A 41-year-old Hampton man was charged with felony forgery after allegedly provided a fake document seeking to have a juvenile released from detention in Dakota County.
According to the criminal summons filed last week in Dakota County Court, Samuel Ervine Kaiser arrived at the Dakota County Juvenile Service Center in Hastings on Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. He presented staff with a document titled “Religious Accommodation Detention Order Release” that purported to be an order from Goodhue County District Court ordering the release of the juvenile from custody to Kaiser’s custody so the juvenile could attend religious services. It also said the juvenile should remain out of custody pending the next hearing.
Kaiser told deputies that he had received the document via email with instructions to bring it to the Juvenile Services Center. When he was informed the juvenile wouldn’t be released, Kaiser allegedly said he had paid $30 for the document “and now was realizing he had been scammed,” the complaint states.
Kaiser reportedly had made contact with the juvenile’s probation agent in Goodhue County the day prior, asking for the juvenile to be released. The probation agent spoke with Kaiser on Aug. 23 and told him he didn’t have the authority to release the juvenile without a signed order by a judge.
The judge whose signature was on the document said he did not sign the order, but he had signed an order Aug. 19 keeping the juvenile detained until the next hearing.