Dct 10 22 15d

Page 1

Dakota County

Tribune

Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas

www.dakotacountytribune.com

October 22, 2015 • Volume 130 • Number 33

Farmington man charged with murder

NEWS New owners for Buck Hill

Timothy Robert Steele is accused of killing his grandmother

Plans for hotel, hilltop restaurant, gym, year-round skiing at Buck Hill Ski Area in Burnsville. Page 5A

OPINION Helping young people rise up Investing in our youth today will provide them with hope and the tools needed to escape poverty and crime. Page 4A

THISWEEKEND

Recipes from the Iron Range

by Tad Johnson

blowing her nose and he could taste and feel mucus in his mouth. He told officers that he A 35-year-old Farmingfelt that if he killed his grandton man who was arrested on mother the mucus smell would Friday on suspicion of firstgo away. degree murder for the ThursHe said he retrieved a hamday killing of an 84-year-old mer, went up to her room and woman in her home on the Timothy contemplated as he stood over 600 block of Linden Street was Steele her if he should kill her. charged with second-degree Steele told officers he left the murder, not premeditated, on Monday house to walk to the gas station and in Dakota County District Court. contemplated running away, but said Timothy Robert Steele was charged he didn’t have anyplace to run. He said in connection to the death of his there were voices inside his head telling grandmother, Agnes Marie Wagner- him he was a “terrible criminal,� acSteele, after he confessed to police to cording to the complaint. He said that committing the crime. when he returned, he told his mother According to a release from the Da- that he killed his grandmother, ackota County Attorney’s Office, police cording to the complaint. His mother responded to a 911 call for medical as- checked on the victim and found her sistance at about 11:45 p.m. Thursday dead and cold to the touch. when they were let into the home by Steele told his mother that he felt Steele’s mother. like he needed to find a gun to kill It was reported that Steele was sit- himself, but his mother convinced ting on the couch when they arrived him to get in the car and they would and he told police he had killed his drive around for a while. When they regrandmother. Police located the vic- turned to the house about 20 minutes tim in her bedroom with head injuries. to an hour later, his mother had conAfter he was read his Miranda rights, vinced him that they should call 911, Steele reported that he had hit his according to the complaint. grandmother with a hammer seven to Steele made his first appearance eight times in the head, according to in court Monday and bail was set the complaint. at $750,000 without conditions and He said he did it because he believed $500,000 with conditions. His next aphis grandmother put a hole in one of pearance is slated Jan. 12. his jackets and he was annoyed by her blowing her nose at dinner that night, Email Tad Johnson at according to the criminal complaint. tad.johnson@ecm-inc.com. Follow him He said he had become fixated on her on Twitter @editorTJ. SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

Community shaken, resilient following first homicide in 40 years by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

Residents are still trying to make sense of what happened in their quiet neighborhood in the heart of Farmington on Linden Street. The Farmington Police Department arrested its first homicide suspect in more than 40 years Oct. 15. “Residents are kind of numb to it,� Police Chief Brian Lindquist said. “It happens all around you. It happens on the nightly news. You’re immune if it doesn’t happen in your neighborhood. Farmington is resilient. They’ve enjoyed living in a safe community. You observe it and move on, I suppose. I don’t know how long that will take them, but my hope is not long.� The last murder in Farmington was in 1975 when a man murdered his wife. Another Farmington resident, Wendy Wear, was murdered in 1977, but her body was found in Apple Valley. The Apple Valley Police Department handled the investigation and were unable to discern where she was killed. Timothy Robert Steele, 35, was charged with homicide in the second degree for allegedly killing his grandmother with a hammer. According to the criminal complaint, he confessed to the crime and said the voices in his head were calling him a “terrible criminal.� He’s currently booked in the Dakota County Jail. “It’s a violent crime, but it was a contained violent crime,� Lindquist said. “There’s really not a threat to anybody currently.� He said the police and the police chaplain have been in contact with the family. Typically, when it comes to the neighborhood, they have a reactionary response if someone else needs help or has a question. See HOMICIDE, 6A

“Come, You Taste� author and Iron Range native B.J. Carpenter is set to speak Nov. 5 at the Heritage Library in Lakeville. Page 21A

Taprooms, distilleries welcome in Farmington City approves ordinance changes by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

nizations. Those who spoke in support of the mosque, some of whom have lived in Rosemount for 20 to 30 years, said local Muslims stand with the United States against people who are using the Muslim faith in connection to violence. “Sadly, Islamophobia is real,� Zaman said. “Fortunately, the Rosemount City Council rejected it.� Groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations aim to combat Islamophobia, which the Center for American Progress defines as fear, hatred and hostility toward Islam and Muslims that is perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in bias, discrimination, and the marginalization and exclusion

Breweries and distilleries were once considered offensive, unlawful businesses in Farmington, but that all changed during Monday’s City Council meeting. The city approved five ordinance changes with hopes of attracting breweries, brew pubs, taprooms, distilleries, micro distilleries and cocktail rooms to the city. “(Distilleries and taprooms) went from unlawful to preferred,� Mayor Todd Larson said during the meeting. Taprooms have become popular in the past four years in Minnesota thanks to a bill set passed in 2011 by the Minnesota Legislature. Taprooms are traditionally attached to breweries where customers are a allowed drink beer directly from the brewery or take beer home in a growler. With everything brewed on site, taprooms have become havens for adventurous beer drinkers looking to try something new. Cocktail rooms, which are attached to distilleries, have also grown under the same concept. “Coupled with responsible drinking, this could be a favorable thing,� Council Member Tim Pitcher said. Dozens of taprooms have popped up throughout the metro, mostly in urban centers. But the idea is starting to spread to the suburbs. Rosemount adapted a new ordinances earlier this year and Apple Valley in considering the same. Angry Inch Brewery is currently under construction in Lakeville.

See MOSQUE, 7A

See FARMINGTON, 6A

SPORTS Irish football upset Higher-seeded Rosemount lost in the section tournament last week ending its season. Page 13A

PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District. Page 16A

INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 13A Announcements . . . . 14A Public Notices . . . . . . 16A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 17A

News 952-846-2033 Display Advertising 952-846-2019 Classified Advertising 952-392-6862 Delivery 763-712-3544

Wild ride home

Brooklynn Krueger, a fourth grader at Riverview Elementary, along with her brother Dawson, a first grader, wave to their classmates riding the bus home after school on Oct. 14. The siblings rode home with the Farmington Fire Department in Engine 22 after Brooklynn won a food-drive contest during the Fire Department’s open house earlier this month. Students who donated food were entered into the drawing, which Brooklynn won. The Krueger children live close to school, but the truck drove around Farmington and stopped at Dairy Queen for a treat before heading home. (Photo by Andy Rogers)

Mosque leader responds to critics Asad Zaman thanks Rosemount council for approving new community center by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

Though there are an estimated 1.8 billion people worldwide who identify themselves as Muslim, accounting for about 23 percent of the population, there are few Muslims in Dakota County. Muslims comprise an estimated 0.5 percent of residents in the county’s seven largest cities, according to organizers of Rosemount’s first mosque, which gained recent zoning approval from the City Council. After the council approved the Muslim American Society of Minnesota’s plan to place the mosque in the former City Limits bowling center in Rosemount at 15400 S. Robert Trail, several residents commented at its Oct.

WE ARE BUYING:

A fee is charged at some locations to cover distribution costs.

&

!""'! !

$

6 meeting in opposition. While a few comments were directed at violations found with MAS’s charter school operation in Inver Grove Heights, most referred to their fear and distrust of Muslims. Asad Zaman, MAS executive director, responded to what was said at the meeting a few days later in an email to the newspaper. “In my experience, the average person in Minnesota is not distrusting of Muslims,� he said. “There is a vocal minority that is distrustful, fearful and hateful of Muslims. That is sad, but not surprising given the amount of open hatred of Islam and Muslims in the media and politics.� Some of the speakers in Rosemount expressed fear that MAS had ties to terrorist orga-

• All Gold & Silver Coins • Old Currency & Bank Notes • US Coin & Currency Collections • Unwanted Gold & Silver Jewelry • Sterling Silver Place Settings • Professional Numismatist on Staff

Immediate Payment If You Choose To Sell!

952-657-5283

14321 Nicollet Crt. Ste 375 Burnsville MN www.GreatLakesCoinsMN.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Dct 10 22 15d by Dakota County Tribune - Issuu