A defense attorney for Randall Romeo Caron, who is accused of assaulting two Albert Lea police officers, will examine whether the first-degree charges against Caron are adequate.

Tuesday, December 11, 2001

A defense attorney for Randall Romeo Caron, who is accused of assaulting two Albert Lea police officers, will examine whether the first-degree charges against Caron are adequate.

Caron was shot by an Albert Lea police officer when he was allegedly attacking the officer with a knife last month.

During a Monday court hearing Judge John Chesterman approved a motion by Caron’s attorney, Chester Swenson, requesting the disclosure of Caron’s medical records.

Swenson will review the records from Naeve Hospital in Albert Lea and St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, where Caron was treated.

Swenson said he would like to see if Caron was under the influence of any chemicals, and if the wounds from the shooting would indicate the distance between Caron and the police officer.

Both of the factors might destabilize the prosecutor’s grounds for the first-degree assault charges against Caron.

The police shooting occurred Nov. 11 when two ALPD officers, investigating a stabbing for which Caron was suspected on the previous day, found him hiding in the woods near Railroad Avenue.

According to the criminal complaint, Caron lashed a knife and approached one of the officers. The officer fired his gun when Caron got close to him – about five to 10 feet.

One of the two shots hit Caron’s chest. Caron was transported to the hospital for treatment, and was released five days later.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension concluded that the shooting was justified as self-defense and was appropriate.