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Former Twin Cities Principal Chris Endicott Found Dead Inside Crow Wing County Jail

Originally published on Nov. 23, 2021

BRAINERD, Minn. (WCCO) -- A former Lakeville middle school principal was found dead Saturday inside a central Minnesota jail.

The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office says staff found 53-year-old Christopher Jerome Endicott unresponsive, and life-saving measures were unsuccessful.

Endicott was convicted in Dakota County in 2019 of burglary, identity theft and stalking, and was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison.

Lakeville Principal Chris Endicott
Chris Endicott (credit: Dakota County Sheriff's Office)

Investigators say Endicott hacked into a neighboring school district's database and amassed a large amount of personal and financial informational about employees and their families. Endicott later admitted to stealing the data because he was in "financial ruin."

After he was arrested and posted bail in early 2018, Endicott started stalking the Apple Valley police detective in charge of his case. The detective put a GPS tracker on Endicott's car, and discovered Endicott drove by his home twice. He was then re-arrested and charged with stalking. He was also later charged with burglarizing one of his neighbors' homes.

Crow Wing County authorities say Endicott "was being held in jail on a Department of Corrections warrant" at the time of his death.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating.

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