OWATONNA – The Steele County Attorney will seek first-degree murder charges against Roger Schleicher, who is now charged with second-degree murder for the death of Jack Johannsen Dec.

Tuesday, January 09, 2001

OWATONNA – The Steele County Attorney will seek first-degree murder charges against Roger Schleicher, who is now charged with second-degree murder for the death of Jack Johannsen Dec. 29.

Steele County Attorney Douglas Ruth will present the charge before a grand jury. He has 14 days to file the action with the court, said Steele County Court Administrator Gordy Meiners.

Schleicher appeared in court Monday, still without accepting legal counsel.

&uot;No attorney has been appointed yet because the defendant has not requested an attorney,&uot; Meiners said.

Schleicher’s next court appearance will not be scheduled until the grand jury has made its decision.

Schleicher is accused of inviting Johannsen, a Waseca resident, to his Ellendale home and shooting him. Police responded to a call of a hunting accident and found Johannsen dead.

Meanwhile, mental-health officials said most people committed to a security hospital as mentally ill and dangerous, like Schleicher was last year, are prohibited from possessing firearms as a condition of their release.

&uot;If somebody leaves the security hospital, they almost always have as part of their discharge plan a provision that they are not to be in possession of any weapons,&uot; said Larry Tebrake, Program Director at St. Peter Regional Treatment Center.

Schleicher was committed to the St. Peter Security Hospital on Jan. 18, 2000 and committed as mentally ill and dangerous, and chemically dependent. At a six-month review, Schleicher was no longer found to fit statutory guidelines as mentally ill and dangerous, and was discharged on June 12, 2000.

Data privacy laws prevent the disclosure of Schleicher’s terms of release.