NW Minn. man charged in retired police chief's killing
Becker County officials have charged a 54-year-old man in the shooting death of a retired police chief.
Morris Silas Dodd Jr. of Ogema, Minn., is charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of 53-year old Jay Nelson earlier this month.
Nelson was a former sheriff's deputy and police chief in Lake Park, Minn. His body was found in his vehicle in Becker County on Nov. 10. He had been shot in the upper back.
The charging document says a spent shell casing, a cigarette butt and footprints were found several hundred yards from the vehicle, and that Dodd admitted hunting in the area and firing a shot to scare away a fawn he saw in the woods. He denied seeing a vehicle.
Tests showed the bullet that killed Nelson was fired from Dodd's gun.
Dodd was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He has a previous felony conviction for criminal sexual conduct.
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