Two police officers hurt in separate incidents

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Officers Eric Van Nocker and Erik Dunn

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A couple of River Falls patrol officers got banged up in the line of duty this past week and are out indefinitely. One allegedly got slugged in the ribs by an underage drinker and the other apparently sprained his knee wrestling a rowdy bar patron to the ground on Main Street.

Officer Eric Van Nocker was allegedly hit in the ribs by an 18-year-old local man near the Kinni off River Ridge Drive last Thursday night.

Van Nocker, in his report, said the 18-year-old had lunged toward another officer, Elizabeth Posel, and that he grabbed for him.

At the time, the two officers were trying to give the suspect a test to measure his alcohol content. After Van Nocker was hit and had the wind knocked out, Posel tasered the suspect. He was stunned, fell to the ground, arrested and later taken to county jail.

Van Nocker and Posel were responding to a drinking complaint in the neighborhood.

Two other 17-year-old suspects, a boy and a girl, got away. The boy jumped a small cliff and swam across the Kinni to the other side. Both suspects have been identified and are being dealt with.

Officer Erik Dunn was injured in the early morning hours of Saturday while arresting a 29-year-old Minneapolis man who was kicked out of Boomer’s bar downtown, but then allegedly punched a male pedestrian in the face.

Officers moved in quickly and said the 29-year-old suspect resisted arrest. Dunn hurt his knee in the scuffle and much later was on crutches.

The suspect was taken to jail and faces charges of disorderly conduct and obstruction.

River Falls police are also investigating a burglary Monday just before 3 a.m. at Holiday station, 1184 N. Main St. The intruder smashed a door window, walked inside and made off with a small amount of cash.

He’s described as male, fair skinned, wearing a dark-hooded sweatshirt and other dark clothing. A short while later a Holiday store in Hudson was burglarized in similar fashion.

Also last week, a Wisconsin/St. Croix County tobacco inspection team fingered three gas/convenience stores on the city’s north side that allegedly sold cigarettes to undercover minors. Clerks at those places were given fines.

For more details, please refer to Police Beat in the July 22 print edition of the River Falls Journal.

Tags: crime and courts, river falls police, news