Hennepin Co. Att'y Mike Freeman Taking Leave To 'Deal With Health Issues'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman is taking a leave of several weeks to deal with what his office referred to as "health issues."
Freeman's leave of absence closely follows the historic conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Mohammad Noor. It also follows allegations made against Freeman concerning his alleged inappropriate behavior at a community event at the Urban League of Minneapolis Thursday evening.
The announcement comes after WCCO pursued comment from Freeman's office about complaints raised by officers regarding his behavior.
"After my physical on Wednesday, my doctor and others have suggested that I need some time away from the high stress of running the Hennepin County Attorney's Office in order to restore my physical well-being," Freeman said, in a statement released Friday afternoon. "I fully expect to return stronger and sharper and able to guide this office in its mission to protect the public safety and provide justice."
The county attorney's office said that chief deputies David Brown and Lolita Ulloa would be in charge of the office during the interim period.
Minneapolis Police Union President Bob Kroll says an apology is in order for the comments.
"At the very least an apology, but I think beyond that I don't know ... the strained relationship with the county attorney's office and the police department – I don't know that he's fit to serve anymore," Kroll said.
The mayor's office has not returned a request for comment.
WCCO also reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department. They say the chief was at the Thursday night event in question and did not witness anything inappropriate.
Stay with WCCO.com for further developments.
