Michael Brodkorb Doesn't Seem Afraid

Michael Brodkorb, David Rucki's chief defender, claims to be afraid and so he took out a protective order against Dede Evavold.

But Tweets he recently sent out don't paint a picture of a man afraid.

Missing in Minnesota is the website Brodkorb started in 2016, shortly after being let go from the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The website is dedicated to the Rucki case and he writes quite a lot about Dede Evavold. 

In one case, he even called the police when there was a warrant for her arrest for not removing blog posts quickly enough. 

Brodkorb, I've learned, didn't just accompany the police when Evavold was arrested but actually called it in. Though he lives nowhere near her, he was apparently outside her home until he noticed she'd arrived and called into the police to pick her up because there was a warrant for her arrest. 

I asked the sheriff, Donald Gudmundson, if Brodkorb's behavior didn't itself constitute a crime, as he appeared to be stalking Evavold but he didn't respond.

But that is not the picture Brodkorb paints in court. In court, he is afraid of Dede Evavold. It all started with this tweet.

Sarah @mbrodkorb should be immediately brought in for questioning. I hope #grazzinirucki subpoenas her!! ....walls r falling for Dave Rucki.....Minnesota keep covering we will keep documenting......#grazzinirucki #evavold @missinginmn pic.twitter.com/e3jBNYvFdf

— Jane Johnson (@johnsonmedia2) August 14, 2018

That Tweet is of Brodkorb's wife. The photo was emailed to several people including Dede Evavold. It's not entirely clear what if anything she did with it, but it appears that it was hands on deck to find out who was responsible and it landed Evavold with a harassment restraining order (HRO) by Brodkorb.

The order granting the harassment restraining order is below.

Order Granting HRO-Brodkorb by mikekvolpe on Scribd

The order is peculiar however, stating in part, "Detective Dan Spiess from the Eagan Police Department testified at the hearing on October 28, 2019. He testified that he was unable to identify the owner of the twitter account @johnsonmedia2. Through his investigation, he discovered the photographs were taken by Ms. Diane Ristau. Ms. Ristau then forwarded the pictures to her co-worker and friend Ms. Carrie Baudette. Ms. Baudette then forwarded the picture to her long time friend Ms. Dede Evavold. IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT MS. EVAVOLD DID WITH THE PICTURES (EMPHASIS MINE)...While the actions of Ms. Evavold after receiving the photographs remain uncertain, she was involved in receiving them and she is the last one in the chain of events."

Get that. Dede Evavold committed the cardinal crime of receiving a photo of Mrs. Brodkorb and that photo was posted on twitter and as the judge, Michael Baxter noted, "The court finds that the Twitter post constitutes harassment."

Yes, a photo which Twitter has continued to keep of a woman constitutes harassment.

Here is the transcripts from the hearing.

Evavold 2018-10-29 by mikekvolpe on Scribd

Evavold then made the mistake of emailing Brodkorb's attorney and this is now considered a violation of the HRO so on Thursday there is a pre-trial conference for this violation. That hearing is the subject of one of Brodkorb's Tweets.

The deposition Brodkorb is referring to is about a separate case which I described in more detail here. 

HRO Violation Pre Trial 1 by mikekvolpe on Scribd

No one seems to be asking the obvious question though, if Michael Brodkorb feels so harassed by this photo that he needs an HRO, why is he all over Twitter taunting his harasser.

I asked Jerome Porter, who is representing the state, or Eagan, not sure which, in this HRO violation hearing. He did not respond.

I asked Lisa Elliott and her paralegal, Allison Mann, Mann doubles as Brodkorb's writing partner, but they also did not respond.

I would ask Brodkorb, but he blocked my emails nearly two years ago; though, to be fair, I blocked him on Twitter: I guess we are all acting like sixteen year olds.

This is not the only protective order Dede Evavold faces. David Rucki is so afraid of her that the judge, Karen Asphaug, in his case, granted him a fifty (to expire in 2069) year HRO.
=

Extended HRO by mikekvolpe on Scribd

There was no need for a hearing in that case.

Here is Brodkorb's website, missinginminnesota.com

It's almost as though the Minnesota courts are determined to only have positive David Rucki stories. 

Brodkorb used to be a political operative until he had an affair with Amy Koch, a then high ranking state politician. He was kicked out of the Minnesota Republican Party before beginning a political blog on the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

In May 2015, he discovered the Rucki case and though he has no experience with family court, criminal court, or domestic disputes, besides his own.

Michael Brodkorb had a "verbal argument" with his wife this summer that frightened her so much that she called the cops, according to a police report obtained by City Pages.

Around noon on June 5, Eagan Police were summoned to Brodkorb's home by his wife, Sarah Beth Brodkorb, who told the responding officer that she and her husband had been having "marital issues" and had gotten into an argument that morning.

He, for whatever reason, has fixated on this case and he has treated David Rucki as the hero, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki as the villain, and anyone who helps her he harasses as well.