BRAINERD — Former Nisswa Mayor Fred Heidmann was ordered to pay a fine Friday, May 12, after previously being found guilty of petty misdemeanor disorderly conduct in Crow Wing County District Court.
Judge Matthew Mallie sentenced Heidmann to pay a $285 fine.
On March 29, after about two hours of deliberation, a Crow Wing County jury returned a guilty verdict in the misdemeanor disorderly conduct case against Heidmann.
Case background
Heidmann’s case stems from an Aug. 29, 2020, incident where Pequot Lakes and Nisswa police officers were conducting a traffic stop of a third party along Highway 371 south of Nisswa as part of the Toward Zero Deaths program. Heidmann, who was at his business across the highway, began videotaping the traffic stop and then walked across the four-lane highway with his dog toward the stopped vehicle.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to police reports, police told Heidmann he could videotape the incident but to stand back from the highway to be safe. Heidmann asked what the officers were doing and why they stopped the vehicle, using expletives and making critical comments about the officers and the nature of the stop.
Heidmann left and returned again to the scene of the traffic stop, parking nearby before approaching passengers in the stopped vehicle. An officer handcuffed Heidmann and he was cited for two misdemeanors — obstruction of the legal process and disorderly conduct.
The obstruction of the legal process citation was dismissed in December 2020.
TIM SPEIER, staff writer, can be reached on Twitter @timmy2thyme , call 218-855-5859 or email tim.speier@brainerddispatch.com .
The Trust Project
