LAKEVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT CASE/INCIDENT NUMBER 13001278

SUPPLEMENT REPORT

CURRENT CURRENT
OFFICER J. Dronen 4816 DATE 112115 TIME 1020

FORWARD TO DISPOSITION CSU: ON SCENE EVID SUBMITTED

NCIC PC DETAIN FORFEITURE 713B DCSS CROSS REPORT JUV REF MED REL
INV ASSIGNED APP SPVR 4806 RECORD STATUS Pending
SENT TO County Attorney DATE PROCESSED 11/23/15 ENTERED BY ST

NARRATIVE/ELEMENTS:

Mentioned: Dahlen, Douglas Craig, DOB: 091862 Adult White Male

20916 140th St.
Herman, MN 56248
C: (320) 766-5794

Mentioned: Dahlen, Gina Schmit, DOB: 022368 Adult White Female

20916 140th St.
Herman, MN 56248
C: (320) 232-3132

The BCA analysis of Dale Nathan’s computers yielded approx. 29,000 email files. Officers analyzed the files and
located several items of note, which are summarized as follows:

• 12/29/12: Sandra Grazzini-Rucki e-mails Dale Nathan asking for his help with her divorce
• 1/18/13: Nathan advises Sandra that he has sent his revised case history to Trish Van Pilsum from
Fox9 news
• 4/21/13: E-mail from Evavold to Nathan sent at 1142 hours. The e-mail contains two PDF documents
that are typed letters from Samantha and Gianna, with hand written notes at the bottom requesting
that they be allowed to live with their mother. It should be noted that this e-mail is being sent to
Nathan less than two days after Samantha and Gianna left the residence on Ireland Place. Also, this
e-mail was sent and received on a Sunday morning, after the girls left on a Friday night. There is no
possible way this information had been mailed.
• 4/21/13: E-mail from Evavold to Nathan sent at 1317 hours. The e-mail contains two PDF documents
that are typed letters from Samantha and Gianna. They are the same letters sent as at 1142 hours,
but with a new paragraph added at the beginning. Hand written notes from Samantha and Gianna are
also written on the bottom, with approximately the same phrasing as earlier. These letters are
identical to the letters received by Tammy Love a few days later when she received mail from Sandra
Grazzini-Rucki’s return address with court motions.
• 4/21/13: E-mail from Nathan to Evavold at 1354 hours, where he advises that he is faxing documents
that need to be signed by Sandra. The documents were sent to fax number (320) 433-7240, which is
found to be Evavold’s fax number.
• 4/21/13: E-mail from Nathan to Van Pilsum, where he sends her the Appeal he is planning on filing.
• 4/21/13: E-mail from Nathan to Evavold sent at 1648 hours, advising that he had received her
message that the documents would be reviewed and signed when they could print them out, at
approx. 1830 hours.
• 4/25/13: E-mail from Andy and Lori Musolf to Dale Nathan requesting a document “for a friend” that
needs to be e-mailed and printed. Based upon conversations with Musolf, this e-mail confirms her
information that Sandra had been staying with her at the time.

There were many e-mails sent between Dale Nathan, Deirdre Evavold, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki and others over the
course of the next few months. Several items regarding the case were sent to Trish Van Pilsum at the end of April
2013 and early May 2013. In June of 2013, Evavold sent out a few e-mails to a group to organize protests regarding
Sandra’s case. In November of 2013, Sandra forwarded an e-mail she received from Michelle MacDonald. In her e-
mail, MacDonald advises Sandra that they have the custody order, and to keep it between “trusted associates.” She
advised Sandra at that time that David had sole custody and that she had supervised visits and had to pay support.
In addition, in August 2014, Nathan sends Sandra an e-mail advising her that he may be able to get a place for her
to stay in Minnesota, but she would have to campaign for a woman who was running for the MN House of
Representatives. Sandra’s reply was that she did not want to do that and that she wanted her life restored and
David Rucki and Tammy Love in jail, as well as Judge Knutson disbarred. One last e-mail of note was from Nathan
to Brandon Stahl of the Star Tribune, sent on 4/15/15, four days before Stahl’s story on the girls was printed. Nathan
advised Stahl that he had already prepared a complaint to be filed with Sage Communications, and he should keep
that in mind as he was writing his story. A time line of the e-mails will be attached to this case file.

In the early morning hours of 10/18/15, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki was arrested by US Marshals in Osceola County, FL.
She was held in the Osceola County Jail and eventually waived extradition. She was later extradited to Dakota
County.

Throughout the course of this investigation, Deirdre Evavold had been linked to Sandra numerous times. I was
advised by Christine Fox that Lori Musolf and Evavold had brought Sandra to her when she stayed with Fox and
Och. Musolf also advised me that Evavold had brought Sandra to her house when she stayed with her. Videos on
YouTube showed Evavold, MacDonald, and Sandra together in California in August of 2013, and Sandra’s flight
records from US Airways showed that she had used her companion fares to fly MacDonald and Evavold to Los
Angeles for that trip. Evavold had also advised the US Marshals that she had access to Sandra’s Facebook
account, and that it was her that had logged on to the account on 8/22/15. All of that information combined with the
e-mails from Evavold to Nathan with Samantha and Gianna’s letters to the court led us to believe that Evavold was
involved with Samantha and Gianna’s disappearance. I drafted a search warrant for Evavold’s residence at 3015
30th St. Ct. S. in St. Cloud, and the Dakota County Attorney’s Office also included a sealing order for that warrant.
The warrant was signed by the Honorable Judge Cashman in Stearns County on 10/21/15.

On 10/21/15 at approx. 1150 hours, Detective Watson, Detective Coughlin, Detective Hakanson, Detective
Helmueller and I executed the search warrant, along with Inspector Matt Moran from the US Marshals Service and
Officer Eric Jensen of the St. Cloud Police Department. Upon arrival at the residence, we knocked at the door
several times and received no response. As we were unable to get anyone to answer the door, we forced entry into
the residence through the garage service door at the rear of the residence. We cleared the house and found no one
was home. Detective Watson repaired the back door so that the door was still able to be secured, and we began to
search the residence. While we were doing so, Evavold returned home. She immediately told us to get out of her
house, at which time I advised her that we had a search warrant for her residence. I also advised her that I had her
copy of the warrant on the kitchen counter that she could she if she wanted to. I then asked her if she would speak
with me regarding the case. She stated that she would, but was extremely agitated. Evavold stated that she wanted
to have a cigarette, and we went to the back yard patio of the residence. I attempted to question her about the case,
but she kept talking about other issues. Upon looking at the warrant, she asked where Judge Knutson was involved.
I advised her that Judge Knutson had nothing to do with the warrant, and that it had been signed by Judge Cashman
in Stearns County Court. After her cigarette she went inside and then went upstairs. I continued to follow her
through the house to try and get her to sit down and talk with me, but she kept moving through the residence. In the
kitchen area, she began to put items from the counter into a drawer. We advised her that she could not do that as
we needed to go through the house, and she became more upset. Inspector Moran also tried to talk with her as well,
but she also would not speak with him. She was also advised that we would need her cellular phone, and at that
time she became very upset and agitated. She tried to put her phone in her pocket and Detective Coughlin stepped
in to try and stop her. She became physical with Detective Coughlin, and had to be restrained by Detective
Coughlin, Inspector Moran, and myself. She was placed into handcuffs and led into another room and asked to sit,
where she was then watched by Detective Watson. Later, when her daughter arrived home, she was released from
the handcuffs.

Numerous items were removed from the residence, which included:

• A small Dell laptop computer

• Notes from the bedroom night stand
• 1 CD and 1 jump drive found in the master bedroom
• Dell external USB drive from the master bedroom floor
 • Paperwork from the master bedroom
• 1 green thumb drive found in her purse
• A western digital external drive SN WXM1E14HETE9
• Black iPhone from the kitchen
• MSI gaming series laptop from a downstairs bedroom
• 3 flash drives, and a 1 GB Sandisk card
• 1 Dell laptop SN 6LZ10M1
• 1 Toshiba laptop SN 9E031461U
• Stack of legal documents from MacDonald Law Firm
• 1 DVD, 1 CD, and a Sandisk adapter
• 1 purple folder containing Rucki documents
• 3 thumb drives from the kitchen counter
• Black iPhone
• Notes in a yellow envelope
• 1 pink and green folder containing Rucki documents

Evavold stated that she would like to have her son’s laptop and her laptop returned as soon as possible, as well as
her cell phones. An inventory receipt was left at the residence as well as my business card.

Upon returning to the Lakeville Police Department, Detective Helmueller began imaging the laptops and cell phones
to be able to return them as soon as possible. On 10/22/15, I contacted Evavold and advised her that her cell
phones and two computers could be picked up. Her husband, Darin, responded to the police department that
afternoon and retrieved those items. On 10/23/15, I contacted Evavold and advised her that her daughter’s laptop
could also be retrieved, at which time she stated she would wait until all items were ready. I made copies of all the
documents that had been taken from the residence, and Detective Helmueller finished imaging all electronic items.
Evavold was advised, and her husband picked up all of the items on 10/28/15. The warrant was filed in Stearns
County on 10/30/15.

Detective Helmueller began completing digital forensic analysis of the phones and computers from the Evavold
residence. On an iPhone, Detective Helmueller located voice memos. The voice memos were found to be the exact
audio statements of Samantha and Gianna Rucki, which Dale Nathan has been distributing on CDs. Nathan also
provided a copy of that CD to me as well. When asked about the statements, Nathan had advised me that he had
asked Sandra Grazzini-Rucki for them, and that they had been delivered to his apartment anonymously. Based
upon information from the phone, Evavold had those recordings at 1128 hours and 1142 hours on 4/21/13. Also
located on the phone was a photograph of the street signs at the intersection of 210 th Ave and 140th St. Data from
the photograph showed that it was taken at 1500 hours on 4/21/13. Location information was also stored from the
photograph, allowing it to be viewed on a map. The map showed the picture was taken at the intersection of 210 th
Ave and 140th St near Herman, MN in Grant County. The only buildings in the area were at Doug Dahlen Repair,
which was located at 20916 140 th St. in Herman, MN. Detective Helmueller also located a photo on the phone of a
juvenile female with brown hair hugging a donkey. We believed that it was possible that the female was one of the
Rucki girls. The photo was taken on 6/24/13.

Through further analysis of Evavold’s computer, Detective Helmueller was able to locate a document to Deirdre
Evavold from Doug Dahlen. The document was dated in 2012, and it showed that Doug had been asking Evavold
for help with a divorce that he was going through that had started in 2008. Upon learning that information, I used the
search engine Google to look up Doug Dahlen. I located an article in the Fergus Falls Daily Journal about the White
Horse Ranch, which had been started by Gina Dahlen. Gina was found to be Doug’s new wife, and they had started
the White Horse Ranch as a place to help kids suffering from family issues through faith and working with horses. I
looked up the White Horse Ranch and located their website. I found that the White Horse Ranch was also located at
20916 140th St. in Herman, MN. Based upon looking at the buildings and backgrounds in the photos, I was able to
determine that the photo of the girl on 6/24/13 was taken at the White Horse Ranch. Lt. Polinski contacted David
Rucki and asked him to come in to look at the photograph. Upon looking at the photograph, David stated that he
was 100% positive that the girl in the photograph was his daughter. It should be noted that David has viewed
numerous other photographs during this investigation, and had never identified any other female as his daughter.
After speaking with David, I completed further research on the Dahlens. I located Gina Dahlen’s Facebook page and
found that she was friends on Facebook with Evavold. DVS checks showed that Doug and Gina both had their
address listed as 20916 140th St. in Herman, MN listed as their addresses. Property tax records also showed that
Doug owned the property jointly with his ex-wife, Pamela.

Based upon the information obtained through analysis of Evavold’s phone and computer, I drafted a search warrant
for 20916 140th St. Herman, MN. The Dakota County Attorney’s Office also drafted a sealing order for the warrant as
well. Lt. Polinski contacted the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and spoke with the Chief Deputy, Troy Langly, and was
advised that they had contact with Dahlen due to his divorce, but no other contacts. On 11/18/15, I went to the Grant
County Sheriff’s Office in Elbow Lake, MN, and met with Sheriff Dwight Walvatne and Sgt. John Cooks. Sheriff
Walvatne and Sgt. Cooks were briefed about the investigation and what had led us to the Dahlen residence. Both
advised that they have had contact with Doug Dahlen and believed that he would be cooperative. The search
warrant and sealing order were signed by the Honorable Judge Glasrud. Sheriff Walvatne and Sgt. Cooks stated
that they would assist with the warrant at the residence.

Detective Helmueller, Detective Coughlin, and Detective Hakanson also responded to the area and were waiting in
Herman, MN. Inspector Matt Moran from the US Marshal’s Service also responded to the area. It was determined
that Sheriff Walvatne, Sgt. Cooks, Inspector Moran, and I would respond to the residence and attempt to interview
Doug Dahlen, and if necessary, the rest of the team would respond to assist with the warrant.

We arrived at 20916 140th St and were met by Doug Dahlen just outside the residence. Sheriff Walvatne and Sgt.
Cooks advised him of who we were and that we wanted to ask him some questions. I advised Doug that Inspector
Moran and I were investigating a case involving two missing girls that we believed may have been brought to the
ranch a few years earlier due to a contentious divorce process. At that time Doug advised us that the girls were in
the house. I asked Doug how they got here, and he stated that their mother had brought them there a few years
earlier. I asked him when he had last heard from their mother, and he had told me that it was over a year ago. He
invited us inside and called Samantha and Gianna down from the upstairs bedroom. Samantha and Gianna came
down, and immediately told us that they would not go back to their father. We told them that our first concern was
their safety. I did ask them about the last time that they had heard from their mother, and they told me that they
would not say anything without a lawyer. I asked Inspector Moran to stay with them, and I stepped outside to contact
Lt. Polinski. I advised him that we had Samantha and Gianna, and asked him to start making calls to determine
where they should be brought. I also contacted Detective Helmueller and advised them that we had the girls and
asked them to respond to the scene as well. Upon their arrival, I asked Detective Coughlin to stay with the girls, as
Doug had advised me that Samantha had issues with males.

While Lt. Polinski was making arrangements for the girls and Detective Coughlin and the others were with Samantha
and Gianna, I spoke with Doug. I asked him if Gina was also available to respond to the residence, and he called
and left a voicemail on her phone, as well as sent her a text message. Doug advised me that Gina worked at the
school, and would most likely be able to respond to the residence. I took a taped statement from Doug in the
workshop building.

During Doug’s statement, he advised me that Samantha and Gianna were brought to the ranch over two years
earlier by their mother, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki. Doug knew Sandra as “Sam”, but he did identify a picture of Sandra
as the mother. I asked him how she had contacted them, and Doug told me that Sandra had called them on the
phone first, and he knew it was a Sunday, because they had been on their way to church. I asked Doug how Sandra
had gotten their number, and he stated that he didn’t know, but people contacted them a lot due to their ranch. He
also advised me that Sandra had originally asked them to watch the girls for a few days, and told them that there
was a nasty divorce situation and she needed a safe place for them to stay. As time went on, Sandra would call and
ask them to watch the girls longer because there was another hearing coming up, and then another hearing, and it
just continued like that. I asked Doug when the last time was that Sandra had called, and he stated it was over a
year ago. He also advised me that he personally had never talked to Sandra, and that it was Gina who talked to her.
I asked him if he had seen the vehicle when they arrived, and he told me that he had been inside on the couch and
did not see when they arrived, but he had only seen Sandra and the two girls.

I asked Doug about Deirdre Evavold, and he stated that he knew her, and that she had helped him with some court
schedules and things like that with his own contentious divorce, but he did not believe that she was with Sandra
when the girls were dropped off, but he admitted that he did not see the vehicle or go outside when they arrived. He
also stated that it would make sense that Sandra would have gotten their number from Evavold.
I asked Doug if anyone had ever come to visit Samantha and Gianna, and he stated that no one from their home
ever came to visit. Their mother had not been back since she dropped them off, and she had not contacted them for
over a year. I asked Doug if he had ever gotten any medical information for the girls in case they had to go to the
doctor or anything, but he said that they didn’t and the girls never went to the doctor while they were staying at the
ranch. He claimed they never wanted to do anything like get a driver’s license, and they never wanted to leave the
ranch.

While I was taking the tapped statement from Doug, Gina returned to the residence. After finishing my statement
with Doug, I took a taped statement from Gina Dahlen, again using the shop to take the statement. During her
statement, Gina stated that they had been contacted by Sandra and asked to watch the girls for a few days. She
also stated it was a Sunday, and that the girls had been here for a week when one of the horses had a foal, and she
knew that was the last weekend of April. Based upon that information, it is believed that Sandra brought the girls on
April 21st 2013.

Gina told me that Sandra had arrived with the girls and with Deirdre Evavold. I asked if she had much contact with
Sandra after the girls had been dropped off, and she stated that Sandra would call every couple of months. I asked
Gina if she had a phone number for Sandra, and she stated that she did not, and that Sandra told her that she would
call her. She also told me that Sandra always called from a Tracphone, and never told her where she was. Gina
also stated that Sandra had not called in over a year.

I also asked Gina if she ever read the Star Tribune, or watched the news shows from the Twin Cities, as there had
been several stories about the girls on both. She claimed that she did not, and neither she nor Doug knew that they
were listed as missing persons and that the police were looking for them. Doug had told me earlier that the girls had
been home schooled, which Gina confirmed.

I asked Gina about her relationship with Evavold. She told me that she and Evavold knew each other from when
they both did pharmaceutical sales, and that they talked on a regular basis. I asked Gina if Evavold had ever talked
about the girls, and she stated that Evavold would tell her that she was working on Sandra’s case, and just asked
how the girls were. Gina claimed that Evavold never told her that the girls were missing persons.

I also asked Gina about medical care for the girls. She stated that the girls had never had to go to the doctor, but
they had thought about what they would do if the girls had to see a doctor. They would have called one on the
doctors they know who boards horses at their ranch if they needed to, because they could not afford the doctor bill if
they went to a doctor’s office without insurance.

After taking statements from the Dahlens we had Samantha and Gianna pack a few things for the ride back to the
Twin Cities. While they were packing, I also advised Doug and Gina that I had a search warrant for computers,
phones, and anything else that may contain information about the disappearance of Samantha and Gianna. They
surrendered their cellular phones, as well as one laptop computer that had been in an office nook of the residence.
Detective Hakanson also took photos of the residence as well.

Detective Coughlin brought my squad into the garage of the residence. Samantha and Gianna were brought into th e
garage where they were loaded into the back seat of the car. We then transported them from the ranch to the
Lakeville Police Department, with one brief stop for some food. Upon arrival at the station, Lt. Polinski advised us
that arrangements had been made for the girls to go to University Riverside Hospital to be checked out medically
and have a psychological evaluation in the morning. After the girls finished eating, they were transported to the
hospital by Detective Coughlin.

On 11/19/15, Detective Coughlin and I met with Dakota County Social Services and David Rucki. Arrangements
were made for the girls to be placed into foster care, as they continued to express that they would run away again if
they were brought home. Detective Helmueller imaged the Dahlen’s cell phones and computer, as well as sent a
preservation request to Yahoo to preserve Gina Dahlen’s e-mail account until a search warrant could be drafted and
sent in.
On 11/20/15, I returned to 20916 140 th St. Herman, MN to attempt to return the Dahlen’s cell phones and computer.
The Dahlen’s did not appear to be home, as I received no answer at the residence or the work shop. I went to the
Grant County Sheriff’s Office and met with Sheriff Walvatne again, and requested that they return the property to the
Dahlens. The property was signed over to Sheriff Walvatne at that time. The search warrant and sealing order was
also filed with the Grant County Clerk at that time.

J. Dronen 4816