Man charged with shutting off

oxygen to Minnesota hospital

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man is charged with shutting off oxygen to a Minneapolis area hospital in December.

Hennepin County prosecutors on Wednesday charged Larry Raduenz Jr., 39, of Robbinsdale with first-degree damage to property, a felony. Raduenz was arrested at a homeless shelter in St. Paul and appeared in court Thursday, where he requested a public defender.

Raduenz is accused of shutting off oxygen to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale on Dec. 27. According to the complaint, Raduenz climbed a fence near the oxygen tanks, broke cable ties and metal clasps and shut off the oxygen. Engineers detected the pressure drop and discovered the vandalism.

An engineer said they were happy to find the problem fast.

“If it would have taken much longer, the oxygen would have depleted and could have caused injury or death to multiple patients,” the complaint said.

A hospital spokeswoman has said no patients were harmed.

According to the complaint, video surveillance showed Raduenz walking into the hospital atrium, approaching a television that had video of his face and unplugging it.

When investigators questioned Raduenz, he said he was angry with the hospital and had frequented the premises.

Raduenz also is suspected in Stearns County of tampering with Xcel Energy meters 250 times, the Star Tribune reported.