September 12, 2016 A Special Section of the Fillmore County Journal Recognizing Our
EmergencyResponse Teams
We are here for you By Sheriff Tom Kaase With this publication honoring all public safety employees and volunteers, on behalf of the Fillmore County Sheriff ’s Office and as your Sheriff, I’d like to say thank you to the citizens of our county. During a Sheriff Tom difficult and Kaase challenging time for law enforcement, we are so privileged to have the unwavering understanding and support from our citizens. You may not understand how important that is to us, but rest assured, it gives us greater strength and desire to continually improve upon our service to you. Again, on behalf of all Fillmore County Law Enforcement, I say thank you for your understanding and support. This year, I’d like to take the time to focus on some issues affecting the lives and quality of life of our residents and visitors. First, I’d like to talk about issues that come up all too frequently, scams. If you receive a call from someone saying they are from the IRS and requesting money/ credit card information or you’ll be arrested…HANG UP…IT’S A SCAM! The IRS does not
conduct business this way. If you receive a call from someone that says a loved one is in jail and are requesting money/credit card information for their release… HANG UP…IT’S A SCAM! Another variation of this may be the caller reporting the loved one is injured. If you receive a letter saying you won millions, but you have to send in money to receive it…IT’S A SCAM! Remember the old saying, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t.” Another variation of this may be you receive a check for thousands of dollars and then instructing you to cash it and send a portion of it back to continue the process of you receiving more money...IT’S A SCAM! If at any time you are contacted and are suspicious, please don’t hesitate to call our Sheriff’s Office for help and information. Why do these scams continue? Why are there so many of these scams? The answer to this is because people continue to fall for these lies and deception. To combat this crime we need to continue to do what we have been doing, and that is educating people on these scams so they don’t fall victim to these criminals. Unfortunately and sadly, I personally know of citizens that have fallen victims to these scams, which could have been avoided by contacting our
One Moment, Please... Jacob, Minnesota’s kid next door By Jason Sethre Publisher Fillmore County Journal jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com On Sunday, October 22, 1989, just after 9 p.m., Jacob Wetterling (age 11), his younger brother Trevor (age 10), and a friend Aaron Larson (age Jason Sethre 11), were biking home from a convenience store where they had gone to rent a video. According to news reports, on their way home, a masked man came out of a driveway and ordered the boys to throw their bikes
into a ditch and lie face down on the ground. The kidnapper then asked each boy his age. Jacob’s brother was told to run toward a nearby wooded area and not look back or else he would be shot. He then demanded to view the faces of the two remaining boys. He picked Jacob, and told his friend to run away and not look back otherwise he would shoot. This was the last time Jacob was ever seen alive. I remember when this news broke and how concerned parents were about the safety of children just walking to a friend’s house down the street. It struck fear in all of us. Jacob Wetterling and I were born about four years apart -Jacob in 1978 and myself in
on your property or requested a house check through our office? This is just a short list of ideas to help protect your home and property. Lastly in this area, I’d like to talk about our involvement in the TZD (Towards Zero Deaths) Campaign, led by Sgt. Derek Fuglestad. Unfortunately, this campaign leads to some negative contacts with our citizens, because it may lead to a citation or arrest, but it extremely important. The goal of this campaign is as it
office. Next, I’d like to talk about helping safe guard their homes and property from thefts and burglaries. We live in a world and time in which everyone is so busy, with household members working and going to school, leaving the home empty a lot of the time. This creates an opportunity for criminals, but there are also steps that can be taken to minimize these opportunities. Take a look at your property. Are there things you can change to ward off a theft or burglary? Are there things you can move or clean up that would make it harder for a criminal to break in or steal something without the fear of being seen? Is an alarm system a possibility? Have you talked to your neighbors so they know when your home or not, or who should be coming and going? Have you inventoried your property by documenting serial numbers or made visible markings on things which would cause a criminal to not take something? If you are going to be gone for an extended period of time, do you have someone checking
says, to try to achieve zero deaths on our Minnesota roadways in a year’s time. As a result of this campaign, your life, a loved one’s life, or even the person upset about a citation or arrest, may be the one whose life is saved. Texting and distracted driving is becoming an enormous danger for all drivers and passengers on the road. We have a video posted on our Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, please take time to watch this and share it with your family, loved ones, and friends. If you text and drive after watching this, I will truly be at a loss of words.
What does the rest of this year and 2017 have in store? Continued excellence in service and increased efficiency of operations. Proactive policing, community outreach and technology advancements are just some of the exciting things to look forward to in the future. Our office is looking at greater interaction with our citizens through programs and groups like the Fillmore County Law Enforcement Explorer Post, the Citizens Law Enforcement Academy, and TRIAD, just to name a few. If you don’t know what some of these are, and I have peaked your curiosity, check for up-coming articles to learn more on these fun and interesting ventures. Our deputies will soon have mobile computers in their squads. What does this mean for you as citizens and businesses? It means keeping them out closer to your time of need. For a medical call, for a response to a burglary or other crime in progress, for a routine response call, and a reduction in response time. The mobiles will make our deputies even more accessible, reduce response time, and allow them greater access of information at their fingertips. As I wrap up, please remember we are here for you. Whether it’s for a medical response, crime in progress response, or a request for an answer or information to a question, it is all important to us, because it is important to you. Thank you from all of Fillmore County Law Enforcement.
1974. From what we saw on the news when he disappeared, Jacob was like the kid next door. At age 11, in a town not much bigger than Chatfield or Spring Valley (St. Joseph was approximately 3,200 population in 1990), he appeared to be just like any other kid in my neighborhood. I’m guessing he was the kind of kid who would show up with his glove at the local baseball park for a neighborhood game, or maybe engage in an impromptu snowball battle on a Saturday morning in the middle of winter. These are just a few of my memories of my days in the neighborhood. I’m 42-years-old, which means Jacob would be 38-years-old. By now, Jacob would probably be married and have a couple of children, just like me. But, Danny Heinrich took all of that away from Jacob and his
family. Now, 27 years later, 53-yearold Heinrich revealed the truth about what happened to Minnesota’s kid next door. It must be absolutely gutwrenching for Jacob Wetterling’s family to relive his disappearance as they contend with the reality of this recent discovery. Back when Jacob Wetterling disappeared, it immediately reminded me of the Adam Walsh story. Adam Walsh, only six-years-old at the time, was abducted on July 27, 1981 from a Sears store in Florida while shopping with his mother. In 1983, there was a made-for-television movie titled Adam, that haunted me for years. Adam was born in 1974, just like me. And, that’s what is sad about the world we live in today. We don’t live in Mayberry anymore. And, apparently, we haven’t lived in Mayberry for at least 35
years. The Danny Heinrich’s of the world are around us. And, while Heinrich has confessed to Jacob’s murder, there are others we don’t know about yet. Sure, we may hear about the level three sex offenders who make the news, but there are many yet to be discovered. While technology and law enforcement may identify predators like Danny Heinrich in advance of a potential abduction like what happened to Jacob, sadly, there are still more predators out there. Our law enforcement has a relentless responsibility. Jacob’s last bike ride that evening of October 22, 1989 compromised our trust and faith, exposing our vulnerabilities and innocence. I hope that in spirit, Jacob can rest in peace knowing that we’ve been thinking about him for the past 27 years.