EAST GRAND FORKS (trfnews.i234.me) – TRF News is reporting serious questions surrounding the fatal police shooting of 42-year-old Lucas Gilbertson during an attempted apprehension last January outside East Grand Forks — and now, scrutiny has intensified over the relationship between the officer who pulled the trigger and the county attorney who cleared him.
According to recently released records, Sgt. Aeisso Schrage, the East Grand Forks officer who shot Gilbertson, exchanged at least 64 emails with Polk County Attorney Greg Widseth in the six months leading up to the incident. Twenty of those emails were direct communications between Schrage and Widseth, with the remainder including other parties such as the Pine to Prairie Task Force group and the county attorney’s office.
While all of these emails were reportedly work-related — covering criminal cases, law enforcement issues, and grant discussions — the volume of correspondence has raised serious ethical concerns among police accountability advocates. Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, called the relationship between Widseth and Schrage “troubling” and questioned whether such frequent contact compromised the prosecutor’s ability to remain objective.
“This prosecutor is way too close to this officer, to the people involved in this, to make an objective judgment,” Gross told TRF News.
The incident itself occurred on January 9, 2024, when Schrage and another undercover officer from the Pine to Prairie Task Force attempted to arrest Gilbertson at his mother’s home in Rhinehart Township. Gilbertson was wanted for alleged bond violations. According to Schrage’s statement to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Gilbertson ran at the officers, prompting Schrage to open fire. Gilbertson was hit three times and later died from his injuries.
Notably, neither Schrage nor the other officer present was wearing a body camera, as both were working undercover.
In September 2024, Polk County Attorney Widseth announced that after reviewing the BCA’s investigation, he found no basis for criminal charges against Schrage. But following the TRF News’ reporting on Widseth’s decision, a community member flagged the attorney’s apparent social connection with Schrage. The subsequent public records request confirmed they were connected via social media.
Currently, Minnesota lacks a statewide policy requiring county attorneys to recuse themselves in officer-involved shootings where conflicts of interest may arise. Widseth admitted Polk County has no written policy on this issue, calling such decisions “case-by-case.”
“This is appalling,” Gross added. “You should have a written policy for every kind of circumstance like this.”
Legal experts from the ACLU of Minnesota echoed the concerns. Staff attorney Alicia Granse highlighted the broad discretion prosecutors hold and emphasized the harm a lack of oversight can cause in deadly force cases. “The lack of transparency in these decisions does a disservice to everyone involved,” Granse said.
The Herald’s records request also asked for communications related to Widseth’s role in reviewing the BCA investigation. That search turned up mainly media inquiries, a few concerned citizen emails, and discussions with the BCA about informing Gilbertson’s family, but no direct emails between Schrage and Widseth about the shooting itself.
However, Widseth did cite Minnesota Statute 13.393, protecting certain attorney work product and investigative data from public disclosure. Some records were withheld under this statute, though no specific count of withheld emails was provided.
Critics argue that these protections, while legally valid, allow law enforcement and prosecutors to control the narrative and limit public accountability. “When they control the data, they control the narrative,” Gross stated. “So they can say whatever they want to say about what happened.”
The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office declined to comment on whether Widseth should have recused himself. The Minnesota County Attorneys Association also refrained from commenting on individual decisions made by its members.
Did you know?
-
Minnesota does not have a mandatory policy requiring the transfer of deadly force case reviews to an outside prosecutor to avoid conflicts of interest.
-
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigates most police shootings, but the final decision to charge or clear an officer rests with local prosecutors.
-
Advocates are calling for broader legislative reform to require independent reviews of police shootings to ensure fairness and public trust.
I’m Chris Harper, and I’m reporting for TRF News.