Gov. Dayton expected to attend fundraiser for vandalized Shakopee daycare

Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to attend a community fundraiser and clean-up effort Saturday at Al Huda Child Daycare Center in Shakopee to help it recover from a burglary and related property damage.

The day care center in Town Square Mall near County Road 69 has been closed since Tuesday. Dayton plans to visit at 9 a.m., and community members are invited to donate and help repair the damage done.

Police have put up a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of individuals suspected of stealing cash, breaking toys and splattering paint that damaged the center's appliances and other electronics.

Police say they are "following a strong lead" and plan to release more information early next week, Shakopee Chief Jeff Tate said Friday. Tate said he has no evidence to prove the incident was a hate crime against the mostly Somali-American-owned business, despite speculation from the state's Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Mary Hernandez, a Shakopee resident and co-founder of the city's Diversity Alliance, organized the fundraising event. She is running as a DFLer for the Minnesota House in District 55A.

Also expected to attend are state Sens. Eric R. Pratt, R-Prior Lake, and Patricia Torres Ray, DFL-Minneapolis, Shakopee school board member Shawn Hallett and Shakopee City Council member Mike Luce.

Natalie Daher • 612-673-1775