Dede Evavold is facing more jail time after a judge in Dakota County accepted the recommendations of Dakota County Community Corrections who want Evavold back in jail for repeatedly violating the terms of her probation.
Evavold has been summoned to appear in Dakota County District Court for a Probation Violation Hearing on September 28, 2017.
According to a written recommendation submitted by Dakota County Community Corrections, Evavold violated the terms of probation when she “[f]ailed to comply with order to, not reference any of the Grazzini-Rucki family on any social media.”
As previously reported by Missing in Minnesota, Evavold has repeatedly violated the explicit terms of her probation by continuing to reference the Rucki family in her use of social media.
Evavold was sentenced on November 10, 2016 after being found guilty of six felony charges related to her involvement in the disappearance of Samantha and Gianna Rucki, who were abducted by their mother near their home in Lakeville, Minnesota on April 19, 2013 during a custody and divorce dispute involving their parents – Sandra Grazzini-Rucki and David Rucki.
Court instructed Evavold not to mention Rucki family on social media
Evavold is not an attorney, but is an activist, who also ran a blog focused on exposing what Evavold and her supporters believe are injustices and corruption in the judicial system. She represented herself during her criminal trial.
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.
But since being released from jail, Evavold has ignored the court’s instructions and has written numerous posts which reference the Rucki family.
The first post titled “BACK FROM THE BIG HOUSE”, was publish by Evavold just days after she left jail. In the post, Evavold mentioned the Rucki family. Evavold also boasted about her time in jail, and discussed advice she received from Grazzini-Rucki’s family court attorney, Michelle MacDonald.
Evavold has published a steady stream of posts on social media which make reference to the Rucki family, including a post which featured a picture of the Rucki’s home.
Both Grazzini-Rucki and MacDonald have promoted posts from Evavold since she was released from jail.
Judge Asphaug also said Evavold “showed no remorse or comprehension” for her actions against the Rucki family, adding that Evavold’s actions “disrupted a family for 944 days.”
Court grants restraining order against Dede Evavold
In a separate court action, a judge in Dakota County ruled last month that “an immediate and present danger of harassment” by Evavold existed to warrant the granting of a Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) requested by David Rucki and Samantha Rucki, against Evavold.
Evavold has repeatedly violated the HRO granted by the court to protect the Rucki family from her continued harassment and threatening behavior. A court hearing has not been scheduled about Evavold violating the HRO.
Evavold sent threatening letter from jail; family claims she has an “undiagnosed mental illness”
While in jail, Evavold sent a letter to court staff which containing numerous threats targeted at public officials in Dakota County.
In a handwritten letter dated October 17, 2016, Evavold wrote “that from jail, I can use the truth” to “completely destroy [the] blackened reputation” of judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, and elected officials from Dakota County.
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.
Her family did not attend the criminal trial.
Evavold’s sister wrote a letter to the court claiming that Evavold has an “undiagnosed mental illness” and “a severe disorganized brain.”
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” in 2015 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.
