Ex-county commissioner leaves school district job after criminal sexual conduct report

PARK RAPIDS, Minn. — A former Hubbard County commissioner named as a suspect in a criminal sexual conduct report has resigned from his job with the Nevis Public School District.

Search warrants were recently filed in connection with Daniel Stacey, who resigned in early February from his seat on the Hubbard County Commission.

Nevis Public Schools Superintendent Gregg Parks said this week that Stacey resigned from his job at the school district, where he had been on non-disciplinary paid administrative leave while school officials investigated a complaint.

Stacey, 59, had been employed as a transportation coordinator and bus driver for Nevis Public Schools.

A one-page Hubbard County Sheriff's Office report The Forum obtained through a public records request late last year indicates authorities received a report at about 6 p.m. Nov. 3 regarding suspected criminal sexual conduct.

The incident report names Stacey as a suspect, but offers little information beyond that. The Sheriff's Office said any other information it has regarding the incident is not public. Any details of allegations and the age of any alleged victim were not released.

Hubbard County District Court records indicate three search warrants involving Stacey have been filed since the first of the year: one on Jan. 28 and two on Feb. 22.

The warrants have been sealed by a judge, but online court records indicate the warrants involve electronic records.

Online court records show a Beltrami County District Court judge approved the search warrants that were filed in Hubbard County District Court.

Stacey has not been criminally charged. Multiple attempts to reach Stacey using phone numbers associated with him have not been successful. A message left with his attorney was not returned by the time this story was published.

Hubbard County Sheriff Cory Aukes has said his office is not investigating the incident that generated the Sheriff's Office report.

Hubbard County Attorney Jonathan Frieden previously said such matters are typically handled by an outside agency to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which often conducts investigations for other agencies, said it had no public information to provide when asked if it had filed the search warrants, or was investigating the incident reported in Hubbard County.

Stacey was elected as a county commissioner in 2012 and last attended a regular commission meeting on Nov. 1. He resigned as a commissioner on Feb. 1.

Stacey held the commission's District 4 seat, which serves the cities of Akeley and Laporte, and the townships of Guthrie, Hart Lake, Hendrickson, Lakeport, Mantrap, Steamboat River and Thorpe.

The Hubbard County Commission has authorized a primary election for May 9 to narrow a field of four candidates down to two for the seat left vacant by Stacey's resignation.

The four candidates running for the seat are Steven Keranen, Lyle Howg, Ryan J. Johnson and Kristin Fake.

Candidates advancing from the primary election will face off in a special election on Aug. 8.

Stacey began working for the Nevis School District in 2005 and held a number of positions, including substitute bus driver, bus driver, substitute teacher and transportation coordinator, according to Nevis Public Schools.

Stacey is a retired law enforcement officer and a former scoutmaster for Nevis Boy Scout Troop 56, according to a profile of Stacey that has been removed from the county website.

In addition, Stacey served on the Eagle Scout Council for Hubbard County and the surrounding area, according to the profile.