On Saturday, June 8th Otter Tail County Sheriff’s office and the MN State Patrol received the report of a suspicious person at the Hansel Lake Rest Area on I94. MN State Troopers determined that the vehicle was linked to a serious assault/possible attempted homicide in Minneapolis. An air, ground, and K9 search was conducted as well as a “shelter in place” advisory at 2:41 pm the suspect was spotted by an area resident near the rest area. A ground team made up of Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office, the MN State Patrol, Douglas County deputies, MN DNR officers, an airplane and a drone began tracking the suspect at that point and took him into custody within an hour after a short foot pursuit. Once cornered, the suspect surrendered without incident and was transported to Lake Region Hospital in Fergus Falls for a medical issue unrelated to his arrest. The suspect Eliezer Rodriquez, 31, is charged with kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct, and carjacking. Rodriguez allegedly carjacked a woman at knifepoint on Cedar Lake Parkway, then kidnapped and raped her. The suspect was turned over to the custody of the Minneapolis Park Police and is in the Hennepin County Jail.
At the same time this event was playing out Otter Tail County Sheriff’s deputies were also responding to a call about a capsized boat on Halvorson Lake, northwest of Elizabeth. Dispatch received a call at 2:56pm on Saturday sending out sheriff’s deputies, the Elizabeth Fire Department, Otter Tail County Water Patrol, and Ringdahl Ambulance used watercraft already on the lake to rescue an 85-year-old man from the water. The victim was treated at the scene and transported by ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries.