East Grand Forks Police destroy journalists hard drive – refuse to compensate

Police Chief and City Attorney using taxpayer money to defend personal misconduct?

by Timothy Charles Holmseth

On December 14, 2012 the East Grand Forks Police Department  persuaded a Ninth Minnesota District Judge they needed to enter my (Timothy Charles Holmseth) home-office  and seize my computer and hard-drive.

The Affidavit for the Warrant did not allege a crime had  been committed. Rather – it stated the hard-drive needed to be ‘secured’ to  prevent me from ‘destroying evidence’.

In reality – it was the City that would soon attempt to ‘destroy evidence’.

The District Judge granted the City Police a limited Warrant  that allowed them to seize and hold items. When the police entered the premises,  the computer was turned on and functioning. The Administrator’s activity log shows the  computer was highly functional and used on a daily basis.

Attorney Bruce Ringstrom, Sr., Ringstrom Law Office, Detroit Lakes, negotiated on my behalf with East  Grand Forks City Attorney Ronald Galstad. I agreed to withdraw my request to  the District Judge for an investigation into official misconduct by Galstad and threats made to have  police officers lie on the witness stand if I insisted on a jury trial. The threats were passed to me by  Attorney Michael LaCouirsiere on behalf of Galstad.

In return for the withdrawal of my complaint, my hard-drive  and property was to be given back. Of course – I was not charged with any crime  because I had not committed one.

On April 26, 2013 the equipment was returned to me per the  order of Honorable Tamara Yon. The equipment was returned by Detective Aeisso  Schrage, EGFPD.  

Wires had been moved around inside the computer and the hard-drive  would not function. The damaged property was chronicled in real time through  emails from me to Attorney Ringstrom; as well as photographs. The equipment has been analuyzed and assessed by specialists.

On August 12, 2013 Police Chief Michael Hedlund responded to  a complaint I filed on the matter. He advised me the City Police Department  would not make me whole. Hedlund stated the City wasn’t responsible. His letter  was copied to City Attorney Ronald Galstad.

This latest action by City officials creates even more questions about the shady behavior and underworld attitudes of some big fish in a shrinking pond.

Would Attorney Ronald Galstad and Police Chief Michael  Hedlund really be foolish enough to underestimate  an experienced investigative journalist, and try to destroy evidence linking them  to criminal activity?

Have local officials been in communication with organized crime from out of state? Did Lt. Deteceive Rodney Hajicek commit a crime by using his official position to assist a charity fraud  from Fort Lauderdale called Xentel, Inc.

Are Police Chief Michael Hedlund and City Attorney Ronald Galstad drawing the City of East Grand Forks deeper and deeper into a legal quagmire that is actually comprised of their own personal troubles?

Is the local taxpayer flipping the bill to keep a few local officials out of trouble, which they created on their own?

It appears time will tell.

Several important matters are presently before a District Judge, and recent developments indicate the court system and State of Minnesota is really no longer amused.

Ronald Galstad and Michael LaCoursiere, public defender,  presently face judicial review by the Office of Lawyers Professional  Responsibility after a detailed complaint and affidavit was forwarded to the  Director of OLPR by Honorable Yon.

Ninth Minnesota District Court: Author argues constitutional violations and intimidation by officials

by Timothy Charles Holmseth

Court was held on August 13, 2013 at the Polk County Justice Center, Crookston, Minnesota.

The hearing was proceeded over by the Honorable Tamara Yon.

The Court received an audio recording of a Florida resident that telephoned Timothy Holmseth in 2011. The caller warned him he was being followed and if he did not do as he was told, his parental rights were going to be targeted and altered.

The caller told him the “State” was going to take his children.

*The audio recording cannot be published per a Florida court order but is a matter of public record at the Polk County Justice Center, Crookston, Minnesota.

The Court also received a copy of a letter received by Timothy Holmseth from Police Chief Michael Hedlund, EGFPD, advising Holmseth he was investigating the destruction of Holmseth’s hard-drive while it was in police custody.

The following affidavit was submitted.

AFFIDAVIT OF TIMOTHY  CHARLES HOLMSETH

VIOLATIONS BY THE  STATE OF MINNESOTA  AGAINST        

TIMOTHY CHARLES  HOLMSETH

• FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION – FREEDOM OF PRESS / FREEDOM OF SPEECH

• ARTICLE 1; SECTION 3; MINNESOTA STATE  CONSTITUTION – LIBERTY  OF THE PRESS

I, Timothy Charles Holmseth, being a legal citizen of the United States of America, and State of Minnesota, hereby state  the following is true to the best of knowledge:

The  State of Minnesota  is infringing upon the rights and protections, which are guaranteed to me under  the First Amendment to the United States Constitution – “Freedom of Speech” and  “Freedom of Press”

The  State of Minnesota is infringing upon the  rights and protections, which are guaranteed to me under Article 1; Section 3;  Minnesota State Constitution – “Liberty  of the Press”

The  State of Minnesota  has, and is, violating my Constitutional rights whereby it has paid a regular  wage to a single employee, Matthew J. Petrovich, to actively monitor the  content of my publication http://www.writeintoaction.com.

I  hold a degree in media communications; have been employed for over a decade in  the media industry; been recognized with first place awards by the North Dakota  Newspaper Association; worked as a news reporter at newspapers of record; possess  written letters of reference from elected officials; authored a book; and  operated a freelance business for feature writing for national magazines. 

http://www.writeintoaction.com  is a legal publication of good repute that openly discusses matters of the  public’s interest.

http://www.writeintoaction.com  contains stories, articles, media, and commentary of immediate interest to the  citizens of East Grand Forks, Minnesota;  Polk County, Minnesota;  Greater Minnesota; and Grand Forks,   North Dakota. The website is  providing the public with valuable information about the activities of public  officials.

http://www.writeintoaction.com  contains information of interest to visitors from throughout the United States  interested in the high profile cases of the missing child HaLeigh Cummings, and  the Casey Anthony murder trial.

The  truthfulness and accuracy of the content published at http://www.writeintoaction.com  has never been contested via a civil lawsuit.

The  State of Minnesota  has been illegally monitoring the content of my publication and through the  actions of its agent Matthew Petrovich, weighing and considering the content of  my publication as a relevant factor in assessing me as a parent in advance of  custody rulings.

The monitoring  activities are in violation of state and federal constitutional protections.

The  motivation compelling the monitoring activities is in violation of state and federal  law.

Matthew  Petrovich is a Guardian Ad Litem that was assigned to my family case file with  instructions by the Court to coordinate  parenting-time exchanges between the Parties and make  short-term and long-term custody recommendations to the Court.

On July 23,  2013 Matthew Petrovich, after I confronted him, admitted in an email that he  monitors my website.

He stated:

• His  monitoring activities were/are not based upon information he was/is  receiving from my son, XXXX .
• He  does not monitor my website to obtain “proof” of any crime or infraction,  because the simple act of publishing is lawful.
• He  has never acquired any “proof” of a crime or (theoretical) infraction of any  theoretical restriction while monitoring. 
• He  monitors my website to be on the lookout for anything that is “concerning”

Matthew  Petrovich has been monitoring my publication on behalf of the State of Minnesota for over 1-1/2  years with no expressed legal authority or officially stated basis for doing so,  whereby:

The  State of Minnesota  has not provided me with a copy of a court order from a District Judge that  authorizes or instructs Matthew Petrovich to monitor my publication.

The  State of Minnesota  has not provided me with a copy of a court order from a District Judge  explaining or detailing what content my website is supposed to be monitored in  search of.

The  State of Minnesota  has not provided me with a copy of a court order or Warrant from a District  Judge providing a start and end date to the monitoring activities.

The  State of Minnesota  has not provided me the name of the agency and/or agencies that directed Matthew  Petrovich to monitor my publication.

The  State of Minnesota  has not provided me the name of the individual agent, and/or agents, which  receives or assess the results of the monitoring activities of Matthew Petrovich.

My In Forma Paupris application to the Court  was approved by the District Judge and I have been authorized to represent  myself Pro Se.

My In Forma Paupris status and Pro Se  representation is a matter of the court file and is a fact known to Matthew  Petrovich.

Every single requirement associated with my legal  paperwork fall squarely upon my shoulders. I must draft my own motions; prepare  my own affidavits; do my own legal research; study and apply legal etiquette,  etc. Acting as my own attorney is emotionally taxing, time consuming, and  costly.

Matthew Petrovich has advised me ad nauseum,  that through monitoring my website, he has gleaned I am using my “computer”  while my son is under my care. He advises me he knows the dates and times of my  publishing activities.

Matthew Petrovich openly chastises, criticizes,  harangues, and harasses me about using my “computer” while my son is in my  custody. He connects my use of my computer, to his custody recommendations to  the Court. 

I have  confronted Matthew Petrovich about his ominous tactics of intimidation and  advised him his behavior and activities are interfering with my ability  represent myself in court.

Matthew  Petrovich is deliberately and maliciously monitoring me to intimidate me and  censor my publishing activities regarding the official misconduct of officials  within the Ninth Minnesota Judicial District.  

The State  of Minnesota, via the direct activities of the  East Grand Forks Police Department, East Grand Forks City Attorney’s Office  (Ronald Galstad), State of Minnesota via STATE  OF MINNESOTA VS TIMOTHY CHARLES HOLMSETH has violated the before-mentioned rights of  Timothy Charles Holmseth, whereby: In  June of 2009 Lt. Detective Rodney Hajicek, EGFPD, telephoned me and asked me if  I knew a person named Donna Wagoner.

Per  EGF Police Incident Report # 09002015, Lt. Hajicek advised me the Company  (Xentel, Inc.) Donna Wagoner worked for did not want me to write anything about  them.

Lt.  Hajicek advised me he had also received a call from a XXXXXX form XXXXXXX named  XXX XXXRY XXXXXXX. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Crystal Sheffield, mother of the missing  child HaLeigh Cummings.

XXX  XXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX member, Jeremiah Regan, at the time XXX called Lt.  Hajicek, was under investigation by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Florida for transporting  the missing child HaLeigh Cummings across state lines.

Donna  Wagoner was assisting XXX XXXXXXX with media relations regarding a charity  (scam) called “HaLeigh Bug” being erected (by Xenetel, Inc.) in the name of the  missing child HaLeigh Cummings to obtain donations from generous Americans.

Lt.  Hajicek advised me on the telephone he supported Donna Wagoner and XXX XXXXXXX  in their requests that I not write anything about them and pressured me to  cease and desist.

Art  Harris, Busystreet Productions, Georgia, emailed Lt. Hajicek and expressed his  outrage that the FBI visited Donna Wagoner’s place of employment (Xentel, Inc.)  because of information I (Timothy Holmseth) had provided them regarding a  Photoshopped picture of the missing child HaLeigh Cummings being used in an  online scam.

According  to sworn statements made by XXX XXXXXXX to XXXXXXX, Art Harris was the official  “media consultant” working for XXXX and Crystal Sheffield.

Xentel,  Inc. is a company with an extensive history of fraud and has been successfully  sued by the Attorney General’s Office of multiple states including Iowa, Colorado, Missouri and Ohio.

Lt. Hajicek  and EGF City Attorney Ronald Galstad continued developing a relationship with XXX  XXXXXXX for several years, and in 2011 they assisted her in obtaining a  fraudulent domestic violence order against me, through the XXXXX County,  Florida Family Courts, whereby an Injunction on my publication was obtained, using  Florida domestic violence law (despite me having never met XXX XXXXXXX nor having  entered the state of Florida).

The City of  East Grand Forks deliberately withheld and  refused my document requests for police incident reports that would have proved  I had no domestic relationship with XXX XXXXXXX, had not been to Florida, and never met  XXX.

Lt. Rodney  Hajicek generated no police report and conducted no investigation when I  reported to him that XXX XXXXXXX’s private investigator, William E. Staubs,  telephoned me and warned me that if I showed up for the Florida court hearing I  would surely be murdered. William Staubs swore to this in a notarized  Affidavit.

Multiple  witnesses attested to the fact XXX XXXXXXX, XXX XXXXXXX’s (felon) XXXX,  brandished an illegal Mini-14 Assault Carbine rifle and boasted it was the gun  that was going to kill “Timothy Holmseth”.

The EGFPD  arrested me, jailed me, and used the authority of the State of Minnesota to charge me with  a crime despite the State having no venue on the matter.

Misconduct complaints against State Public Defender Michael LaCoursiere, and State  Prosecutor Ronald Galstad, at my request, were forwarded to the Office of  Lawyer’s Professional Responsibility (OLPR) by Honorable Tamara Yon, 9th  Minnesota Judicial District.

The  Affidavit and Complaint to the OLPR set forth details supporting allegations  that Galstad and LaCoursiere threatened to have police officers lie on the  stand to convict me if I insisted on a jury trial and didn’t accept a  no-contest (Alford) plea.

The  Affidavit and Complaint sets forth details of how the EGFPD and State of  Minnesota illegally violated my Attorney Client Privilege and generated  provably false statements (false quotes attributed to me) (provably false  because all statements were surreptitiously recorded by me) in a police report.

The  Affidavit and Complaint sets forth details of how the EGFPD and State of Minnesota seized my hard  drive and then deliberately ruined it in custody.

Author ‘blows whistle’ to Minnesota Attorney General

An author from East Grand Forks has filed a detailed grievance to the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General that shows he has been institutionally terrorized for several years by authorities operating in 9th Minnesota Judicial District.

The campaign against Timothy Charles Holmseth began after the former newspaper reporter un-covered evidence that the East Grand Forks Police Department (EGFPD) was improperly assisting a legally embattled Florida company that has been sued by Attorney Generals in Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, and Ohio for defrauding citizens.

Holmseth stumbled onto a mountain of information during a journalism project regarding a missing child from Florida named HaLeigh Cummings. Holmseth discovered Xentel, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida was involved in creating a fake photograph of the missing child and using it in an online charity fraud scheme – Holmseth subsequently received a telephone call from EGFPD Lt. Detective Rod Hajicek and was told not to “harass” Xentel.

The FBI in Florida visited Xentel, Inc. based upon Holmseth’s tip, and acquired valuable information about the individuals involved in the kidnapping. Holmseth was subsequently interviewed for several hours by the Minneapolis FBI and asked for copies of journalistic interviews he conducted. In 2012 a Florida millionaire, Maria Burgun, went to the FBI and told them who created the photo – she confirmed Holmseth had been correct.

Holmseth began receiving anonymous calls from individuals warning him child abuse charges were going to be made against him if he didn’t shut his mouth about the missing child. The callers claimed to have special connections, and told Holmseth that Child Protective Services and State’s Attorney’s would be coming after him if he didn’t do what he was told.

Holmseth was taunted by anonymous individuals that claimed a special relationship with “Lt. Hajicek.”

Holmseth is able to prove local police withheld, altered, and destroyed public records to cover-up their illegal activities. In December of 2012 EGFPD officers violently entered Holmseth’s home-office and seized his computer hard-drive; and then ruined it before returning it to him.

Holmseth’s complaint involves information that shows his Constitutional rights under the First Amendment have been grossly violated. A guardian ad litem, employed by the State of Minnesota, has repeatedly advised Holmseth he is monitoring the content of his website http://www.writeintoaction.com and will consider it when making recommendations to the Court regarding Holmseth’s child.

Holmseth’s filings are public record at the Polk County Justice Center.