Sandra Grazzini-Rucki appeared in court today at the Dakota County Judicial Center in Hastings today for a hearing about her alleged probation violation.
Grazzini-Rucki has been jail since last week after a warrant was issued for her arrest because she allegedly failed to “maintain contact with probation” and she failed “to notify probation within 72 hours of any change in address, employment, and phone number.”
At the hearing today, Grazzini-Rucki made another request to Judge Karen Asphaug to execute her sentence by continuing to remain in jail, rather than serving probation. Grazzini-Rucki is now being represented by a public defender, as her criminal defense attorney, Stephen Grigsby, withdrew as her attorney last month.
Judge Asphaug denied Grazzini-Rucki’s request to execute her sentence, as she did at a hearing in October.
Throughout the brief hearing, Grazzini-Rucki acted inappropriately in court.
Grazzini-Rucki smiled and giggled during the proceedings, especially after Judge Asphaug denied her request to execute her sentence. The judge also instructed Grazzini-Rucki to pay attention to the proceedings, as Grazzini-Rucki kept looking into the gallery of the courtroom at two of her supporters.
Michael Rhedin, who has been described in court documents as Grazzini-Rucki’s boyfriend, was in the courtroom accompanied by Linda Senst, who is friends with Grazzini-Rucki and her family court attorney, Michelle MacDonald.
A hearing was scheduled for next Tuesday to determine if Grazzini-Rucki violated the conditions of her probation.
In July, Grazzini-Rucki was found guilty on six counts of deprivation of parental rights for her role in the disappearance of her daughters, Samantha and Gianna Rucki. The sisters ran from their home on April 19, 2013 during a custody and divorce proceeding involving their parents.
The girls’ father, David Rucki, was awarded full custody of all five of his children in November 2013, while two of his daughters remained missing.
On November 18, 2015 – 944 days after they disappeared – the girls were found living on a ranch in northern Minnesota by law enforcement, headed by the Lakeville Police Department. Rucki was reunited with his daughters days after they were found and they live with him at the family’s home in Lakeville.
