jensen promoted me to Captain in 2008, a role that he held himself for many years. I have served as Captain for almost 10 years. As Captain, I am third in command of the Sheriff’s Office, and supervise the Investigations Division. I am also a full time-Investigator with a felony level caseload. I have been the administrator of our Lexipol Departmental Policy program since 2012. One of the most important responsibilities I have is my role as a member of the Fillmore County Child Protection Team, investigating physical and sexual abuse cases involving children.
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In 2013 I was nominated by Sheriff Daryl Jensen to attend the FBI National Academy.
Commendations
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In 2001, I received a commendation from the FBI for my role in apprehending an armed bank robbery suspect after a high speed chase and armed confrontation in rural Fillmore County near Bratsberg.
In 2003, I received a commendation from the Winona Police Department for my undercover work which led to several arrests and prosecutions for the possession and sale of crack cocaine.
In 2015, I received the Meritorious Service Medal from the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association for my work to bring closure to the previously unsolved 1936 double murder of Knute and Sever Olson. This cold case revolved around the murder of two brothers on their farm near Bristol in western Fillmore County.
Below is a brief summary of some of the significant trainings that I have attended throughout my career:
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Training
BCA Officer Involved Shooting Training, 2015.
BCA Forensic Science Partners Death Investigation Training, 2014.
NCVC Maximizing the Potential of Forensic DNA Training, 2014.
BCA Predatory Offender Registration Training, 2013.
BCA Police Senior Management Graduation, 2013.
BCA Senior Management-Police and the Press, 2013.
BCA Senior Management-Critical Communications, 2013.
BCA Senior Management-Crisis to Collected, 2013.
BCA Senior Management-Finance and Funds, 2013.
BCA Senior Management-Labor Laws and Legalities, 2013.
BCA Senior Management-Certainty of Change, 2013.
BCA Senior Management-Theories and Trends, 2013.
BCA Senior Management-Good to Great, 2013.
BCA Senior Management-Transparency to Trust, 2013.
BCA Law Enforcement Management Series Graduation, 2012.
BCA Supervision and Management Series-Strategies for Stress, 2011.
BCA Supervision and Management Series-Impact and Influence, 2011.
BCA Supervision and Management Series-Mentoring and Coaching, 2011.
BCA Supervision and Management Series-Employee Excellence, 2011.
BCA Supervision and Management Series-Legal Latitude, 2011.
BCA Supervision and Management Series-Ethical Ends in Public Safety Management, 2011.
BCA Supervision and Management Series-Miens and Morals, 2011.
BCA Supervision and Management Series-Supervisor Survival, 2011.
Advanced Cornerhouse Child Forensic Interview Training, 2009.
Cornerhouse Child Forensic Interview Training, 2008.
NCMEC Protecting Children Online, 2009.
BCA Fingerprint Training 2008.
MCTC High Risk Event Planning Stage 2 Training, 2007.
MCTC High Risk Event Planning Stage 1 Training, 2005.
Interview and Interrogation Training, 2004.
Utilizing BCA Resources in Investigations, 2003.
S.O.T.A. Tactical Team Leader Training, 2002.
DEA 2 Week Basic Narcotics Investigator Training Course, 2001.
Marijuana Eradication, 2000.
Meth Drug Investigations, 2000.
Meth Drug Investigations, 1999.
Sheriff Daryl Jensen asked me to look into the case in 2014, and after over a year of work I was able to present my investigation to Fillmore County Attorney Brett Corson who reviewed the investigation and determined that the case could be closed. Sheriff Kaase nominated me for the award and I was selected as a recipient by the Sheriff’s Association in late 2015.