Small Town News

Investigator involved in fatal car accident

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The November 6 accident in Chisago County involving a Pine County man was a county employee who was on his way to work.

Joseph A. Kelley, 29, of Harris was driving his vehicle near mile marker 151 and rolled his vehicle while avoiding a deer at 5:22 a.m. The vehicle slid sideways into the, median, and rolled several times. Kelley was ejected from the vehicle into the northbound lane.

The driver of the car that struck him, Richard Giese, 48, was on his way to work at the Pine County Sheriffs Office. Giese is an investigator. He was driving a Sheriffs Office vehicle, which all investigators are allowed to take home, but was not officially on the clock with the county since he had not arrived in Pine County.

"It was very unfortunate," said Sheriff Robin Cole of the incident, who added there was nothing Giese could do to avoid the accident.

The Chisago County Sheriffs Office, North Branch Police Department and Pine County Sheriffs Office all assisted.

Cole said he and a supervisor in the Sheriffs Office responded to the scene to assist Giese after the tragic accident. The State Patrol is handling the investigative part of the accident.

"We were doing our thing to help our guy," Cole said.

Cole said this was the second accident in a week involving a Pine County vehicle. Also last week, a health and human services child protection worker rolled a car on Forest Road.



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