Former Cook HRA employee to pay over $24,000 in restitution and fines

A 69-year-old Side Lake, Minnesota man has been sentenced for gross misdemeanor Misconduct of a Public Employee. According to a report from the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office, Reed Erickson pleaded guilty to the charges on Friday, January 10. Erickson was the executive director of the Cook Housing and Redevelopment Authority (Cook HRA.)

The report says Erickson paid himself $18,982.90 in “unused vacation time” when he resigned, a payment he admitted he was not entitled.

The judge sentence Erickson to 364 days in jail, stayed for two years of probation. He must pay restitution in the amount of $24,232.90 for the money taken and the costs of a forensic audit, according to the County Attorney’s Office. Erickson must not have any contact with Cook HRA residents, employees, or board members. He is prohibited from working in a job that holds a fiduciary duty with regard to any public entity or public funds.

“Public employees throughout our region work hard to keep us all safe and healthy,” Assistant County Attorney Aaron Welch said in a release. “However, when the trust of the public is violated by someone who has promised to serve them, that person must be held to account.”

Welch prosecuted the case.