Second Letter Sent to County Commissioner Dennis Fink, October 7, 2003

The following is the second letter I sent to former St. Louis County (Minnesota) Commissioner Dennis Fink regarding my former neighbor Tom Hinze (see photo). 

I never got any direct response to the first letter sent more than 2 months earlier, (though I did hear through the grapevine that Mr. Fink had talked privately about the case with Sheriff Litman). 

Neither individual thought it a serious enough matter to interview any of the people who I mentioned having been physically attacked or threatened by Tom HInze, however. Nor did the Sheriff ever take any statement from me about Tom having threatened my life.

As a matter of fact, Tom was released from the Northeast Regional Correction Center (NERCC) in the fall of 2003, after completing less than 6 months of a sentence for his DWI offense. He had had multiple DWI's, several of them "inimical to public safety". There were so many they wouldn't even fit on one page in the official printout, and so there were two pages, which I saw, back in 2003.  I don't know the exact number of DWI's he had, but it was many. Other people get much longer than 6 months for way less and less severe offenses than he had, and have had reporting requirements, besides.

Nevertheless, Tom was released back into the Birch Point Road neighborhood where I lived at the time, and hung around there for at least a week, making everybody in the neighborhood nervous. He was allowed to leave the State of Minnesota with absolutely no probation reporting requirements whatsoever.  

And still, the Sheriff's Department refused to DNA test him. He submitted the samples, but they never were never submitted for testing. This was confirmed to me by email from Ron Taggart, from the Public Defender's office, in 2013 -- I will publish that email in a later post.

Tom's being totally unconditionally released with no probation was despite the fact that there were numerous indications that he may have been involved in the murder of Trina Langenbrunner, and though I had made numerous complaints that he had made threats against my life.

 

6168 Birch Point Road

Saginaw, MN  55779

October 7, 2003

729-9398

(cell 310-3336)

St. Louis County Commissioner

Dennis E. Fink

205 Courthouse,

Duluth, Minnesota  55802

Dear Mr. Fink,

Thank you for speaking with Mr. Litman.

I recently talked to a friend XXXXXXX (name redacted) who told me that Douglas Hoffbauer from NERCC had told her I basically made up the information about Tom Hinze, because I am after a reward. Mr. Hoffbauer told her that Tom Hinze is an "OK guy".

Mr. Hinze does not have that reputation among the fairly large circle of people I associate with. He's known as a drunk with a penchant for violence, and with a dislike for women. The Sheriff's Department would not have to take my word for that, but in fact, should have recollection of it already, as people living on the Birch Point Road do.

I believe it was in 1998 that XXXXXXX (name redacted) called them concerning Tom Hinze smashing his glasses into his face. (Tom paid for the glasses that time, and was not charged with assault.) And I believe it was in 2000 that they were again called, by XXXXXXX (name redacted), because he threatened her. (XXXXXXX (name redacted) took the dog that Tom had been abusing, hid her at an undisclosed location, and again, Tom Hinze was not charged with anything.)

Mr. Hoffbauer also told my friend that Tom Hinze says he has been "DNA'ed three times". Tom told my neighbor XXXXXXX (name redacted) the same thing.

Mr. Hoffbauer is evidently willing to take that statement at face value, and not question why anyone should have to be DNA tested three times. XXXXXXX (name redacted) and I were thinking that one time should be sufficient, providing there was a DNA sample from the murder scene in the first place, and also providing the provided DNA sample was analyzed. Perhaps Mr. Hoffbauer in his corrections officer role, knows more about DNA testing than XXXXXXX (name redacted) or I do...

As far as the "incidents" on my property I'm sure Mr. Litman mentioned as an excuse for not investigating the Nissan car with mismatched tires he himself asked me about, before it was scrapped -- I used to hire about 15 young people on my farm before I was forced out of business. I paid them as well as I could, always more than minimum wage, even when I began losing money in the mid 1990's. I'm sure I could come up with a list of 100 or more young people who've worked for me over the 25 years I was in business. Many of them stop in to see me, and/or my son, as they consider us friends, and are grateful for the jobs I used to be able to provide.

I've never made it a practice to dial 911 every time I saw a kid smoking a cigarette, or drinking a beer. I was raised in a different era. I've always thought that kids are going to be kids, and that fining them large amounts of money and locking them up for being so -- even forcing them to take strong drugs and/or electro-shocking them for non-compliance -- is going to turn out very counterproductive for our county/country in the long run. There are going to be a lot of angry young people, and in fact, there already are.

I do consider murder a serious crime, and I have done my best to inform the Sheriff's Department of what I have seen. It is obvious they don't want to hear it, from me. I was rather shocked to see Mr. Litman with a sarcastic smile on his face, as I was talking to him about a murder. Nothing about the situation seemed funny to me.

I should also mention that I heard via the grape-vine that Sally Burns told Tom Hinze that she is afraid for HIS safety, if he should come around me. The person who Tom told that to, laughed out loud at hearing it, and then repeated it to me. I have no reputation for any sort of violence. Mr. Hinze does have a reputation for violence. I can give the Sheriff's Department names of other people he has physically attacked, while drunk. Not to mention his long string of DWI's. Yet Mr. Litman, Sally Burns, and Mr. Hoffbauer all seem to agree that he is an "OK guy", and I am not.

I am thankful that XXXXXXX (name redacted) and many other people disagree with them. XXXXXXX (name redacted)  and I have been friends for years.

It seems I find myself living in Topsy-turvydom, here. Young people having fun is considered a crime worth sending numerous law enforcement vehicles out to the Birch Point Road to put an end to it (my son and I don't even dare have a group of friends over anymore for fear of further harassment) -- but, on the other hand, it took the Sheriff's Department nearly two years to come out to look at a tire possibly connected with a brutal murder. "Time constraints", perhaps, or a strange sense of proportion. Even World War II vets in their 80's, can hardly believe what they see going on lately. I'm afraid it's going to get much worse before it gets better, if it ever does get better.

Regards,

Lloyd Wagner