Hennepin County / Jail nurse, sheriff's deputy arrested in narcotics theft No charges yet against husband, wife
By David Hanners
dhanners@pioneerpress.comArticle Last Updated: 07/17/2008 12:15:32 AM CDT
A Hennepin County sheriff's deputy and his wife, who works as a nurse in the jail, have been arrested on drug charges, officials said Wednesday.
No charges have been filed yet against the Burnsville pair, Steven John Despiegelaere, 38, and Sarah Denise Despiegelaere, 36. He was in the Dakota County Jail but posted his $10,000 bail Wednesday evening. She is held without bail in the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center.
Lt. Tracey Martin, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said the sheriff's office got information from another Hennepin County Medical Center nurse that a co-worker was taking narcotics from the jail.
After a brief investigation, Sarah Despiegelaere was arrested outside the jail and booked at 6:28 p.m. Tuesday. Investigators got a warrant to search the couple's home, where her husband was, and Burnsville police took him into custody about 8 p.m.
Steven Despiegelaere is a veteran of the war in Iraq — he helped train Iraqi policemen — and has been with the sheriff's office since 2002. His normal duty is providing courtroom security, but he is on temporary assignment to the unit coordinating the department's duties at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
Sarah Despiegelaere has worked for Hennepin County Medical Center since 1999, currently as a nurse in the Jail Health Services unit.
It is the second time in three days that a Minneapolis or Hennepin County lawman has been accused of a crime. On Monday, a federal grand jury indicted Minneapolis police officer Michael David Roberts on charges he accepted $200 in return for providing confidential information to someone who claimed he was a member of a street gang. In reality, the man was an undercover officer.
The sheriff's office announced the Despiegelaere arrests in a brief, three-paragraph release. Martin said Hennepin County Sheriff Richard W. Stanek would not be commenting on the arrests anytime soon.
"It's a continuing investigation," she said.
The jail booking information for Sarah Despiegelaere said she was booked for "controlled substance/narcotics." Steven Despiegelaere's jail booking information was slightly more detailed; it said he was being held on charges of felony third-degree drug possession of "50 or more dosages narcotic mixture."
Martin declined to say what type of drugs were involved.
Burnsville police Sgt. Dan Carlson said Hennepin County deputies asked for assistance midway through the search of the couple's home in the 11000 block of Millpond Avenue.
"The case was actually focused on his wife and ultimately resulted in his arrest as well," Carlson said.
Martin said Steven Despiegelaere's record contains no commendations but one instance of discipline. In 2002, he was suspended for 10 days after an inmate escaped from his custody.
"He's a typical good cop and an Iraq combat vet," said Fred Bruno, Despiegelaere's attorney.
Steven Despiegelaere has served in Iraq as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army. He was team sergeant for the civil affairs team of Company B, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion, and he was stationed at Forward Operating Base Independence, less than a mile from Haifa Street, one of Baghdad's most notoriously violent roads.
Among his duties was helping train Iraqi police helping Iraqis pursue their claims that U.S. forces damaged their homes or vehicles.
In a December 2004 Department of Defense publication, Despiegelaere said working with Iraqi children was important to the U.S. mission there and Iraq's progress.
In a 2005 interview with the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., Despiegelaere said he had to battle with his superiors to be allowed to stay at the base after the combat troops turned it over to the Iraqi military.
"Somebody's got to keep eyes on Haifa Street, (and) it might as well be me," he told the paper. "Haifa Street is on the cusp of coming around. And the new Iraq is going to either rise or fall on places like Haifa Street."
Once back home, though, it appeared his attitudes had changed. In February, he wrote a letter to the editor of U.S. News & World Report's online version in which he questioned the country's policies.
The magazine had published an article saying violence had gone down on Haifa Street. Despiegelaere noted that there had been repeating cycles of violence and calm and that under current policies, those cycles would probably continue.
"Haifa is an Iraqi street, not an American street," he wrote. "Iraqi streets will continue to be our problem if we let them be."
