KSTP.com has learned a school liaison officer in the Rocori School District has been placed on paid administrative leave in connection with last week’s gun incident at Rocori Middle School. 

Cold Spring City Administrator Paul Hepland tells KSTP that Cold Spring police officer Dave Sutherland was placed on paid leave on Friday, April 15th after a complaint from an individual. Hepland said an investigation is underway and could last up to two weeks.

Hepland declined to comment on the exact nature of the complaint or who filed it, only calling it a “strong complaint.”

Several sources tell KSTP.com Sutherland was placed on leave after Sutherland disagreed with how Rocori Superintendent Scott Staska handled the April 11th incident in which a 7th grader brought a loaded handgun with ammunition to the Rocori Middle School. Sources say Sutherland told Staska the school should have been put in lockdown. The school was not placed in lockdown.

Rocori Superintendent Scott Staska confirmed Sutherland has been placed paid administrative leave, but when asked if he filed the complaint, he replied “no comment.” When asked if the complaint was related to Sutherland’s disagreement on the school lockdown, Staska replied “no comment.”

Meanwhile, the 13-year-old Middle School student who allegedly brought the gun to school, has been charged with Assault in the Second Degree, according to the Stearns County Attorney’s Office.

The 7th grade student allegedly pointed the loaded handgun at another student, after being bumped in the hallway by another student that morning.

The student then put the weapon in a locker and went to class.

The principal identified the 7th grader, and searched the locker, where a handgun was found.

On April 11th, Staska told KSTP.com, “There was quite a bit of ammunition found with the gun.” When asked to elaborate he said, “I am not sure of the exact number but it was quite a bit, more than a couple of bullets.” He also said the ammunition was loose.

Officials say since the 13-year-old student is a juvenile, the court proceedings are not open to the public.

Police say it’s yet another case to show how dangerous it is to text while you’re driving…an Eden Prairie woman is being charged for smashing head-on into a motorcyclist last fall while she was allegedly texting.

Police say 20-year-old Amanda Manzanares sent the motorcyclist to the hospital with serious injuries after the accident around 8:00 a.m. on October 7th on Excelsior Boulevard in Minnetonka.   Manzanares two young children–a one-year-old and 3-year-old were with her, strapped into car seats in the car.

Manzanares and her children were not hurt.  Police say she told them she was not texting or using her cell phone at the time, but did say she heard the cell phone vibrate as it lay on the floor of the car when she received a text message.

The victim told police he was driving eastbound on Excelsior Boulevard when he saw a car coming at him cross the center line and head towards him.  He says he could see the driver’s head was down, and was not looking at the road.  He says he yelled at the driver and tried to get out of the way, but the car struck him.

Manzanares is being charged with using a wireless communications device while driving,for criminal vehicular operation, two counts of child endangerment. and for operating a motor vehicle without insurance and without a valid license.

According to the police complaint, officers took Manzanares’ cell phone, and when a digital forensic examiner studied it, they found Manzanares had received and sent “numerous” text messages, communicating with two people, from 7:39 a.m. to 7:58 a.m. on the morning of the crash.   

The examiner says she was also making cell phone calls.

Police say the motorcyclist had multiple broken bones and medical bills over $300,000.

A report says sparks produced during maintenance probably caused last month’s fire at Soudan Underground Mine State Park near Tower.

The state fire marshal says the fire began in the shaft where the work was happening and didn’t spread beyond it. It’s considered accidental.

Damage to the mine was limited to charred timbers and melted PVC pipes and electrical wiring. The University of Minnesota physics laboratory was unharmed.

Park staff was replacing degraded steel sheeting in the lowest 600 feet of the mine shaft. The fire started after grinding tools caused pieces of wood to smolder. Experts will visit the mine in coming weeks to determine costs of repair and cleanup.

The park’s above-ground facilities have reopened, but public tours of the underground mine likely won’t be offered this season.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Starting Thursday, police officers across the state will crack down on distracted drivers here in Minnesota. 400 agencies will increase patrols and ticket drivers who are not paying attention to the road.

Officers will be especially looking for people texting which is illegal even while waiting at a light. Police say they see many drivers who eat, read, and put on make up while driving.

Driver distraction is a leading crash factor in Minnesota, accounting for around 20% of all crashes every year, resulting in at least 70 deaths and 350 injuries.