Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas
www.dakotacountytribune.com
NEWS District 192 and class size Farmington Area School Board wants a sustainable plan to lower class size averages and ratios. Page 6A
OPINION Inspiring art moves us Art has the ability to inspire, entertain and teach life lessons to those who create it and those who appreciate it. Page 4A
THISWEEKEND
December 3, 2015 • Volume 130 • Number 39
Rosemount woman sentenced for her role in 2 murders Ashley Marie Conrade, 26, of Rosemount, was sentenced on Tuesday to 15 years in prison in connection with the 2013 stabbing death of Anarae Schunk, 20, of Burnsville, and a concurrent one-year sentence in connection with the shooting death of Palagor Jobi, 23, of Savage. Conrade pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2015, to two felony counts of aiding an offender after the fact – one each for the cases against Shavelle Oscar ChavezNelson, 33. Chavez-Nelson pleaded guilty on Jan. 15 to second-degree unintentional murder in the Schunk case and was sentenced to 17 years, which he is serving concurrent with a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree premeditated murder in the Jobi case. Dakota County Attor-
ney James Backstrom said Conrade cooperated in additional investigation into Schunk’s death and agreed to testify in ChavezNelson’s trial, which resulted in his January guilty plea. Chavez-Nelson and Conrade were both indicted in July 2014 with first- and second-degree murder. Backstrom said in January that with no witnesses except those involved in the crime, proving firstand second-degree intentional murder would have been difficult. Conrade did give information that prosecutors think would have aided their case against Chavez-Nelson, Backstrom said. “Whether she’d have said the same thing under oath, who knows,� he said. “We may never know the full extent of her involvement and all of the details of how this terrible
crime actually occurred,� Backstrom said. Schunk was killed on or about Sept. 22, 2013, at a home in Rosemount. Chavez-Nelson, his then girlfriend Conrade and Schunk were at Nina’s Bar & Grill in the early hours of Sept. 22. Schunk had previously ended her relationship with Chavez-Nelson but agreed to meet him in Burnsville on Sept. 21 to try to recover $5,000 she had loaned him. Just before closing time, Chavez-Nelson murdered Jobi in an altercation after Jobi talked to Conrade. The trio then went to Conrade’s townhome in Rosemount. Schunk’s family reported her missing on Sept. 23. Seven days later her body was found in a rural Rice County ditch. An autopsy revealed 22 stab wounds and
other cuts and wounds described as “defensive.� “Our deepest sympathy is extended to the family and friends of Anarae Schunk and Palagor Jobi for their great loss,� Backstrom said in a press release. “This sentence brings a close to the criminal cases.� Backstrom praised Assistant County Attorney Kathy Keena, who prosecuted this case. Backstrom thanked the Rosemount Police Department, the Burnsville Police Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the lead agencies involved in the investigation, and other assisting law enforcement agencies, including the Apple Valley and Lakeville police departments and the Dakota County and Rice County sheriff’s offices. — Tad Johnson, John Gessner
Flexible learning days continue to get mixed reviews District weighing future scheduling options ‘Meet the Author’ event
by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Jackie Lea Sommers, author of the youngadult novel “Truest,� is set to speak Feb. 16 at the Robert Trail Library in Rosemount. Page 15A
Let’s play a game Family Game Night was held Jan. 26 at Diamond Path Elementary School. During the open house, students and their parents were able to play bingo, with teachers serving as celebrity callers, and sampled popcorn and drinks. Prizes were offered as students also got to test their skills in a variety of other games. (Photo submitted)
FBI releases images based on human remains Man’s body was found in September 2014 in a Rosemount railroad shed by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
SPORTS Girls hockey playoffs Top-seeded Eastview defeats Rosemount, Farmington loses in second round in Seciton 1AA. Page 9A
PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District. Page 10A
INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9A Public Notices . . . . . . 10A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 11A Announcements . . . . 14A
News 952-846-2033 Display Advertising 952-846-2019 Classified Advertising 952-392-6862 Delivery 763-712-3544
The FBI released three images this week that it hopes will lead to information in identifying a man’s body that was found Sept. 29, 2014, in Rosemount. Since that time, law enforcement has investigated several leads in the case, but without success, and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office has completed a forensic analysis, including dental charting and DNA. A facial reconstruction was done using information from the man’s biological profile and the partially skeletonized remains found in a de-
commissioned railroad switching lieved to be living in the shed at the shed near the intersection of 146th time of his death. Street and Burnley Avenue West. In 2015, the decedent was enThe man may have been missSee IMAGES, 8A ing since October 2013 and was be-
The Farmington School District has one planned flexible-learning day left on its calendar this year. How many they will have in the future is undecided. There are two scheduled for 2016-17, but the district is reviewing feedback and there is still time to change those dates. A survey of parents following the Jan. 15 planned flexible-learning day showed the majority of parents of elementary students are unsatisfied. The review was deemed good by kindergarten and firstgrade parents, but between second and eighth grade, many parents weren’t happy. Compared to an October survey, the number of those who were not unsatisfied increased. More high school parents were positive with the most popular answer being “very satisfied.� Superintendent Jay Haugen said flexible learning days grew out of the idea of that digital learnSee 192, 8A
Freundschuh to seek GOP endorsement for state Senate Lakeville business owner vying in District 58 by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Lakeville resident and small-business owner Mike Freundschuh announced Monday his intention to seek the Republican Party’s endorsement for the Senate District 58 seat being vacated by Dave Thompson, R-Lakeville. Freundschuh said he acknowledged he “was the last guy to the party, but I had to make sure I had some things in my life in order before I pursued (running for the endorsement).� Melissa Sauser and Tim Pitcher, both of Farming-
Mike Freundschuh ton, announced their intention to seek the GOP endorsement last month. Lakeville Mayor Matt Little has announced he will seek the DFL Party’s endorsement.
In a news release, Freundschuh said the Legislature has several problem areas to address in the 2017 session, including school funding, infrastructure, health care issues, veterans affairs, taxes and funding for social service programs. Freundschuh said he is a Vietnam-era veteran who served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1969-1975 and is a 21-year member of the American Legion. Freundschuh said he believes in traditional family values and supports the conservative positions on life, marriage and gun control.
“I’m all for some gun controls that make sense, but I’m against the concept of really clamping down on guns to the point where legal, law-abiding citizens have a bad time getting a gun,� Freundschuh said. “I don’t want be in a situation where only the bad guys have guns.� Freundschuh owns the Lakeville-based business Nonprofits Insurance Agency Inc., which was formed in 1993 and develops insurance programs for social service nonprofit organizations. He said while working in the insurance industry he has seen significant rate
increases over the past two years for health insurance programs. Freundschuh said he would advocate a return to the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association, a safety-net program created by the Legislature that functioned like a nonprofit organization to run a high-risk insurance pool. “Prior to the time the (Affordable Care Act) was introduced, Minnesota already had a really good program,� Freundschuh said. “It was a really simple program for people who couldn’t buy insurSee GOP, 8A
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