Minneapolis cop alleges political interference
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A Minneapolis police sergeant has filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that city officials interfered with a robbery investigation for political reasons.
Sgt. Jesse Garcia filed the suit in connection with his investigation of an Aug. 2 armed robbery in north Minneapolis. One of his suspects was Navell Gordon, who three months later was embroiled in a national controversy that came to be known as "Pointergate."
A KSTP-TV report accused Gordon and Mayor Betsy Hodges of flashing gang signs while posing for a photograph, because the two were pointing at each other.
Not long after the report aired, Garcia claims, the department tried to kill the investigation to avoid embarrassing the mayor. When Garcia objected, he says, he was demoted to a less prestigious post in the police department.
"This whole case touched some political nerves, and I feel like I'm the fall guy for it," Garcia said.
The department says it's still investigating the robbery, even though Hennepin County prosecutors declined to file charges in the case last fall.
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