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Designation to remember deputy

Published (4/15/2011)
By Mike Cook
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It’s been nearly 15 years since Rice County Sheriff Deputy John Liebenstein was killed in the line of duty.

Rep. Patti Fritz (DFL-Faribault) sponsors HF459 that would designate a portion of Interstate 35 through Rice County as “Deputy John W. Liebenstein Memorial Highway.” The bill was held over April 13 by the House Transportation Policy and Finance Committee for possible omnibus bill inclusion.

Former Rice County Sheriff Richard Cook said that on May 3, 1996, law enforcement officers were pursuing a suspect in a stolen vehicle south on Interstate 35 through Rice County near Dundas and Northfield.

“Deputy Liebenstein positioned his patrol car at the top of an off-ramp of I-35 at County Road 1 in an attempt to stop the suspect’s vehicle being pursued,” Cook said. “However, the suspect’s vehicle intentionally struck the deputy’s squad car, accelerating up the ramp in a Lincoln Town Car to a speed of 90 mph in an intentional and vicious act. As a result Deputy Liebenstein suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene at the age of 40.” He left behind a wife and three young children.

The bill identifies four locations for memorial signs to be placed, including near where the northbound and southbound off-ramps to County Road 1 where Liebenstein was killed. Signage costs would come from non-state sources.

Cassandra Isackson, assistant traffic engineer with the Department of Transportation, said the department is concerned about the number of signs and the proposed locations, but vowed to work with the local community to honor Liebenstein. She recommends putting the signs in a nearby rest area, as is the case with the “Theodore Foss Memorial Highway” along Interstate 90 in southeastern Minnesota.

A companion, SF330, sponsored by Sen. Mike Parry (R-Waseca), was scheduled to be heard April 14 by the Senate Transportation Committee.

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