Inver Grove Heights police chief on paid leave during criminal investigation

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. - He's been with the department since 1989, but now Inver Grove Heights Police Chief Larry Stanger is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation. The city of Inver Grove Heights says it can't reveal the crime due to data privacy laws.

In February, detectives with Chief Stanger's police department were working on a criminal case with another police agency outside the state. Along the way, that outside agency uncovered that Stanger may actually be involved in the very criminal activity they were investigating. 

That agency then launched its own investigation on the chief and recently brought the case to a county attorney. Stanger was subsequently put on paid leave on April 11 for an undetermined amount of time.

Inver Grove Heights City Administrator Joe Lynch confirmed the investigation, and is calling the criminal allegations "very serious."  Lynch added that he is now concerned about trust within the community, and that personnel within the police department need to be able to trust their leader.

Fox 9 stopped by the Stanger's house Wednesday for comment, but there was no answer. The case is with the Dakota County Attorney's Office currently, but will likely be passed on due to a potential conflict of interest.

At this point, Stanger has not been officially charged with anything.