The Dakota County Sheriff’s Office has issued a statement that says the person taken into custody during the search of Nicole Anderson’s family home was not arrested in conjunction with here disappearance.
The statement said that Anderson’s boyfriend, 42-year-old Matthew Suttles had an active, felony “body-only” arrest warrant issued in Le Sueur County for a probation violation, and the Dakota County Sheriff’s Department identified Suttles as a person of interest in her disappearance. Suttles was not present at the time deputies executed the search warrant, however he turned himself in to deputies on scene shortly thereafter. Investigators searched the property and did not locate Ms. Anderson. Mr. Suttles was arrested on his warrant and questioned about his knowledge of Ms. Anderson’s disappearance. He is currently being held in the Dakota County jail and will be released to Le Sueur County on his warrant. Suttles is not being held on criminal charges related to Ms. Anderson’s disappearance.
July 11th, 8:30am: A Twin Cities news outlet is reporting that a search was made yesterday that could be connected to the disappearance of Nicole Irene “Nikki” Anderson. KARE 11 News reported last night that Dakota County Sheriff’s Deputies, along with other law enforcement officials, searched a home in Randolph Township yesterday afternoon that was identified as the Anderson family estate and took at least one person into custody.
Nicole was last seen leaving her home on Saturday morning to get the mail but never returned. The BCA is treating this as an Endangered Missing Person case with concern for her welfare.
Nicole Anderson is described as a 56-year-old white female, 5 feet, 10 inches tall and approximately 135 pounds. She has blond hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing dark-colored pants, sandals, and a long gray sweater or shirt.
According to the statement, Anderson’s family said her sudden disappearance is deeply concerning, especially to those who know her well. Her dog, phone, wallet, car, and crucial cancer medications were all left at home. She had recently undergone two major surgeries for breast cancer and is in the recovery process, making it even more critical to locate her quickly. Given her medical condition and her strong bond with her dog, the statement said, it is highly unlikely that she would leave without telling anyone, or making the proper arrangements
Anderson’s mother told KARE 11 that the person in custody is known to the family and the local authorities.
Districtwide security drills meet different needs
During the Northfield School Board meeting on Monday night, the board heard a statutorily required presentation and discussion of the various safety drills each school building is required to run every year, including lockdown drills that train kids what to do if an active shooter situation arises.
Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann said each school in the district has five drills a year ranging from lockdown drills to evacuation drills in case of a fire to shelter in place drills because of a tornado. Each instance requires different instructions to the students and different ways to communicate within the schools, which is one of the main reasons for each drill.
Hillmann said it is important for each student to know they will be able to handle themselves in an emergency situation, but it is also important that practicing for these occurrences does not add to their overall anxiety.
“A lot of the discussion about this last night was really about managing that balance between helping students to be confident that in the unthinkable situation that we know is unlikely to happen, but there’s that small chance. We need to be prepared to give them the confidence that they know what to do in that circumstance while not adding to any anxiety that they may already have over this particular topic.”
It is for that very reason that they practice the drills, Hillmann said, adding that, despite the serious and frightening nature of the situations that are the drills’ impetus, the students do understand that they are in no imminent danger, and that any of the situations that could arise are rare propositions indeed.
“Statistically, schools are the safest place for kids to be. We wish we didn’t have to think about these kinds of things, but sadly we do. So, we practice, and we do the things that we’re required to do under state law. We do it in a way that is intended to be preparatory and not frightening. And also, by state law, we’re required to notify parents of the Duck and Cover drill at least 24 hours in advance so parents have the ability to opt their student out should they want to do so.”
Meanwhile the staff and faculty are well trained in how to handle these situations. He said they receive training from a variety of different sources, including the State Department of Homeland Security.
For more information on the safety drills, visit the Northfield School District website at northfieldschools.org.
City has plans for Highway 246 after turnback
On Tuesday night during their regular meeting, the Northfield City Council approved a resolution that both supports and requests that the Minnesota Department of Transportation turnback ownership of the stretch of Trunk Highway 246 that runs between County Road 1 and Highway 3 to the city of Northfield.
Specifically, this would be the section of Woodly Street in between Highway 3 and Division Street and the section of Division Street in between Woodley and County Road 1.
The idea is something that the council has bandied about for many years, and Northfield Mayor Rhonda Pownell said, for good reason.
The road is not in very good condition, she said, and the State does not have the staffing power to fix it right away. By asking MnDot to hand responsibility for the road back to the City of Northfield, then the city will have the ability to bring the road up to city design standards and on a much faster timetable.
She said the City Council, and the public, have already signed off on the city’s design.
“One of the benefits in doing that is the ability to recommend a design approach that the community has already vetted. And so last night was approving that design that was brought forward to the Council, worked its way through lots of different open houses and guidance to improve really that whole corridor.”
The design, according to City Administrator Ben Martig, could include a compact roundabout at Division and Woodley Street, a traffic signal in front of the high school entrance, as well as bicycle lanes and safer pedestrian crossings.
Moreover, he said, having a plan in place alongside making the request for the turnback will create the opportunity to receive more funding for the reconstruction project.
“This study was done intentionally because if you don’t do something like this and they pursue a turnback, you’re going to get a lot less money from the state for a project like this. So, we listened to that and spend a little money now to do some planning. Having that plan opens up a lot more money on the turnback and gives us the opportunity to show that this current road is not meeting our current needs, and long-term we need more.”
With the request made, Mayor Pownell said it now becomes a legislative process, which would mean another year or more before the turnback is made.
KYMN Daily News 7/11/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
