A heated exchange over the Haven Township Board’s response to an incident involving two stray bullets striking a home in the area ended when Chairman Jeff Schlingmann brought down the gavel after a series of comments by residents questioning the board’s actions veered into the area of what he called personal attacks Monday night.
St. Cloud resident Dave Neeser strongly criticized the board’s handling of the incident and the motives of the board members before Schlingmann moved to close the public comment session at the end of the regular meeting, saying that the speaker would “not be able to attack me or the members of the board” in that fashion. “You got the message,” Neeser said as he returned to his seat.
Former Haven Supervisor Lewis Stark asked if the Del-Tone shooting range, allegedly the source of the stray bullets, was currently in compliance with the Sherburne County Conditional Use Permit that had been issued in 2010. Schlingmann responded by saying that Haven Township is now responsible for zoning under the powers granted to the City of St. Cloud, and does not issue CUPs, but rather Interim Use Permits (IUPs). The range in question must meet state and National Rifle Association regulations, and is legal to operate if it does so. Some modifications, such as “shooting tubes” on gun ranges, are not required under those regulations, though they may have been under the county CUP.
Schlingmann also said the board will not be able to take any action until law enforcement has completed their investigation into the most recent incident. The home which was struck by the bullets is located in Benton County, which means that the investigation is being carried out by officers from there and the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Dept. Schlingmann said that the board will address the matter if it can be determined that the bullets were fired from the shooting range.
Pat Prom stated she was concerned over a lack of “transparency” in the handling of the incident, and that reports of this kind have been filed since at least 2009, including an incident in which a resident, Louise Neeser, was struck in the face and gravely injured by a stray bullet in 2010. Haven Vice-Chairman Mark Knowles stated that the range is in compliance with the NRA design, which is a widely accepted standard for shooting ranges. Knowles also said the board must be “careful of unsubstantiated accusations” before they have all of the facts in the case.
Resident Sue Mohr also addressed the board on the matter, saying that she and her husband have no problem with shooting sports, but the potential danger of stray bullets has made it unsafe for their grandchildren to visit them at their home. “If it was a zoo, and a tiger had gotten loose and bitten Louise Neeser, you would act on that, I’m sure,” she said in closing.
Several residents also wondered aloud why the issue was not on the regular board agenda for the monthly meeting. They also questioned the deputy who delivered the sheriff’s report, which also made no mention of the incident.
An e-mail letter from Sherburne County Administrator Steven Taylor began with the following: “The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a complaint/allegation about a bullet leaving the Del-Tone Gun Range located at 3322 12th St SE, St. Cloud, MN. As part of this investigation, the County has obtained information that indicates that there may have been modifications to the range safety features that were required when the County originally approved the conditional use permit and site plan for the gun range in 2010. Because Haven Township is now the zoning authority for the gun range property, I am writing to bring these matters to your attention so that the Township can investigate the matter and take immediate and appropriate action.”
