Hubbard County commissioner, school bus driver named as suspect in sheriff's office report

PARK RAPIDS, Minn. — A Hubbard County commissioner is named as a suspect in a sheriff's office report that involves alleged criminal sexual conduct.

Daniel Joseph Stacey, the county's District 4 commissioner, is also the transportation coordinator and a bus driver for Nevis Public Schools.

Stacey, 58, of Akeley, is currently on non-disciplinary paid administrative leave from the school district while school officials investigate a pending complaint, Superintendent Gregg Parks said, noting that was the only information he could legally provide.

There is no information indicating whether the school district's investigation and the sheriff's office report are related. Stacey has not been criminally charged.

The Forum's repeated attempts to reach Stacey for comment for this story using phone numbers associated with him were not successful. A reporter's attempt to reach Stacey for comment at his home also was not successful.

The sheriff's office incident report, a one-page document The Forum obtained through a public records request, indicates authorities received a report at about 6 p.m. Nov. 3 regarding suspected criminal sexual conduct.

The incident report names Stacey as a suspect, but offers scant information beyond that. The sheriff's office said any other information it has regarding the incident is not public. Any details of allegations and the age of any alleged victim were not released.

Reached by phone, Sheriff Cory Aukes declined to discuss the matter. Later, Aukes did not reply to a question asking whether his office is investigating the incident, or whether it had been referred to another agency.

The matter presents potential conflicts of interest for Aukes, whose department's budget is controlled by Stacey and other county commissioners.

Hubbard County Attorney Jonathan Frieden said he had no information to share about the reported incident. He said in general when a situation may involve a county employee, such matters are typically referred to an outside agency to investigate to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which sometimes conducts investigations for other agencies, said it had no public information to provide when asked if it was investigating the incident reported in Hubbard County.

According to Nevis Public Schools, Stacey began working for the district in 2005 and has held a number of positions, including substitute bus driver, bus driver, substitute teacher and transportation coordinator.

Stacey was elected as a county commissioner in 2012 and began serving as a commissioner in 2013. The position's annual salary is $26,533.

Stacey is a retired law enforcement officer and a former scoutmaster for Nevis Boy Scout Troop 56, according to a profile on the county website .

In addition, Stacey is on the Eagle Scout Council for Hubbard County and the surrounding area, according to the profile.

Minutes of Hubbard County Commission meetings and videos of meetings on the county's website indicate the last regular County Commission meeting Stacey attended was on Nov. 1.

Stacey was absent from meetings held on Nov. 8, Nov. 15, Dec. 13, Dec. 20 and Jan. 3, according to information on the county website.

Minnesota law states that a county board may deem a vacancy exists and fill that vacancy by appointment if a board member is absent from or refuses to attend board meetings for a 90-day period.

A person appointed to fill a vacancy may serve out the remainder of the term, or until the absent board member is again able to resume duties and attend meetings, whichever is earlier.

Shannon Geisen, editor of the Park Rapids Enterprise, contributed to this report.