Stalking Charge: Minn. Trooper Accused Of Taking Woman's Phone, Sending Himself Her Private Photos
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minnesota State Patrol trooper has been charged with felony stalking.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, 36-year-old Albert Kuehne of Dayton is charged by summons with two counts of stalking with bias, due to the fact the victim was a woman.
In late March, Kuehne worked a single-car accident on Interstate 94 and Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis. The driver, a 25-year-old woman, was detained as a possible drunk driver. She was later taken to the hospital, where she was treated and released.
After she returned, her boyfriend was using the woman's laptop computer, which was linked to her cell phone. The laptop records showed that the woman's phone was accessed and nude photos of the woman were texted to an unknown number, the complaint said.
"Her boyfriend called the phone number and the person who answered eventually identified himself as Kuehne, according to the complaint. The woman called a lawyer, who reported the incident and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension began an investigation," the attorney's office said.
Kuehne's squad video shows him leading the woman to his squad car. While walking, the woman took out her phone and when he saw it, he demanded she give him the phone.
According to the complaint, the photos were sent from the woman's phone at a time when Kuehne was alone in his squad while paramedics treated the woman.
Using a search warrant, investigators seized Kuehne's phone and found three photos of the woman on his phone, the complaint said.
If convicted, Kuehne could face up to five years and a $10,000 fine per felony charge.