Most of the five St. Paul police officers terminated Thursday worked for the city’s Police Department for less than seven years and were only previously disciplined for preventable squad crashes.
Public information in their personnel files and past news articles show:
• Nicholas Grundei became a St. Paul officer in 2015.
His previous discipline was an oral reprimand in 2017 for a squad crash.
He received three “thank you” letters from citizens, and a “thank you” letter and letter of recognition from Police Chief Todd Axtell.
• Robert Luna was a St. Paul parking enforcement officer before he was hired as an officer in 2014.
His parents were both St. Paul police officers. His mother, Colleen Luna, was a finalist to become St. Paul police chief, and was a senior commander who led the homicide unit and internal affairs at different times.
Robert Luna’s previous discipline was an oral reprimand for a squad crash last year.
In 2015, Luna and five other officers hoisted a 2-ton vehicle off a woman who was trapped underneath it.
• Christopher Rhoades, hired by St. Paul police in 2007, was the most veteran officer in the group.
He was among a group of officers who received a written reprimand in 2012 for improperly looking up information in the state driver’s license database.
He was awarded two medals of commendation, both in 2011.
Rhoades’ police partner, Michael Soucheray, was charged in 2017 with punching a 14-year-old girl when she was handcuffed in the back of their squad car, after the girl spit on Soucheray. Soucheray was acquitted of a misdemeanor and later resigned from the police force.
• Nathan Smith became a St. Paul officer in 2012.
He was the subject of an oral reprimand in 2016 for a squad crash.
In January 2016, Smith received the department’s Life-Saving Award. A month earlier, he climbed over the railing of the Earl Street bridge over Phalen Boulevard to hold on to a 15-year-old dangling from the edge. The teen was brought to safety.
• Jordan Wild, a St. Paul officer since 2014, received an oral reprimand in 2017 after a squad crash.
His file shows he received three “thank you” letters, plus a letter of recognition from Axtell.
Last year, Wild and another officer were found legally justified in fatally shooting Phumee Lee in 2017. Lee pointed a gun at officers and fired during the incident in Dayton’s Bluff, according to law enforcement.
