Sherburne County commissioner charged with stalking ex-fiancée

ST. CLOUD - A Sherburne County commissioner is facing criminal charges after reportedly taking thousands of photos of his ex-fiancée without her consent and violating a restraining order, according to a criminal complaint filed Oct. 28 in Sherburne County District Court.

Timothy J. Dolan, 39, of Elk River, was charged with one felony count of stalking and five gross misdemeanor counts of interfering with privacy.

Dolan was first elected to the five-member County Board in 2016. Because of his position in the county, the case was investigated by the Anoka County Attorney's Office. His first court appearance is slated for Nov. 16.

According to the complaint, Dolan's ex-fiancée told police she was given access to Dolan's work computer and phone after he suffered a medical emergency in May.

In June, Dolan told the Monticello Times he had an aortic aneurysm and had to undergo open-heart surgery.

The woman told investigators she found on his electronic devices an estimated 20,000 pictures and videos of herself in "various stages of undress, nude and/or while engaged in personal hygiene activity" or "during sexual relations" that were taken without her knowledge or consent, the complaint states.

The woman was granted a harassment restraining order against Dolan in late May, after which he reportedly contacted her via text.

Dolan did not respond to a request for comment and an attorney is not listed on court documents. Sherburne County Administrator Bruce Messelt declined to comment on the charges, but said because of Dolan's health issues, Dolan has not been regularly attending county commissioner meetings.

Because Dolan is an elected official, the county's personnel policies do not apply. Dolan's term as a commissioner is up at the end of the year, and he did not file for re-election.