City Clerk Ronda Huls Allegedly Fired

The Central Minnesota News Network has received information from an anonymous source that City Clerk Ronda Huls has been fired. CMNN has contacted the City of Stewart and is awaiting a response.

Ronda Huls allegedly lied to the MPCA in order to harass Stewart resident, Delvin Bethke.  Bethke has acted as a whistleblower on city corruption for many years, and been retaliated upon many times for his whistleblowing. Bethke has had his tires slashed five times.

Questions have been raised as to whether Ronda Huls has has abused her role as City Clerk, and improperly wielded influence to harass residents.

There are questions as to whether these had anything to do with her firing or quitting.

Stay Tuned.

McLeod County Sheriff Refuses to Investigate Illegal Denial of Water - Corruption

City of Stewart resident Delvin Bethke has had the water shut off to a property he owns. Bethke's son and young child were forced out.

In yet another case of alleged harassment of Bethke, the city of Stewart appears to be behind this water shut off, using another resident as a proxy to deny Bethke water, a public utility. Bethke's water bill was paid.

City resident Chuck Paul has said he has been pressured by the city to shut off Bethke's water, saying:

"The city is on me to get the line changed.... I'm in a rock and a hard place just like you.

That makes Chuck Paul and his lawyer, Lori Moldan, alleged proxies for the city.


City Demands Private Citizens Resolve Issue about a Public Utility

In a very unusual stance, the city of Stewart has refused to take responsibility for their public water utility.  Instead, the city has demanded Bethke resolve the issue privately with his neighbor, who wanted Bethke to pay for any sheds that were damaged by installing a new water line.

The shut-off to Bethke's water line is located on his neighbor's property, and this has never been corrected by the city.

Bethke said that the city of Hutchinson itself gets easements for public utilities when needed, and does not demand that private residents do it.

However, the city of Stewart appears to be quite fixed upon the idea that a private resident must  resolve an issue regarding a public utility by getting an easement.  This appears to be more harassment of a resident by city officials.

Bethke called the McLeod County Sheriff to report the denial of a public utility to his property.

The Sheriff's office has refused to investigate this alleged corruption.

 

McLeod County Deputy Ken Reynolds Shoots Horse and Found Not Guilty

McLeod County, Minnesota, deputy Kenneth Reynolds shot Delvin Bethke's horse in Stewart, Minnesota.

Bethke says he heard 9 shots ring out. One horse was injured as it ran into a building to escape the shooting. The other horse had a wound which never healed.  Bethke used a metal detector, which indicated metal inside the horse at the wound.

The horse died about a year later.


McLeod County Deputy Ken Reynolds Criminally Prosecuted

Ken Reynolds was criminally prosecuted for discharging a firearm in the city limits of Stewart.

At the trial Reynolds claimed he was shooting at a woodchuck. However, no woodchuck was found where he was shooting, only a cat which appeared to have died quite a while previously.

And even if he was shooting at a woodchuck -- it is still illegal to discharge a firearm in Stewart, Minnesota.

The jury conveniently found Reynolds "not guilty."

Records of Public Servant Reynolds Hidden from the Public

The court records of the prosecution of Reynolds have also been conveniently sealed.  The truth about a public servant is hidden from the public.  All to protect a crooked cop.

$10,000 Per Month for Sheriff Service

The city of Stewart, Minnesota, pays the McLeod County sheriff $10,000 per month for police service. However, Stewart did nothing to stand up for its resident

City Officials Deny Lori Moldan is a Proxy for City to Cut Resident's Water Line

Lori Moldan appears to be the latest attorney for the city of Stewart, Minnesota. Lori Moldan is representing Bethke's neighbor, Chuck Paul, in his private attempt to resolve an issue about a public utility, with his neighbor, Delvin Bethke.


City Officials Deny that Lori Moldan is City's Lawyer

Two city officials have denied that Lori Moldan is a city lawyer. However, Moldan works for the same firm that the other city lawyers work for. And city resident Chuck Paul has said he has been pressured by the city to shut off Bethke's water, saying:

"The city is on me to get the line changed.... I'm in a rock and a hard place just like you.

That makes Chuck Paul and Lori Moldan alleged proxies for the city.

Neighbor Chuck Paul, alleged proxy for the city, cuts Bethke's water line.

City Demands Private Citizens Resolve Issue about a Public Utility

Bethke said that the city of Hutchinson itself gets easements for public utilities when needed, and does not demand that private residents do it.

However, the city of Stewart appears to be quite fixed upon the idea that a private resident must  resolve an issue regarding a public utility by getting an easement.

Four sheds on Chuck Paul's property where the proposed easement was.

Bethke said the easement Lori Moldan wanted him to sign meant that Bethke would have to pay for 3 sheds that could be torn up by putting the water line in, in addition to the cost of drafting the easement.  Said Bethke, "The lawyer even said she could see why I didn't want to sign it. They revised the proposed easement, but it was basically the same thing."

Page from the proposed Easement Agreement that says that
Bethke is required to repair any sheds damaged by any utility work.

Alleged city attorney Moldan also wanted Bethke to pay for the drafting the easement agreement, in addition to the cost of installing the new waterline.

Alleged city attorney Moldan wants Bethke also to pay for
drafting the Easement Agreement.

City Officials Fail to Condemn Deprivation of Public Utility to Resident

The city of Stewart has stood by and appears to approve of their alleged proxy Chuck Paul taking a private action to cut off a public utility to his neighbor, Bethke.

The McLeod County Sheriff, which is hired by the city for $10,000 a month, did nothing to protect a citizen's rights to public utilities..

No city official has condemned the cutting off of Bethke's water line, instead they have justified it. And according to Chuck Paul's statements, the city appears to be behind this assault on a private resident's water supply.

Raw Sewage Backs Up in Basement in Stewart, MN Homes -- For Many Years

For many years the municipal sewer lines have backed up into the homes of Stewart residents. Apparently this has been happening for nearly over 40 years.

The city of Stewart recently paid millions for a new city sewer system recently -- but it failed to address this problem.

The Central Minnesota News Network called city council member Jason Peirce today. Pierce said that to deal with overflow of the city's sewers, the city calls the MPCA to notify them, then pumps sewer water into the storm drain, which then feeds into Buffalo Creek. Peirce said the water in Buffalo Creek is tested for amounts of sewage content.

Peirce blamed the sewage back-up on excessive rains and residents pumping their sump-pumps into the sewage drain system.

Peirce said that sewage would not be flowing to the flooded area where Bethke's property is, it is fed north of the town.

Peirce did not have an answer as to why the city's new million-dollar sewer system didn't correct the raw sewage back-ups in the town.

Below is a post by Stewart resident Delvin Bethe from May 2019.




Photo of Bethke's tub showing raw sewage backed up into his tub.

Stewart's Botched Storm Drain Causes Flooding and Apparent Septic Failure

Flooding in Stewart, MN at the property of Chuck Paul.

In 2018 the city of Stewart, Minnesota, installed new storm drain lines. The map below shows one of the lines in red, which was installed on the SW corner of town. Where the red line ends, the city hooked up its new storm drain line to Delvin Bethke's private line, claiming his line was in the easement.

Current flooding as of November 2019.

However, when the city hooked up their new storm drain -- they were draining their 20" drain line into Bethke's 12" line. Delvin Bethke says this has caused flooding at his property and his neighbor's ever since.

The below photo shows flooding on the south side of Bethke's property. On the right side of the photo is Highway 212.

"The city took a shortcut and hooked a 20-inch line onto my private 12-inch line. This has caused flooding at my property for the past 2 years.  The city needed to clean out the road right of way, then install another drain tile to drain the city storm water to Lake Stewart."

The neighbor Chuck Paul's property has also been flooding.

Bethke explains, "My 12-inch line can't handle the load and the excess water backs into my pipe and floods my property. The are using my property as a holding pond."

The below picture taken November 7, 2019, shows the new storm drain line is not draining, but instead holding water.

The city's 20" drain pipe on the left, Bethke's 12" line on the right.

The below photos show standing water in the storm drain lines, sediment in the drain lines, which will build up and cause failure, and the bottom right shows washout from storms accumulating on private property.

ALLEGED RETALIATION BY CITY OFFICIALS

Bethke maintains he has been retaliated upon heavily by corrupt city officials for whistleblowing on their fraud. Bethke says this retaliation has included being harassed for cooking wieners, being fined for making "Pray for my City" signs,  the city trying to take his land, shutting off his water twice, failing to install requested utilities, filing criminal charges  for a claimed zoning violation, and many more things.

Now Bethke has been reported to the MPCA for a failing septic system -- when it appears to have been the city's botched storm drain line that caused it in the first place. Says, Bethke, "The septic system isn't working properly because the water table is getting too high from the new storm water line."

LIES REPORTED TO MPCA

It appears that whoever reported it to the MPCA lied. The letter from McLeod County Environmental Services alleges that there is sewage in the basement -- when there is no basement underneath Bethke's trailer house.

And just like the other instances Bethke cites -- once again there is a threat of criminal charges, charges which appear to be wholly based upon the city's wrongdoing. The below letter says, "You have till November 27th, 2019, to provide McLeod County Environmental Services with a compliance inspection or this matter wil be turned over to the County Attorney for review."

Bethke says he has consulted an attorney and is considering his options regarding holding the city liable for the cost of a new septic system.

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The storm drain line when it was being installed.

Storm storm tiles lined up on Grove Street before installation.

Storm drain lines buried.

Storm drain lines being covered.

City of Stewart Pumps Raw Sewage into Buffalo Creek

The City of Stewart, Minnesota, is dumping raw sewage into Buffalo Creek, which has been confirmed by council member Jason Peirce.

This photo obtained by the Central Minnesota News Network shows a Stewart, Minnesota city employee pumping raw sewage from the sewer line into the storm drain. The storm drain then empties into Buffalo Creek. 

The photo was taken in the summer of 2019 near Form-a-Feed in Stewart. The witness reported that this was done many times during the summer of 2019.




The Central Minnesota News Network called city council member Jason Peirce today. Pierce said that to deal with overflow of the city's sewers, the city calls the MPCA to notify them, then pumps sewer water into the storm drain, which then feeds into Buffalo Creek. Peirce said the water in Buffalo Creek is tested for amounts of sewage content.

Peirce attributed the sewage back-up on excessive rains and residents pumping their sump-pumps into the sewage drain system.

Peirce said that sewage would not be flowing to the flooded area where Bethke's property is, it is fed north of the town.

Peirce did not have an answer as to why the city's new million-dollar sewer system didn't correct the raw sewage back-ups in the town.

City of Stewart Minutes Contradict Alleged City Attorney Lori Moldan Regarding Disconnecting Water

The Central Minnesota News Network has received a response from the City of Stewart, Minnesota, regarding disconnecting the water of property owner Mr. Delvin Bethke. It appears that the City's policies are at odd with the latest alleged city lawyer, Lori Moldan, who is representing Bethke's neighbor, Chuck Paul.


City Officials Deny that Lori Moldan is City's Lawyer

City officials deny that Lori Moldan is the city lawyer. However, Moldan works for the same firm that the other city lawyers work for. And city resident Chuck Paul has said he has been pressured by the city to shut off his, saying: "I'm between a rock and a hard place.... The city is on me to get that line changed."

Chuck Paul's statements about being pressured by the city link the city to the threat to shut off Bethke's water, and make Moldan an alleged city lawyer.  Chuck Paul and Lori Moldan appear to be little more than proxies for the city of Stewart.


Alleged City Attorney Says Water Will be Shut Off

The  below letter dated September 4, 2019, from the alleged city attorney Lori Moldan, says the city will go ahead and disconnect the water line at a property he owns he if he doesn't respond in the allotted time frame, which was very short given that Mr. Bethke received the letter a day before the stated deadline.





City Minutes Say Water Lines Will Not be Disconnected Until New Line Installed

However, the above letter by the alleged city attorney contradicts the City Council Minutes.  The Minutes were sent to the Central Minnesota News Network by City Clerk Ronda Huls. The Minutes state that at the 5-9-16 Council meeting it was determined:

 "No one will be out of water, the old service will not be disconnected until the new service is connected." 

That contradicts Moldan's letter which threatens to disconnect Mr. Bethke's water line.




City's Statement Contradicts City Resident Chuck Paul

In addition, Ms. Huls' response that the neighbor, Mr. Chuck Paul, requested that Mr. Bethke's water line be disconnected contradicts Mr. Paul's verbal statements to Mr. Bethke, that city officials have been pressuring him.  Mr. Paul said to Mr. Bethke: "The city is on me to get the line changed.... I'm in a rock and a hard place just like you."



The Central Minnesota News Network has contacted the City of Stewart and the alleged city attorney Lori Moldan for a response to these multiple contradictions, but has not received a response.

Stewart Resident Says He is Being Forced to Pay for a Water Line he Doesn't Own

It appears the city of Stewart, Minnesota, is being overtly hostile to resident Delvin Bethke.  The alleged city attorney Lori Moldan sent Bethke a letter that threatened an aggressive response if Bethke didn't respond in a short period of time. 

Says Bethke, "I got a letter yesterday and tomorrow they are going to disconnect my water.  Is anyone having this problem in Stewart?"  Bethke maintains he has been persecuted by the city officials for years in retaliation for confronting their alleged corruption.





Bethke says, "The city is forcing me to maintain a water line that I do not own, and the city of Stewart is forcing my good neighbor to shut off my water."

The letter sent by the city's lawyers claims they will be "forced to proceed in a hostile manner."  However, the city itself appears to be quite hostile to its resident, demanding he pay for two things he did not request:  The drafting of an easement agreement and the installation of a water line.
If Bethke fails to respond, the city will summarily disconnect the water line when there is apparently no immediate need. The neighbor, Chuck Paul, said in a recorded telephone conversation with Bethke that he was unable to go on vacation this year because he couldn't turn his water off (because it would also turn off Bethke's).

Does Chuck Paul mean to say he pays for the city to turn the water off at the curb every time he goes on vacation? That sounds highly improbable. Given the city's zealousness for codes, there is certainly a water main shut off inside his home.  And given the city's zealousness for excessive codes, there is likely a second water shut off on the other side of the water meter inside his home.

It sounds like the city is not only being hostile towards its resident, but also retaliatory.

The Central Minnesota News Network has contacted city of Stewart and the city's new attorney, Lori Moldan, but we have not yet received a response. We will bring you any updates to this story.

CITY OF STEWART CAN'T KEEP ATTORNEYS

It appears that the city of Stewart is having a hard time keeping attorneys.  Fewer than four attorneys in less than a year have been enlisted in the city's prosecution of resident Delvin Bethke.  Bethke maintains he has been persecuted by city officials.

Lori Moldan appears to be a the latest in the series, representing the city from the firm Gavin, Donley, and Ostlund.  It appears no one wants to take this case.

One attorney even apparently resigned.

Here are the attorneys whose names have appeared in city and legal documents.


ZACHARY LARS LYNGAAS

Zachary Lars Lyngaas appears in the fall of 2018. He is a young attorney, admitted in 2016.




KENNETH JANSEN

Below is a letter with Kenneth Janssen's name on the letterhead from March 2019.  Janssen is also a young attorney, admitted in 2013.




AMBER DONLEY

Below is a court document with Amber Donley's name on it. Donley reputedly resigned due the corruption involved in this case and the harassment of Bethke. Donley was admitted in 2008, so she has more experience than any of the others.




LORI MOLDAN

And the latest attorney, Lori Moldan, who was admitted in 2015, also a very new attorney, appears in a letter to Bethke in September 2019.



Who will be next in the city's alleged assault on a resident?

City of Stewart Runs Through Attorneys

It appears that the city of Stewart is having a hard time keeping attorneys.  Fewer than four attorneys in less than a year have been enlisted in the city's prosecution of resident Delvin Bethke.  Bethke maintains he has been persecuted by city officials.

One attorney even apparently resigned.

Lori Moldan appears to be a the latest in the series, allegedly representing the city from the firm Gavin, Donley, and Ostlund.  Moldan has entered the assault against Bethke, claiming to represent his neighbor Chuck Paul.

City officials deny that Lori Moldan is  city lawyer. However, Moldan works for the same firm that the other city lawyers work for. And city resident Chuck Paul has said he has been pressured by the city to shut off Bethke's water, saying: "I'm between a rock and a hard place.... The city is on me to get that line changed."

That makes Chuck Paul and Lori Moldan alleged proxies for the city of Stewart.

Here are the attorneys whose names have appeared in city and legal documents.


ZACHARY LARS LYNGAAS

Zachary Lars Lyngaas appears in the fall of 2018. He is a young attorney, admitted in 2016.




KENNETH JANSEN

Below is a letter with Kenneth Janssen's name on the letterhead from March 2019.  Janssen is also a young attorney, admitted in 2013.




AMBER DONLEY

Below is a court document with Amber Donley's name on it. Donley reputedly resigned due the corruption involved in this case and the harassment of Bethke. Donley was admitted in 2008, so she has more experience than any of the others.




LORI MOLDAN

And the latest, alleged city attorney Lori Moldan, who was admitted in 2015, also a very new attorney, appears in a letter to Bethke in September 2019.



Who will be next in the city's alleged assault on a resident?

August 7, 2019 - Christian Resident Targeted for Fifth Time with Slashed Tires

Stewart resident Delvin Bethke has reported that for the fifth time his tires have been slashed. Bethke has been a long-term whistleblower in the town, and has been routinely harassed for exposing corruption in this town of 500. Who could it be?



from https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=869622940079461&id=100010952894212

June 17, 2019 – Christian Resident Delvin Bethke’s Tires Slashed for Fourth Time

The fourth time since the fall of 2018, Stewart resident Delvin Bethke's tires have again been slashed.  Bethke maintains he is being harassed by corrupt city officials who are desperate to not be exposed.

Stewart Council Members Klucas and Pierce have Stroke and Heart Attack

In June 2019 it was reported to the Central Minnesota News Network that council member Kevin Klucas had a stroke. He was having difficulty walking, and mayor Jason Peirce has a heart attack and had two stents put in.

April 4, 2019 - Christian Resident Delvin Bethke's Tires Slashed for Third Time

For the third time, Stewart resident Delvin Bethke's tires  have been slashed.  Bethke's tires were also slashed October 3, 2018 and October 30, 2018.  Christian resident Bethke says that city officials have been harassing and persecuting him, and going out of their way to do so. Bethke suspects that a city official is likely the one slashing his tires.



Council member Kevin Klucas told  the Central Minnesota News Network in November 2018 that a Stewart resident said he slashed Bethke's tires in October. However, that resident is now in jail. So who slashed Bethke's tires in April 2019?  The day before Bethke's tires were slashed, he had loaded his shed on a trailer so he could move it. It is very difficult to change tires on a loaded trailer, this appears to be a clear act of sabotage.



If you've been following the story at all, the city officials appear to have been waging war against Bethke, demanding he move the shed, but refusing to give him  a permit to do so, even prosecuting him in court for failing to move his shed. (In a small town of 500 people, why would such rigid regulation be needed?)



Finally, after Bethke made four permit applications to the city, the city finally granted Bethke a permit. The previous three permits were denied for reasons which Bethke believes was thinly veiled persecution.  Now that the permit has been granted, the city has put up road blocks all over town, so Bethke is once again unable to move his shed




And permit or no permit, the city is still prosecuting Bethke for the trap they had apparently set for him.  City officials still want to fine Bethke $300 for a zoning violation they basically appear to have created.  Bethke was again  in court Thursday April 25, 2019.  City clerk Ronda Huls was there to testify against him. The judge said she will issue a ruling in the next 10 days.
What is the real motivation of the Stewart city officials to persecute a Christian resident? Is it because they have anti-Christian ties?

City Prosecutor Amber Donley Resigns -- City Officials Allegedly Lying to Persecute Christian Resident

The corruption is heating up in Stewart, Minnesota. This video details the latest allegations of lying, and the city prosecutor resigning.

 

CITY OF STEWART CAN'T KEEP ATTORNEYS

 It appears that the city of Stewart is having a hard time keeping attorneys.  Fewer than four attorneys in less than a year have been enlisted in the city's prosecution of resident Delvin Bethke.  Bethke maintains he has been persecuted by city officials.

One attorney even apparently resigned.

Lori Moldan appears to be a the latest in the series, allegedly representing the city from the firm Gavin, Donley, and Ostlund.  Moldan has entered the assault against Bethke, claiming to represent his neighbor Chuck Paul.

City officials deny that Lori Moldan is  city lawyer. However, Moldan works for the same firm that the other city lawyers work for. And city resident Chuck Paul has said he has been pressured by the city to shut off Bethke's water, saying: "I'm between a rock and a hard place.... The city is on me to get that line changed."

That makes Chuck Paul and Lori Moldan alleged proxies for the city of Stewart.

Here are the attorneys whose names have appeared in city and legal documents.


ZACHARY LARS LYNGAAS

Zachary Lars Lyngaas appears in the fall of 2018. He is a young attorney, admitted in 2016.




KENNETH JANSEN

Below is a letter with Kenneth Janssen's name on the letterhead from March 2019.  Janssen is also a young attorney, admitted in 2013.




AMBER DONLEY

Below is a court document with Amber Donley's name on it. Donley reputedly resigned due the corruption involved in this case and the harassment of Bethke. Donley was admitted in 2008, so she has more experience than any of the others.




LORI MOLDAN

And the latest, alleged city attorney Lori Moldan, who was admitted in 2015, also a very new attorney, appears in a letter to Bethke in September 2019.



Who will be next in the city's alleged assault on a resident?

Stewart City Officials Allegedly Violating Minnesota State Law to Retaliate against Whistleblower - aka -Would Council Member Kevin Klucas Yell "Fuck You" Out His Window?

Stewart resident Delvin Bethke alleges he has been harassed for many years by corrupt city officials. Bethke says he has been exposing their corruption. Now he says he is being harassed illegally in retaliation.

Bethke says that city officials have refused his applications four times, and now want him prosecuted for his failure to comply with filing an application.

Bethke says his appications have been illegally refused.  Minnesota law Rule 5 of Minnesota Civil Procedure  requires that, "The administrator shall not refuse to accept for filing any documents presented for that purpose solely because it is not presented in proper form as required by any court rule or practice."

It does appear that the Stewart City Officials are acting illegally to harass a whistleblower resident

Has Anyone Else in Stewart Received a Letter about their Sidewalk -- More Harassment from City Hall?

Stewart resident Delvin Bethke believes he is again being harassed by the Stewart City Officials.  He received a letter dated January 10, 2019 regarding ice on his sidewalk, and queried as to whether anyone else has received a similar letter.




Mr. Bethke has complained that city officials have refused to receive forms he submitted, rejecting them because they were not filled out properly. However, according to Rule 5 of Minnesota Civil Procedure, "The administrator shall not refuse to accept for filing any documents presented for that purpose solely because it is not presented in proper form as required by any court rule or practice."
Rhonda Huls is the city administrator, and Bethke says Huls has routinely acted to harass him through actions such as rejecting his applications.

CIVIL PROCEDURE

Rule 5.Service and Filing of Pleadings and Other Papers

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/court_rules/rule/juefil-5/