Dede Evavold has yet to pay any of the restitution, fines, and fees assessed by Dakota County after she was convicted last year for her role in the disappearance of two sisters from Lakeville.
Evavold was charged in December 2015 related to her involvement in the disappearance of Samantha and Gianna Rucki. The sisters were taken by their mother near their home on the night of April 19, 2013, during a custody and divorce dispute involving their parents – Sandra Grazzini-Rucki and David Rucki.
She was convicted in September on six felony counts of deprivation of parental rights related to the disappearance of the girls.
Evavold owes $12,317 for restitution, fines, and fees
A “NOTICE OF DELINQUENT ACCOUNT” was filed with Dakota County and mailed to Evavold. According to the notice, Evavold is past due for making a payment of $12,317.
Judge Karen Asphaug ordered Evavold pay $10,000 to the Minnesota Crime Victims Reparations Board.
She must also pay two fines of $944, which represents the 944 days the Rucki sisters were missing.
The remaining balance covers additional fees and surcharges related to Evavold’s trial, incarceration, and probation.
The letter was dated January 31, 2017, and Evavold has 10 days to pay $12,317, or “the Court will take further action.” The letter describes actions the court may take, which includes suspending Evavold’s driver’s license and also issuing a warrant for Evavold’s arrest. The notice from the court says “any other available sanctions will be imposed” against Evavold if she fails to make a payment.
Missing for 944 days
On November 18, 2015 – 944 days after they disappeared – the Rucki sisters were found living on a rural ranch in northern Minnesota by law enforcement, headed by the Lakeville Police Department.
The ranch is owned by Douglas Dahlen and his wife, Gina Dahlen, who were also criminally charged related to the disappearance of the girls.
In January, the Dahlens each pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of parental rights for their role in the disappearance of two sisters from Lakeville, Minnesota.
David Rucki was awarded full custody of all five of his children in November 2013, while two of his daughters remained missing.
Rucki was reunited with his daughters days after they were found and they live with him at the family’s home in Lakeville.
Evavold’s family said she has “undiagnosed mental illness”
Evavold lives in St. Cloud with her husband Darin and their two children. Evavold’s husband was in the courtroom for her sentencing, as were other members of Evavold’s family.
Evavold’s sister wrote a letter to Judge Asphaug claiming that Evavold has an “undiagnosed mental illness.”
Her family did not attend the criminal trial.
Evavold’s social media use likely violated her probation
Days after Evavold was released from jail last week, she wrote a bizarre post which mentioned the Rucki family on social media. The post is likely a violation of her probation.
At her sentencing hearing, Judge Asphaug instructed Evavold that she was forbidden from making references to the Rucki family on social media for the length of her probation – eight years.
“You will make no reference to any member of the Rucki family, and that includes the children, Mr. Rucki, Ms. Love, any member of the Rucki family. You will make no reference to them in your use of social media,” said Judge Asphaug during Evavold’s sentencing hearing on November 10, 2016.
Click here to watch video of Judge Asphaug’s instructions to Evavold.
In a bizarre blog post written by Evavold and published Sundat, titled “BACK FROM THE BIG HOUSE”, Evavold mentioned the Rucki family in her post. Evavold also boasted about her time in jail, and discussed advice she received from Grazzini-Rucki’s family court attorney, Michelle MacDonald.
Evavold connected to Michelle MacDonald
Evavold previously served as Michelle MacDonald’s campaign manager for MacDonald’s campaign for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2014. MacDonald ran for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2016 against Justice Natalie Hudson and Evavold was listed as the chair of MacDonald’s campaign until May 2016.
According to MacDonald’s most recent campaign finance report, MacDonald owes Evavold $2,635.04 for public relations and mileage expenses.
MacDonald serves as Sandra Grazzini-Rucki’s family court attorney and was labeled as a “person of interest” last year by the Lakeville Police Department in the disappearance of Samantha and Gianna Rucki – a label which law enforcement confirmed has not been removed from MacDonald.
MacDonald was labeled in April 2015 as a “person of interest” by the Lakeville Police Department in the disappearance of Samantha and Gianna Rucki. MacDonald refused to cooperate with the Lakeville Police Department’s investigation into her possible involvement in the disappearance of the sisters – even after public statements from her that she would cooperate in the investigation.
Her criminal defense attorney, Stephen Grigsby, said in 2015 that he would advise MacDonald to not speak with the Lakeville Police Department.
MacDonald attended portions of Grazzini-Rucki’s criminal trial and her sentencing hearing, but MacDonald did not attend any of Evavold’s trial.
UPDATE: On Thursday, Dede Evavold made a $250 payment toward the over $12,000 in restitution, fines, and fees assessed by Dakota County related to her conviction.
