Assault on officer charge dismissed against Mankato man
Sep. 20—The Free Press
MANKATO — Charges were recently dismissed against a man accused of assaulting a police officer after a traffic stop in February in Mankato.
Gene Forrest Wetch, 47, of Mankato and formerly of Le Center, was initially charged in February with three felonies for alleged assault on a police officer, attempting to disarm a police officer and obstructing the legal process, along with a misdemeanor for not properly securing a trailer and a petty misdemeanor for having lights out on a trailer.
A Blue Earth County District Court filing on Sept. 13 states the "evidence no longer supports criminal prosecution."
In March, a filing from assistant public defender Laura Reynolds indicated Wetch intended to plead not guilty claiming he acted in self-defense. The filing named squad car video of the incident as evidence to be introduced at trial.
Reynolds declined to comment further when contacted by The Free Press.
The prosecution's potential exhibit list in late August included all law enforcement reports, photos, videos and audio files related to the incident.
The defense filed a motion Sept. 6 asking the court to prohibit evidence of any "prior bad alleged acts" by Wetch including prior contacts with police. The motion also asked the court to order the prosecution's witnesses to refrain from testimony on issues or evidence found to be inadmissible, and to prohibit the prosecution from displaying any material in an opening statement that hadn't yet been admitted into evidence.
Judge Andrea J. Lieser granted the defense's motion in a court order filed Sept. 12, followed by the charges getting dismissed the following day.
Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola
Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola
