GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Two police officers here, accused in February of leaving an East Grand Forks, Minn., man out in the cold during a traffic stop, now face criminal charges.
Officers Dave O'Toole and Eric Straus are both charged with reckless endangerment - a Class A misdemeanor - after a Feb. 11 incident in which Jason Hickman, 24, East Grand Forks, said he was forced to stand outside in subzero temperatures after a late-night traffic stop in Grand Forks.
In his filed complaint, Hickman says the two officers left him in the cold for 20 to 30 minutes after his friend was stopped for speeding. After the incident, Hickman was treated for frostbite to both ears at the Altru Hospital emergency room in Grand Forks.
Charges were filed Friday against the two police officers, according to Grand Forks County State's Attorney Peter Welte.
O'Toole turned himself in Monday and was released on a $500 bond, according to Capt. Linda Wagner at the Grand Forks County Correctional Center. Wagner said there was no record of Straus being booked at the jail early Monday afternoon.
