Attorneys ask trooper's indictment be dismissed

Attorneys for a Minnesota state trooper say that "beyond any doubt" he was "acting responsibly and in compliance with his sworn duties" when his patrol car struck another car and killed its occupants last summer.

Trooper Scott Robert Reps was indicted Dec. 16 by a Goodhue County grand jury on two felony counts of second-degree manslaughter and one misdemeanor count of failure to drive with care. The indictment was announced Tuesday, when Reps made his first court appearance.

Reps was responding to a motorcycle-deer collision July 4 when his car collided with one occupied by Norman Scott, 78, and his wife, Geneva Scott, 79, of Cannon Falls, Minn. According to the State Patrol, the Scotts' car pulled out in front of Reps' patrol.

Reps' attorneys, Frederic Bruno and Samantha Schmidt, Minneapolis, were not available for a taped interview. In a statement, they said they would file a motion to dismiss the indictment.

To avoid a potential conflict of interest, Goodhue County Attorney Stephen Betcher appointed two Winona County assistant attorneys, Kevin O'Laughlin and Stephanie Nuttall, to serve as prosecutors in the case.

The transcript of the grand jury's deliberation has not been released and details about the accident and the evidence presented to the grand jury are unclear. Reps' next appearance in Goodhue County District Court is scheduled for Feb. 20.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.