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An East Grand Forks police detective that was allegedly going to lie on the witness stand to convict a local journalist is no longer listed as an investigator with the police department, according to the city’s website.

Sgt. Detective Chris Olson’s name, which previously appeared under the section that listed the police department’s investigators, now appears under the section that lists patrol officers.

Olson’s name, and allegations of his misconduct, appear in a federal civil rights lawsuit, filed in July of 2014 by Timothy Charles Holmseth against the City of East Grand Forks and Polk County Sheriff - - - Holmseth v. City of East Grand Forks et al.

According to Holmseth’s complaint, Michael LaCoursiere, an attorney for the Minnesota Public Defenders office, who represented Holmseth in 2011-2012, told Holmseth that Olson, along with a Polk County Sheriff’s deputy, Jesse Haugen, was going to lie on the witness stand if Holmseth didn’t accept an Alford (no contest) plea.

Holmseth alleges the push for a false criminal conviction was based upon critical discoveries he made during his investigative journalism projects regarding the high profile child kidnapping case of HaLeigh Ann-Marie Cummings; the murder of Orlando toddler Caylee Marie Anthony; and financial crimes and fraud that led to the exposure of the Boardwalk Enterprises money-laundering loan-fraud scheme in East Grand Forks.

The criminal charges against Holmseth were pushed and prosecuted by EGF City Attorney Ronald Galstad; a central figure in the Boardwalk Enterprises scandal.

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