Posts tagged Travis Keil

Dahlens accuse Grazzini-Rucki and Evavold of lying

Days before they are sentenced for their role in the disappearance of two sisters from Lakeville, Minnesota, Doug and Gina Dahlen accuse both Sandra Grazzini-Rucki and Dede Evavold of lying.

Court documents filed earlier this week by attorneys Travis Keil and Kyle White allege Doug and Gina Dahlen were misled by Grazzini-Rucki and Evavold about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Samantha and Gianna Rucki.

On April 19, 2013, the sisters disappeared during a custody and divorce dispute involving their parents – Grazzini-Rucki and David Rucki. The girls were taken by their mother near their home in Lakeville, Minnesota, in violation of a court order.

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Doug Dahlen, Gina Dahlen. Picture source: Dakota County Sheriff’s Office

The Rucki sisters were later driven to the Dahlen’s residence at the White Horse Ranch in Herman, Minnesota on April 21, 2013.

According to the criminal complaint and court testimony, the girls were driven to the ranch by Grazzini-Rucki and Evavold.

The Dahlens pleaded guilty in January and admitted in court that they knew David Rucki had been awarded custody of his children and that they failed to contact to David Rucki and law enforcement that the missing Rucki kids were living on their ranch.

The Dahlens will both be sentenced on May 2, 2017, at the Dakota County Judicial Center in Hastings.

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Doug and Gina Dahlen want full immunity, testimony sealed

Attorneys for Douglas and Gina Dahlen, who each have been charged with two felony counts of deprivation of parental rights involving the disappearance of Samantha and Gianna Rucki, want their clients to be granted full immunity before they will allow them to testify against the girls’ mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki in her criminal trial next week.

In a motion filed by Travis Keil, who is the attorney for Douglas Dahlen, and in a similar motion filed by Kyle White, the attorney for Douglas’ wife Gina, both attorneys want their clients to be granted “transactional immunity” instead of the “use immunity” which is currently being offered by the Dakota County Attorney’s Office.

The attorneys also raised an objection to proceeding with “use immunity” as they claim it is a violation of the Dahlens’ statutory privilege to prevent a spouse from testifying against their spouse, and also a violation of the “priest-penitent” privilege. The Dahlens claim they consulted with their pastor before allowing the sisters to stay at their ranch in Herman, Minnesota. Continue reading

Dahlens make offer to testify against Evavold and Grazzini-Rucki

Doug and Gina Dahlen, the owners of a ranch in northern Minnesota where two missing Lakeville sisters lived for over two years after disappearing from their home, have offered to testify against Dede Evavold and Sandra Grazzini-Rucki related to girls’ disappearance if they are granted immunity from prosecution.

The Dahlens, who own the White Horse Ranch in northern Minnesota, have each been charged with two felony counts of deprivation of parental rights involving the disappearance of Samantha and Gianna Rucki, who disappeared during a custody and divorce dispute involving their parents on April 19, 2013. Continue reading