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Associated Press
August 12, 2004 SHEPARD0813
Is Jack E. Shepard, a congressional candidate who seems to live in Italy, the same Jack E. Shepard who fled Minnesota 22 years ago rather than face trial on an arson charge?
There's strong evidence that the man who ran against Norm Coleman for the U.S. Senate in 2002, and this year is seeking the Republican nomination to oppose U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, is also the fugitive Shepard.
``We will only be certain after he is located and fingerprints can be taken,'' Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar said. ``But, based on the pictures and other evidence we have, we believe he is the person.''
Hennepin County authorities said they believe the candidate is a former Minneapolis dentist who had already been convicted of criminal sexual conduct and drug possession when he was accused of arson in 1982.
Klobuchar has asked the FBI to try to find Shepard, the fugitive, in Italy for possible extradition on a bench warrant in the arson case.
``We are not afraid of these cold cases,'' Klobuchar said.
Shepard, the candidate, on Wednesday sent an e-mail response to a St. Paul Pioneer Press inquiry about his connection to the arson case.
He did not directly respond to a question about the arson charge, and he said Jack Shepard is his legal name, but not his real name.
In past interviews Shepard has called himself a consultant to governments and said he planned to return to Minnesota if he were to win a Republican primary next month.
In his e-mail Wednesday, he noted cryptically that it is a felony to expose the identity of a clandestine CIA agent.
Then he added: ``I like all others in my business have to ask special permission to answer any questions. I have submitted your question, but have not heard anything ... You clearly do not understand the crucial role I play in defending your freedom.''
Pete Cahill, a top assistant to Klobuchar, said old photos of the fugitive in prosecution files appear to match 30-year-old photos that Shepard, the candidate, has posted on his campaign Web site: www.shepardusgov.com.
The middle name - Edward - and the birth date - Dec. 11, 1946 - that Shepard, the candidate, lists on the site also match the middle name and birth date in the old criminal files.
The Shepard who was charged with arson and the other crimes in the 1970s and early '80s was a dentist whose license to practice was revoked in January 1983 by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.
The fugitive was accused of threatening to kill an attorney in a dispute over money and then showing up at the attorney's office with a loaded handgun. He pleaded guilty in 1979 in Hennepin County to a criminal sexual charge that alleged he sexually assaulted a woman in a Bloomington home with the front door nailed shut.
A hearing officer for the dentistry board also heard testimony that Shepard had ordered his dog to attack a police officer.
The board found no evidence that Shepard ever mistreated patients, but concluded he was a potential threat to patients because of his conduct outside the dental office, and because of a mental illness for which he sometimes refused to take medication.
Paul Zerby, now a Minneapolis City Council member, was an assistant attorney general who represented the dentistry board in its 1982 hearings on Shepard's fitness to practice dentistry.
``I remember the guy,'' Zerby said in an interview this week. ``It was the only time I can remember calling in advance to see if we could get a police officer there.''
Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer, whose staff accepted the nominating papers that Shepard, the candidate, sent from Italy in 2002 and again this year, said the U.S. Constitution requires only that congressional or Senate candidates be inhabitants of the states they seek to represent.
State law only requires that federal candidates live in their districts for 30 days before the election, Kiffmeyer said.
A convicted felon can run for office in Minnesota providing he has completed any probation or parole. A Department of Corrections warrant indicates Shepard, the fugitive, had not finished his parole.
In 1982, while the dentistry board's proceedings against him were under way, Shepard, the fugitive, was living and practicing dentistry in a Minneapolis building.
The building was heavily damaged by fire and Shepard, the fugitive, was accused of first-degree arson.
The arson investigator said in a criminal complaint that the day before the fire, state officials had told Shepard they planned to audit his records to verify certain claims for welfare reimbursement.
Shepard made one court appearance in the case and was released from custody on a recognizance bond.
Later that year, he apparently failed to show up for a subsequent hearing and a judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest. That's where the Hennepin County District Court records end.
Klobuchar said she only recently learned of the possible connection between Shepard, the candidate.
``Other people have to be here to face the consequences,'' Klobuchar said. ``They get charged with a crime, and they do the time. Just because he has money ... he's a dentist, doesn't mean he can flout the system.''
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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com
August 12, 2004 SHEPARD0813
Is Jack E. Shepard, a congressional candidate who seems to live in Italy, the same Jack E. Shepard who fled Minnesota 22 years ago rather than face trial on an arson charge?
There's strong evidence that the man who ran against Norm Coleman for the U.S. Senate in 2002, and this year is seeking the Republican nomination to oppose U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, is also the fugitive Shepard.
``We will only be certain after he is located and fingerprints can be taken,'' Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar said. ``But, based on the pictures and other evidence we have, we believe he is the person.''
Hennepin County authorities said they believe the candidate is a former Minneapolis dentist who had already been convicted of criminal sexual conduct and drug possession when he was accused of arson in 1982.
Klobuchar has asked the FBI to try to find Shepard, the fugitive, in Italy for possible extradition on a bench warrant in the arson case.
``We are not afraid of these cold cases,'' Klobuchar said.
Shepard, the candidate, on Wednesday sent an e-mail response to a St. Paul Pioneer Press inquiry about his connection to the arson case.
He did not directly respond to a question about the arson charge, and he said Jack Shepard is his legal name, but not his real name.
In past interviews Shepard has called himself a consultant to governments and said he planned to return to Minnesota if he were to win a Republican primary next month.
In his e-mail Wednesday, he noted cryptically that it is a felony to expose the identity of a clandestine CIA agent.
Then he added: ``I like all others in my business have to ask special permission to answer any questions. I have submitted your question, but have not heard anything ... You clearly do not understand the crucial role I play in defending your freedom.''
Pete Cahill, a top assistant to Klobuchar, said old photos of the fugitive in prosecution files appear to match 30-year-old photos that Shepard, the candidate, has posted on his campaign Web site: www.shepardusgov.com.
The middle name - Edward - and the birth date - Dec. 11, 1946 - that Shepard, the candidate, lists on the site also match the middle name and birth date in the old criminal files.
The Shepard who was charged with arson and the other crimes in the 1970s and early '80s was a dentist whose license to practice was revoked in January 1983 by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.
The fugitive was accused of threatening to kill an attorney in a dispute over money and then showing up at the attorney's office with a loaded handgun. He pleaded guilty in 1979 in Hennepin County to a criminal sexual charge that alleged he sexually assaulted a woman in a Bloomington home with the front door nailed shut.
A hearing officer for the dentistry board also heard testimony that Shepard had ordered his dog to attack a police officer.
The board found no evidence that Shepard ever mistreated patients, but concluded he was a potential threat to patients because of his conduct outside the dental office, and because of a mental illness for which he sometimes refused to take medication.
Paul Zerby, now a Minneapolis City Council member, was an assistant attorney general who represented the dentistry board in its 1982 hearings on Shepard's fitness to practice dentistry.
``I remember the guy,'' Zerby said in an interview this week. ``It was the only time I can remember calling in advance to see if we could get a police officer there.''
Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer, whose staff accepted the nominating papers that Shepard, the candidate, sent from Italy in 2002 and again this year, said the U.S. Constitution requires only that congressional or Senate candidates be inhabitants of the states they seek to represent.
State law only requires that federal candidates live in their districts for 30 days before the election, Kiffmeyer said.
A convicted felon can run for office in Minnesota providing he has completed any probation or parole. A Department of Corrections warrant indicates Shepard, the fugitive, had not finished his parole.
In 1982, while the dentistry board's proceedings against him were under way, Shepard, the fugitive, was living and practicing dentistry in a Minneapolis building.
The building was heavily damaged by fire and Shepard, the fugitive, was accused of first-degree arson.
The arson investigator said in a criminal complaint that the day before the fire, state officials had told Shepard they planned to audit his records to verify certain claims for welfare reimbursement.
Shepard made one court appearance in the case and was released from custody on a recognizance bond.
Later that year, he apparently failed to show up for a subsequent hearing and a judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest. That's where the Hennepin County District Court records end.
Klobuchar said she only recently learned of the possible connection between Shepard, the candidate.
``Other people have to be here to face the consequences,'' Klobuchar said. ``They get charged with a crime, and they do the time. Just because he has money ... he's a dentist, doesn't mean he can flout the system.''
---
Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com