In November, the city of Paynesville hired Orvid (Butch) LeBarge, Minnetonka, to do an internal investigation of the police pursuit.
According to city attorney Bill Spooner, LeBarge hadn’t received any reports from the Stearns County Sheriff’s office needed for the investigation. “He is encountering the same stumbling blocks we did from the county,” Spooner said. Stearns County won’t release any information until after Anderson’s trial.
LeBarge has done a preliminary review of the incident, which included going over the initial interview with Office Joe Schmitz. This is all that has ben made available to him, according to Spooner. Based on LeBarge’s recom-mendation, Schmitz is back on regular duty with the Paynesville Police Department.