NEW ULM - The New Ulm police officer involved in a two-fatality accident last summer will face no charges for the incident.
A Brown County grand jury issued a "no-bill," or no indictments, against Officer Mathew Rasmussen. The grand jury convened Wednesday and completed deliberations the same day.
The accident occurred July 8, 2011, when a squad car driven by Rasmussen collided with a vehicle driven by Myra Meyer, 82, of New Ulm. Meyer's son Brian Wichmann, 60, of Mankato, was her passenger. Wichmann died at the scene. Meyer was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center. She died of her injuries on July 18, 2011. Rasmussen returned to active duty in September.
Redwood County Attorney Steven Collins, who acted as special prosecutor for Brown County to prevent conflict of interest, said the grand jury proceedings are confidential. He said the proceedings involved him, a court reporter and an unspecified number of 16 to 24 jurors. He said the grand jury deliberated on several potential felonies and misdemeanors, but it dropped them after failing to find probable cause. He said the grand jury's rationale and which felonies or misdemeanors Rasmussen could have been charged with were part of the confidential process and couldn't be disclosed.
"The grand jury reviewed the evidence presented and issued its decision after proper deliberation," said Collins.
Collins said the grand jury's actions end any possible criminal proceedings, though the family may pursue civil proceedings if they wish.
New Ulm City Attorney Hugh Nierengarten is acting as spokesperson for the New Ulm Police Department for the incident.
"The general view [of the police force] is this is a good result. Beyond that, none of us have seen the [Minnesota State Patrol] report yet," said Nierengarten, "We hope to get the report as soon as possible."
Members of the victim's family and their attorney could not be reached for comment. Rasmussen also could not be reached for comment.
The Minnesota State Patrol's report on the incident will now be available to the public because there is no longer a criminal investigation. The report was not immediately available Thursday, but it is expected to be obtained by at least Monday.
(Josh Moniz can be e-mailed at jmoniz@nujournal.com)