# 'Pedophile' comment costs man $573,000



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*COURTS: A former Moose Lake police officer wins a slander judgment against a town resident.*








*BY MARK STODGHILL*








*NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER*









Former Moose Lake police officer Patrick Longbehn doesn't know how much of the $573,000 a Carlton County jury awarded him he will ever get, but he said it's the start of getting his good name back.

After a two-day trial this week, jurors deliberated about two hours before finding that Moose Lake resident Robin Schoenrock labeled Longbehn "Pat the Pedophile" and negligently caused him emotional distress "so severe that no reasonable person could be expected to endure it."

Longbehn's attorney, Thomas Skare of Cloquet, said he believes it's the most money a Carlton County jury has ever awarded a plaintiff.

"I expect very little," Longbehn said Thursday when asked how much money he thinks he'll get from Schoenrock. "The majority of my vindication is that I can show the weight of the verdict through the court system. My accusations of his malice toward me are shown through the jury verdict."

Skare said he will first see if Schoenrock's homeowner's insurance will pay any of the jury award and also look at garnishing the defendant's wages.

Schoenrock started calling Longbehn by the slanderous nickname in 2001, Skare said. At the time, Longbehn was 34 and living with an 18-year-old woman.

Skare said the nickname spread through the Moose Lake school and throughout the community. After eight months as a Moose Lake police officer, Longbehn was fired.

"(Moose Lake Police Chief) Dale Heaton said that name was a significant reason for the termination because they thought that name was undermining his credibility," Skare said. "Then things kind of spiraled downward."

Heaton couldn't be reached for comment Thursday.

Longbehn, 39, is now living in the Twin Cities area. He said he working as a personal care attendant for an autistic 10-year-old and serving part time as a police officer for two communities he declined to identify.

"That comment made me lose one law enforcement job," he said. "My fear is that it can follow me."

Defendant Schoenrock, who works for the Minnesota Department of Corrections in its information technology division, was represented at trial by attorney James Balmer of Duluth.

"All I can tell you right now is Mr. Schoenrock has instructed me not to comment at this point," Balmer said Thursday. "I can tell you we are not through with this case yet."

The seven-member jury determined that Longbehn should receive $250,000 to punish defendant Schoenrock and discourage others from behaving in a similar way; $150,000 for past harm to his reputation, mental distress, humiliation and embarrassment; $80,000 for future harm to his reputation, mental distress, humiliation and embarrassment; $45,000 for past wage loss; $45,000 for future wage loss; and $3,000 for future health-care expenses.


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## HousingCop (May 14, 2004)

*All I have to say is that his nickname should have been "Pat, the luckiest bastard in town" if you ask me. *


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## Macop (May 2, 2002)

Ya lucky, his L.E career just about shit canned, the stress of the whole shitty affair, people must have thought the worst of him when the whole thing was happening. Its a stink that probably won't go away, I'm sure it will help him in a backround if he ever tries to get on f/t somewhere. Not to mention the shitty experience of getting fired form his Police job, man the guy is so lucky, shit I wish all that would happen to me.


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## bbelichick (Aug 25, 2002)

Housing Cop was referring to the guy living with an 18 year old.

The rest of the stuff that happened to him was garbage. Getting fired because you have a bad nickname?? And who are the a**holes who don't want police unions?? Thank GOD for Unions.

And in further news, Officer Nick Jones was fored because people were calling him "Nick the Dick" and it looked bad for the department...Give me a break, what a p*ssy Chief.


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## SOT (Jul 30, 2004)

I wonder what Robin Schoenrock's nickname will be now?


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## Macop (May 2, 2002)

Oh, ok


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