Hikers Watch Man Dying in Lilydale Park Self-Immolation

Standing on the bluffs, the pair saw a man on fire far below them, and ran for police.

Despite quick thinking by a pair of hikers, a man burned to death in Lilydale Regional Park on Monday night. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, two men were near the top of the bluffs when they smelled smoke and "heard a whimper" from the flats below. They peered down on a grisly scene: The man, about 75 feet below the hikers, appeared to be leaning on one arm, and a 10-foot-long swath of grass and leaves appeared to be burning beside him, where perhaps he had rolled or stumbled. One of the hikers called 911, and a dispatcher told them to meet police and paramedics at the foot of the trail. By the time emergency crews and the hikers reached the man, he had stopped breathing and was declared dead a short time later. Evidence left at …

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JUST THE FACTS

JUST THE FACTS: Domestic, Burglary, Hockey Ruckus

Here is the latest news from the Mendota Heights Police Department.

Follow Mendota Heights Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our free newsletter Just the Facts is a weekly newsletter published by the Mendota Heights Police Department and appears on the city’s website. Mendota Heights Patch also has it.

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JUST THE FACTS

Just the Facts: Suspicious Activity, DUI Arrest, Felony Warrant

Here is the latest news from the Mendota Heights Police Department.

Follow Mendota Heights Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our free newsletter Just the Facts is a weekly newsletter published by the Mendota Heights Police Department and appears on the city’s website. Mendota Heights Patch also has it.

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Disturbances Crime Map: Wood Pile Garage Fire

Domestics and disturbances in Mendota Heights between Nov. 8 and Nov. 19.

The information for Mendota Heights Patch's police incident map is provided by the Mendota Heights Police Department.  Zoom in (or out) for a better look at Mendota Heights or your neighborhood. Click on pins to see police data for each incident. Use the scroll bar on the right side of the map to see a full list of incidents. Note that for locations listed as, for instance, "the 5900 block," the pin will appear near the 5900 street address, but the incident did not necessarily occur exactly there; it happened somewhere on the block with address that begin with 59XX. Please leave a comment below or email zac.farber@patch.com with any questions, corrections or concerns.

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Disturbances Crime Map: Attempted Kidnapping on Knollwood Lane

Domestics and disturbances in Mendota Heights between Oct. 25 and Nov. 7.

The information for Mendota Heights Patch's police incident map is provided by the Mendota Heights Police Department.  Zoom in (or out) for a better look at Mendota Heights or your neighborhood. Click on pins to see police data for each incident. Use the scroll bar on the right side of the map to see a full list of incidents. Note that for locations listed as, for instance, "the 5900 block," the pin will appear near the 5900 street address, but the incident did not necessarily occur exactly there; it happened somewhere on the block with address that begin with 59XX. Please leave a comment below or email zac.farber@patch.com with any questions, corrections or concerns.

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Mendota Heights PD Blotter: Missing Package, Found Yorkie

All information is taken from the Mendota Heights Police Department incident summaries.

All information is taken from the Mendota Heights Police Department incident summaries. May 30 A suspect whose vehicle and identity could not be identified stole gas from the Holiday Stationstore. An elderly woman was confused, disoriented and hearing voices. Her adult son came and stayed with her. The case was forwarded to Dakota County Social Services for follow-up. Police were dispatched to aid a vehicle in a ditch off Dodd Road. An ambulance and tow truck also arrived to assist with the injuries and vehicle. While conducting a mandatory compliance check, police discovered a Sunfish Cellars employee selling alcohol to an underage person. The case was forwarded for formal charging for the employee and civil penalties for the business. …

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Mendota Heights PD Blotter: Public Urination and Slanderous Emails

All information is taken from the Mendota Heights Police Department incident summaries.

All information is taken from the Mendota Heights Police Department incident summaries. May 23 A woman reported harassing phone calls from her ex-boyfriend. The suspect was advised to stop calling. A suspect wanted in connection with criminal sexual conduct by the West St. Paul Police Department was arrested in the parking lot of Moose Country. The suspect was then transported to West St. Paul. Police were dispatched to assist the West St. Paul Police Department with a large group argument outside a local bar on the 900 block of Robert Street. While en route, police were informed shots had been fired. Police assisted the WSSPD with a felony stop, crime scene preservation and taking statements. Police responded to a residential burglary …

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Remembering MHPD: Jerry Murphy

Murphy, who has been with the department almost 50 years, shares his memories as a volunteer officer.

Editor's Note: This is the fourth of four articles from a series of interviews with some of the Mendota Heights Police Department's most experienced officers. The series will run this week, in honor of the department's 50th anniversary. The Mendota Heights Police Department was established 50 years ago, and part-time patrol officer Jerry Murphy has been with the department for almost as long. “It’s been a good ride,” said Murphy. Not long after the MHPD was created, Murphy responded to multiple emergency incidents, such as fires and inclement weather, as a citizen. It was then that Mendota Heights’s original chief of police, Marty Baldwin, recruited Murphy as the department’s first volunteer officer. Today, Murphy oversees the MHPD Reserve…

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Remembering MHPD: Mike Aschenbrener

The Mendota Heights chief of police reflects on his near-decade with the department.

Editor's Note: This is the third of four articles from a series of interviews with some of the Mendota Heights Police Department's most experienced officers. The series will run this week, in honor of the department's 50th anniversary. Nine years ago, chief of police Mike Aschenbrener left his department of 20 years in Forest Lake to work for Mendota Heights, joining a very different department than the Mendota Heights Police Department of today. During his near-decade as chief, Aschenbrener has made a conscious effort to increase citizen involvement in Mendota Heights. Developing the department’s volunteer base through the Reserve Officer program, which began in 2009, has been a particularly high priority for Aschenbrener. This kind of …

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For Mendota Heights Cop, Special Olympians Spark Dedication, Smiles

Mendota Heights police officer Jennifer Fordham has dedicated herself to the Dakota County Special Olympics program.

Mendota Heights Police Officer Jennifer Fordham remembers the moment she realized she was passionate about the Special Olympics. It was 2004 and she had only been in the force for a few years. At a colleague’s suggestion, she went to an event at the University of Minnesota and spent a couple hours giving out medals and meeting athletes and their families. “As I was walking away to come home,” Fordham said, “a lady came up to me and looked at my badge and she said, ‘Oh my goodness, you’re from Mendota Heights,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I am,’ and she said, ‘Our son has participated in Special Olympics for years, and we’ve never seen anyone from Mendota Heights here, and that makes us so proud.’” The appreciation left an enduring impression on …

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