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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Most charges in VNP case dismissed

Park Service remains mum on alleged tasing incident

David Colburn
Posted 1/11/23

REGIONAL- It was a relatively successful day in court Dec. 28 for Justin Ebel, of Ash River, as four of five citations issued by Voyageurs National Park law enforcement rangers in a June 2022 …

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Most charges in VNP case dismissed

Park Service remains mum on alleged tasing incident

Posted

REGIONAL- It was a relatively successful day in court Dec. 28 for Justin Ebel, of Ash River, as four of five citations issued by Voyageurs National Park law enforcement rangers in a June 2022 encounter in the park were dismissed by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Jon Hensley in Bemidji.
According to information previously reported by the Timberjay from a July 21 public meeting at Crane Lake, Ebel, owner of Ebel’s Voyageur Houseboats, was attempting to bring one of his houseboats that had run aground on rocks to Sullivan Bay to check for damage when he was stopped by VNP personnel on June 25. An altercation reportedly occurred in which Ebel was allegedly tased.
Attempts by the Timberjay to obtain or confirm information about the incident through direct contacts with VNP personnel and the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office and through Freedom of Information Act requests submitted to the U.S. Park Service have been unsuccessful. Ebel has also declined to comment to this point on the advice of counsel.
Charges were officially filed against Ebel in early December related to five citations issued at the time of the incident, including assaulting or resisting an officer, disorderly conduct, failure to obey a lawful order, interfering with a government employee or agent, and improper display of vessel registration.
Hensley dismissed the charges for assaulting or resisting an officer, disorderly conduct, interfering with a government employee or agent, and improper display of vessel registration, with Ebel incurring $120 in processing fees.
When the charges were filed, Ebel made a collateral payment of $200 for failure to obey a lawful order citation. That payment was retained as a fine for the offense, along with another $30 processing fee.
The Timberjay attempted to contact Ebel by phone for comments about the outcome, but he had not responded as of press time on Wednesday. The newspaper will continue its efforts to report on this incident until full details, including confirmation of the alleged tasing, are obtained.