The online companion to the award-winning true crime book The Girls Are Gone
UPDATE (4:05 PM, Tuesday, September 4, 2018) – Tomorrow’s court hearing has been canceled. It will be rescheduled after Dede Evavold’s upcoming criminal trial on October 15, 2018, for violations of an HRO granted to protect David Rucki and his family from Evavold’s harassment. Continue reading
A judge in Dakota County granted a Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) today against three people, including Dede Evavold, for their roles in surreptitiously obtaining and later distributing a photograph of Michael Brodkorb’s wife and minor children online.
The HROs were filed by Michael Brodkorb and Sarah Brodkorb in Dakota County against Diane Ristau of Medford, Carrie Beaudette of St. Joseph, and Dede Evavold of St. Cloud.
The photograph of Ms. Brodkorb with her minor children was distributed multiple times with false allegations on a social media account connected to Sandra Grazzini-Rucki and her supporters.
The same social media account had been investigated by law enforcement for publishing threatening, harassing, and defamatory statements targeting judges, law enforcement, court staff, and journalists.
The HROs remain in effect until August 30, 2020. Continue reading
A judge in Dakota County has upheld the Harassment Restraining Order requested by David Rucki and his daughter, Samantha Rucki, against Dede Evavold, describing Evavold’s threatening behavior toward the Rucki family as “evil.”
“In the 34+ years the undersigned has served as a District or Senior Judge, never have I seen a case that represents harassment most evil,” wrote Judge Philip Kanning in his order released yesterday. “The Respondent’s actions have been intended to terrify, threaten and invade the privacy of the Petitioner and his minor children,” adding Judge Kanning.
Evavold was convicted in September 2016 of six felonies for her role in the disappearance of Samantha Rucki and her sister Gianna, who were abducted near their home on Lakeville by their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, during a custody and divorce proceeding.
On July 28, 2017, a court in Dakota County found that “an immediate and present danger of harassment” by Evavold exists to warrant the granting of a Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) requested by David Rucki and his daughter, Samantha Rucki, against Evavold
In the last year, Evavold has repeatedly violated the explicit terms of her probation and the HRO by continuing to reference the Rucki family in her use of social media. Evavold’s blog has posted pictures of the Rucki family, their home in Lakeville, and the address to the home, in violation of the HRO and the conditions of her probation. Continue reading
A recently uncovered video shows Michelle MacDonald partying with her then campaign chair and manager Dede Evavold at the 2014 Republican Party of Minnesota State Convention, during the time Evavold was actively concealing the whereabouts of two missing sisters.
At the time of this video, Evavold was working on MacDonald’s 2014 campaign for the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Last week, MacDonald filed again to run for the Minnesota Supreme Court.
The girls’ mother, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, abducted her daughters during a divorce and custody dispute with her ex-husband, David Rucki.
Grazzini-Rucki was also convicted of six felonies for her role in the disappearance of her daughters.
MacDonald served as Grazzini-Rucki’s family court attorney and briefly represented her during her criminal trial. Continue reading
Dede Evavold, who may have her probation revoked next month, may have violated her probation again by having contact with co-defendant Sandra Grazzini-Rucki.
Evavold was convicted in September 2016 of six felonies for her role in the disappearance of Samantha Rucki and her sister Gianna, who were abducted near their home on Lakeville by their mother Grazzini-Rucki, during a custody and divorce proceeding.
Evavold’s probation conditions specifically restrict contact with “Co-Defendant(s), Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, Gina Dahlen and Douglas Dahlen.”
On May 10, 2018, the United States Supreme Court docketed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari filed on behalf of Sandra Grazzini-Rucki regarding the contested child support matter stemming from her divorce from David Rucki. Continue reading
Dede Evavold was not required to report to jail today, despite Evavold herself publishing documents which claimed she was scheduled to serve 15 days in jail starting on April 19, 2018, and continuing each April 19 until 2023.
Evavold created the confusion last year when she published documents which detailed her scheduled for reporting to jail for the next six years related to her felony convictions for her role in the disappearance of Samantha Rucki and her sister Gianna, who were abducted near their home on Lakeville by their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, during a custody and divorce proceeding.
After reviewing court documents which conflicted with Evavold’s claims, court staff at the Dakota County Judicial Center was able to verify that the information posted by Evavold was incorrect and she was not required to report to jail today.
In a bizarre unrelated development, Evavold attended a public committee hearing of the Minnesota Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week. Evavold was seen on public television sitting and chatting with Michelle MacDonald, who is Grazzini-Rucki’s family court attorney.
Evavold served as MacDonald’s campaign chair and manager during MacDonald’s unsuccessful bid for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2014.
MacDonald’s law license was “conditionally reinstated” in the last few weeks by the Minnesota Supreme Court after her license was suspended related to her conduct while serving as Grazzini-Rucki’s family court attorney and her legal representation of Joseph Francis D’Costa. Continue reading
Dede Evavold will be held in jail overnight until a court hearing tomorrow after a judge in Dakota County declined to release Evavold after she appeared in court this morning for her first hearing after being arrested on Sunday on an outstanding warrant.
The warrant was issued after Evavold ignored a previous court order issued by Judge Kathleen Gearin which ordered Evavold to “remove ALL blogs/postings, social media postings, or internet postings” about David Rucki, his children, and other members of the Rucki family which violate a Harassment Restraining Order.
During the brief bail hearing at the Dakota County Judicial Center in Hastings, Evavold argued with Judge Christopher J. Lehmann, demanding that she be released on her own recognizance.
Just after 10:15 AM, Dede’s husband Darin Evavold, arrived at the courthouse with a laptop and went into the courtroom.
During the hearing, with his wife behind security glass, Darin stood up and frantically waved the laptop in an attempt to show they were working to comply with Judge Gearin’s order.
Darin Evavold admitted that Dede has not yet fully complied with Judge Gearin’s order, which was issued on March 1, 2018.
Both Dede and Darin Evavold were visibly angry at the conclusion of the court hearing.
Darin Evavold later left the courthouse with the laptop and yelled across the parking lot while he was photographed by media walking to his car.
Evavold was convicted in September 2016 of six felonies for her role in the disappearance of Samantha Rucki and her sister Gianna, who were abducted near their home on Lakeville by their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, during a custody and divorce proceeding.
Since her release from jail in January 2017, Evavold has repeatedly ignored the conditions of her probation and court orders by making repeated references to the Rucki family in her use of social media.
UPDATE (8:00 AM, Sunday, March 18, 2018) – Dede Evavold has been booked into the Stearns County Jail.
A review this morning of Evavold’s blog and social media postings shows Evavold has still not fully complied with Judge Kathleen Gearin’s order. Continue reading
UPDATE (5:30 PM, Sunday, March 18, 2018) – Dede Evavold was arrested at her home within the last hour on an outstanding warrant. This is a developing story, so stay tuned for updates.
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A judge in Dakota County has ordered that a warrant be issued “immediately” for the arrest and detention of Dede Evavold after she ignored a previous court order from March 1, 2018, which ordered Evavold to “remove ALL blogs/postings, social media postings, or internet postings” about David Rucki, his children, and other members of the Rucki family which violate a Harassment Restraining Order.
Judge Kathleen Gearin ordered Evavold to remove the content by 9:00 AM on March 9, 2018, or report to jail in Dakota County.
As of 9:00 AM on March 9, Evavold had not removed the content, nor had she reported to jail in Dakota County, as ordered by Judge Kathleen Gearin.
Not only did Evavold ignore a court order to “remove ALL” posts about the Rucki family from her blog and social media accounts, but she also published new material on March 9.
After Evavold missed the 9:00 AM deadline detailed in Judge Gearin’s order, the attorney for the Rucki family, Lisa Elliott, filed an Affidavit of Non-Compliance with the court because Evavold did not comply with Judge Gearin’s order.
Elliott also requested that a warrant be immediately issued for Evavold’s arrest for failure to comply with Judge Gearin’s order.
Judge Gearin signed the order that an arrest warrant be issued for Evavold yesterday afternoon.
Evavold was convicted in September 2016 of six felonies for her role in the disappearance of Samantha Rucki and her sister Gianna, who were abducted near their home on Lakeville by their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, during a custody and divorce proceeding. Continue reading
Dede Evavold ignored a court order issued by Judge Kathleen Gearin in Dakota County last week which ordered Evavold to “remove ALL blogs/postings, social media postings, or internet postings” about David Rucki, his children, and other members of the Rucki family which violate a Harassment Restraining Order by 9:00 AM today, or report to jail in Dakota County.
As of 9:00 AM, Evavold had not removed the content, nor had she reported to jail in Dakota County.
After Evavold missed the 9:00 AM deadline detailed in Judge Gearin’s order, the attorney for the Rucki family, Lisa Elliott, filed an Affidavit of Non-Compliance with the court because Evavold did not comply with Judge Gearin’s order.
Elliott also requested that a warrant be immediately issued for Evavold’s arrest for failure to comply with Judge Gearin’s order.
As of 3:30 PM, Evavold’s blog, and social media accounts are still filled with posts and content about the Rucki family.
The request for an arrest warrant for Evavold had not been signed by the court.
Evavold was convicted in September 2016 of six felonies for her role in the disappearance of Samantha Rucki and her sister Gianna, who were abducted near their home on Lakeville by their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, during a custody and divorce proceeding. Continue reading
A judge in Dakota County ordered Dede Evavold to “remove ALL blogs/postings, social media postings, or internet postings” about David Rucki, his children, and other members of the Rucki family which violate a Harassment Restraining Order granted by a court in Dakota County in the next eight days or she will go to jail for 30 days.
On Tuesday, Judge Kathleen Gearin found Evavold was in constructive civil contempt of court at an emergency hearing held at Dakota County Western Service Center in Apple Valley, Minnesota.
Evavold was convicted in September 2016 of six felonies for her role in the disappearance of Samantha Rucki and her sister Gianna, who were abducted near their home on Lakeville by their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, during a custody and divorce proceeding.
The emergency court hearing was scheduled after Lisa Elliott, who serves as the attorney for the Rucki family, filed an emergency motion with the court earlier this month which included over 200 pages of exhibits documenting Evavold’s repeated violations of a Harassment Restraining Order (HRO).
Elliott’s exhibits documented nearly 20 posts published on Evavold’s blog which violated the HRO since the last court hearing on December 13, 2017. At the court hearing, Evavold was reminded by Judge Philip Kanning that the HRO granted by Judge Karen Asphaug in July remains in effect.
In a court order released this afternoon, Judge Gearin went further than the posts identified by Elliott by ordering Evavold to “remove ALL blogs/postings, social media postings, or internet postings that refer to the Rucki family as named in the Harassment Restraining Order…”
If Evavold does not remove the posts by March 9, 2018, at 9:00 AM she will go to jail for 30 days. Continue reading
Dede Evavold was ordered to remove 20 blog posts about David Rucki, his children, and other members of the Rucki family which violate a Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) granted by a court in Dakota County by March 9, or she will go to jail for 30 days.
Judge Kathleen Gearin found Evavold was in constructive civil contempt of court at an emergency hearing held today at Dakota County Western Service Center in Apple Valley, Minnesota.
After finding Evavold in contempt of court, Judge Gearin sentenced Evavold to 30 days in jail for her failure to comply with orders issued in the case.
But Judge Gearin stayed the jail sentence for ten days, allowing Evavold to comply with her order by removing the posts from her blog.
If before March 9, 2018, at 9:00 AM, Evavold has complied with all of the orders issued, she will not have to report to jail in Dakota County.
“You may purge yourself from this contempt,” said Judge Gearing to Evavold.
Judge Gearin went on to remind Evavold that she faces further contempt of court charges if she continues to post about David Rucki, his children, and other members of the Rucki family.
Dede Evavold is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow for an emergency hearing about her continual harassment of David Rucki, his children, and other members of the Rucki family.
The emergency court hearing was scheduled after Lisa Elliott, who serves as the attorney for the Rucki family, filed an emergency motion with the court earlier this month which included over 200 pages of exhibits documenting Evavold’s repeated violations of a Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) granted by a court in Dakota County in July 2017.
Evavold was convicted in September 2016 of six felonies for her role in the disappearance of Samantha Rucki and her sister Gianna, who were abducted near their home on Lakeville by their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, during a custody and divorce proceeding.
Tomorrow’s hearing will be nearly the tenth court hearing held in the last year related to Evavold’s persistent harassment of the Rucki family. Both in and out of the courtroom Evavold has shown contempt for the Rucki family and the legal system.
Evavold was so brazen to even flash the “victory” sign as she walks into a courthouse in Dakota County last year for a hearing about her harassing and threatening behavior. Continue reading
An emergency court hearing has been scheduled in Dakota County over Dede Evavold’s continual harassment of David Rucki and his family.
Lisa Elliott, who serves as the attorney for the Rucki family, filed an emergency motion with the court yesterday which included over 200 pages of exhibits documenting Evavold’s repeated violations of a Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) granted by a court in Dakota County in July 2017.
The motion filed by Elliott also requested that Evavold be held in constructive civil contempt of court for her refusal to remove a threatening blog post which contained the private address of the Rucki family.
Late yesterday afternoon, the court granted Elliott’s request for an emergency hearing and scheduled the hearing for February 27, at Dakota County Western Service Center in Apple Valley, Minnesota.
Evavold was convicted in September 2016 of six felonies for her role in the disappearance of Samantha Rucki and her sister Gianna, who were abducted near their home on Lakeville by their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, during a custody and divorce proceeding. Continue reading