Duluth firefighter sentenced to 3 years probation for breaking woman's nose on city trail

DULUTH — A Duluth firefighter who broke a fellow trail-user's nose when she asked him to leash his three dogs was sentenced to three years of supervised probation.

Conrad Sunde was sentenced Monday morning in St. Louis County Court, more than two years after the altercation with Mary Modec, 67, on a West Duluth trail system. The defense asked for a stay of imposition, which would have dropped the felony to a misdemeanor if he completed his probation.

Judge Theresa Neo said no.

"I'm not going to grant it," she said. "It's not going to heal Ms. Modec. She ended up with a broken nose. She ended up alone. She ended up with no one to help her."

Instead Sunde, 51, who has maintained his job as a firefighter for the Duluth Fire Department, will serve a year and a day in prison if he violates the terms of his probation — which includes having no contact with Modec and anger management training.

Modec told the court she has gone through two years of hell because of Sunde. She said she would like to see him get help, but she would also like to see justice. She has considered what it would be like to have Sunde, in the role of a paramedic or firefighter, show up at her house in the case of an emergency.

"I see a firetruck and I want to throw up," she said. "I'm supposed to trust myself to this guy?"

Neo addressed Sunde about the after-effects for the woman: her fear of dogs, bicyclists and the men she encounters while on the trails. She noted that Sunde's history indicated that he is a good community member, though maybe he was lacking balance on the day of the altercation.

The stay of imposition, which eventually would drop the felony to a misdemeanor, might have made it possible for Sunde to keep his jobs. Still, Neo offered hope to Sunde.

"This isn't going to be what seals your fate," she said. "It's going to be what changes it."

Modec, a regular on that portion of trail where the assault occurred, said that she recognized Sunde when she saw him on his bicycle along with three off-leash dogs on July 10, 2020. She testified that she reminded him of the ordinance about leashing animals and reached for her phone so that she could take a photograph and report the violation.

She said he swore at her, lifted his front bicycle tire and knocked her to the ground. He kneeled on her back and ground her face into the gravel, she said. He tossed her phone beyond her reach. Sunde testified that he thought she was pulling out pepper spray and had tried to disarm her.

Modec's nose and glasses were broken, she has a scar on her arm and a permanently bruised eye, she testified. Photos of her purpled face were shared widely on social media by her neighbor along with a description of Sunde and his dogs. He turned himself in to the West Duluth police station that same day.

"He didn't even pay a fine for his loose dogs," Modec said.

Sunde apologized to Modec on Monday and said he hasn't stopped thinking about the incident since it happened. He said if he could turn back the clock and not engage in conflict, he would.

"When I heard the description of what I did in court, it was like I wasn't even there," Sunde said.

Noah Schuchman, Duluth's chief administrative officer, said in a statement that the assault conviction was reported to agencies related to Sunde's work as an emergency medical technician and firefighter for Minnesota. His certification could be revoked based on the investigations.

"The timing and result of those investigations are outside of the city of Duluth's control," Schuchman said in a statement.