HASTINGS, Minn. (WCCO) – A city council member from West St. Paul has been accused of misconduct as a public employee and disorderly conduct after allegedly trying to stop the development of a property near his home.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators say 42-year-old Edward Everett Hansen repeatedly interfered with showings of the property next-door to his home during the summer of 2011.
The city council had that January voted to develop a property at that location, with only Hansen as the sole dissenting vote.
The criminal complaint says an agent reported to police that Hansen entered the property uninvited and told potential buyers that they were trespassing.
When informed by a potential buyer that he was hoping to use the property for rentals, Hansen allegedly told the potential buyer that he would “make sure” that he wouldn’t get a rental permit.
The agent also told police that Hansen would park his car to block the driveway for the property, and before one showing placed “no trespassing” signs all over the property, and also rigged up an electronic voice to say “You’re trespassing” when clients walked toward the property.
The criminal complaint also says that Hansen had a confrontation with a general contractor last November, “ranting and raving” and using the f-word multiple times.
If convicted, Hansen could get up to a year in prison on the gross misdemeanor count of misconduct, and 90 days in prison on the misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.
