St. Paul police hold 2nd meeting after Cathedral Hill abduction

In a follow up to a May meeting to address community concerns, the St. Paul Police Department outlined new steps they are taking after the abduction and assault of a 7-year-old girl in the Cathedral Hill Neighborhood.

Mark Meihofer, 47, was later arrested for the abduction and assault, but many residents criticized the way they were notified by police and the investigators lack of knowledge of Meihofer, who has a long history of mental illness.

“How do we connect the dots, that’s something that came out of the May meeting,” said Aaron Gjerde, president of Ramsey Hill Neighborhood Association.

Meihofer has since been charged with kidnapping and first degree criminal sexual conduct.

Residents who sign up for the Ramsey County Emergency Notification system will now receive an alert should a similar event occur in the future.

“What it will do is give us a geographical area we can pinpoint over certain criteria such as a missing child or vulnerable adults that are missing,” said St. Paul Police Deputy Chief Mary Nash.

Police also say a new records system is set to be installed in the next year will also allow investigators better real-time access to information on people like Meihofer.