Bail set at $25,000 cash for man accused in Town of Tainter shooting

By LeAnn R. Ralph

MENOMONIE  —  Bail has been set at $25,000 cash for a 34-year-old Minnesota man accused of shooting a Town of Tainter man in the leg May 27.

Shawn Harris Goplen appeared with his attorney, Jonathan Lundeen, in Dunn County Circuit Court for a bail hearing June 1.

Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf told the court she was asking for a $25,000 cash bail.

Goplen allegedly shot Bruce R. Sundstrom of rural Colfax May 27 and then fled. Law enforcement officers spent several days searching for Goplen and a woman who had been with him, Kari L. Blank, Nodolf said.

A pursuit of Goplen started in Washington County, Minnesota, on Wednesday and extended into Pierce County. Officers pursued Goplen with “lights and sirens” through Pierce County to St. Croix County, where the pursuit was terminated for safety purposes, she said.

Law enforcement officers were able to track Goplen’s cellular telephone to Rusk County and then to Barron County, Nodolf said.

Goplen, who was apprehended at the Dollar General store in Rice Lake, had been actively evading law enforcement, she said.

Nodolf asked as a condition of bail, Goplen be ordered to have no contact with Sundstrom or with the co-defendant in the case, Kari L. Blank.

Goplen is a felon who should not have been in possession of any firearms, Nodolf said.

Lundeen, the attorney representing Goplen during the bail hearing, asked for a $500 cash bail.

Goplen has four minor children, and Blank is the mother of his four children and is pregnant with their fifth child, Lundeen said.

Judge Smeltzer set bail at $25,000 cash and ordered Goplen to have no contact with Sundstrom or with Blank.

Goplen is charged with three felony counts of a convicted felon being in possession of a firearm, substantial battery intending bodily harm, and second degree recklessly endangering safety and a misdemeanor count of intentionally pointing a firearm at a person.

Blank

In a separate bail hearing for Blank, Nodolf asked for a $5,000 cash bail.

Blank was present when Harris allegedly shot Sundstrom. The case involves the alleged use of methamphetamine, and Blank was in the vehicle during the pursuit by law enforcement. Blank was found hiding in the bathroom at the Dollar General store, Nodolf said.

Blank is charged with one felony count of possessing methamphetamine and one misdemeanor count of  failing to render aid and to report a crime.

Lundeen also represented Blank during the bail hearing.

Blank’s criminal history is short and includes a methamphetamine conviction from several years ago. Since then, she has had no further contacts with law enforcement, is living with a friend in Boyceville and is unemployed, Lundeen said, adding that he was asking for a signature bond as bail for Blank.

Judge Smeltzer set bail for Blank at $5,000 cash and ordered her to have no contact with Sundstrom or with Goplen.

Goplen and Blank are scheduled to make an initial appearance in Dunn County Circuit Court June 26 at 10:45 a.m.

Complaint

According to the criminal complaint, Goplen has a Faribault, Minnesota, address.

At around 10:42 p.m. Sunday, May 27, two deputies from the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to E5955 County Road D in the Town of Tainter after a 911 call reported Bruce Sundstrom, age 48, had been shot in the leg.

“Upon arrival at the residence, Sgt. Mayer observed that Sundstrom was indeed shot in the leg, but Sundstrom failed to provide much information except for screaming in pain. Sundstrom was transported by ambulance to Mayo Clinic hospital in Eau Claire,” the complaint states.

During the early morning hours of May 28, a search warrant was executed at E5955 County Road D, and investigators observed various drug paraphernalia throughout the residence as well as a gem pack baggie containing a white crystalized substance which later tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.

Investigators observed, too, the chair where Sundstrom had likely been sitting when he was shot based on the blood on and around the chair. One of the investigators recovered a .45 caliber bullet from the chair, according to the complaint.

Later in the day on May 28, investigators spoke to Sundstrom at Mayo Eau Claire. Sundstrom said he lived at E5955 County Road D, which is owned by Jamie A. Johnson. Kari Blank and her boyfriend, Shawn Goplen, also had been staying at the residence.

During the evening hours of May 27, Sundstrom had heard Blank mutter an expletive to Goplen, then Goplen came over to Sundstrom and told him to “give it up.” Sundstrom explained Goplen thought Sundstrom had stolen his methamphetamine. When Sundstrom said he did not have it, Goplen pointed a gun at Sundstrom’s leg and fired, according to the complaint.

After Sundstrom had been shot, Goplen and Blank fled from the residence in separate vehicles. While Goplen was looking for his keys, he offered to drive Sundstrom to the hospital. Sundstrom declined, and Goplen left, the complaint states.

“Based upon his training and experience, Sgt. Kurtzhals opined that a .45 caliber bullet can easily cause death when it’s shot at someone regardless of where the bullet strikes the body because it’s considered large ammunition as opposed to a .22 caliber or 9 mm, which are commonly used with personal firearms,” according to the complaint.

The complaint lists several felony convictions for Goplen that prohibit him from possessing a firearm: Goodhue County, possession of drugs, convicted in 2010; Dakota-Hastings County, driving while under the influence, convicted in 2012; Goodhue County, possession of drugs (no date of conviction was included); and Pierce County, felony bail jumping, convicted in 2016.

Investigators asked law enforcement from other counties to contact Goplen, the complaint states.

Pursuit

According to a news release from the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department, Goplen and Blank were believed to have left the scene of the shooting in separate vehicles: a mid-2000 model four-door silver Honda or Mitsubishi and a 2000 model maroon Jeep Cherokee.

A maroon Jeep was recovered near Boyceville Tuesday morning, May 29. The Jeep had been stolen from Hudson, according to the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department.

According to a news release from the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department issued May 31, on Wednesday, May 30, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department went on a high speed pursuit of a red Volkswagen Jetta stolen from Woodbury, Minnesota. The suspected operator and passenger in the Jetta were Shawn Goplen and Kari Blank, the two suspects for whom the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department had obtained arrest warrants in connection with the shooting.

The Barron County Sheriff’s Department received information about Goplen and Blank being seen at the Dollar General Store in Rice Lake on Thursday, May 31.

When deputies arrived at the Dollar General Store, the red Jetta fled the scene with an unknown number of occupants, according to the news release.

“The Jetta was lost during the chase but required returning to the Dollar General,” the news release states.

When the Jetta returned to the Dollar General, Goplen and Blank were taken into custody.

All together, the charges against Goplen, upon conviction, would carry penalties of up to $70,000 fines and/or up to 38 years in prison.