Patty Wetterling
Encyclopedia
Patty Wetterling is a U.S.
advocate of child
ren's safety, particularly focused on protecting children from abduction
and abuse
. Her advocacy began after her son Jacob
was abducted in 1989. She was a candidate for the Minnesota
Sixth District
seat in the United States House of Representatives
as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
candidate in 2004 and 2006, losing to Republicans
Mark Kennedy and Michele Bachmann
respectively.
, Wetterling grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and later moved to St. Joseph
, where she raised four children with her husband Jerry. On October 22, 1989, their son Jacob
, then 11 years old, was abducted at gunpoint by a masked man. An extensive search was carried out, but Jacob and the abductor have not yet been found. Four months after the abduction, the Wetterlings founded the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, a non-profit organization
dedicated to child safety
education. Recently, Wetterling sent a scathing letter to then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
decrying the dilution of sex offender registration laws and demanding that Congress and the Justice Department fix the flaws that their overzealousness caused. On June 18, 2007, Wetterling was interviewed on air by Minnesota Public Radio and discussed "Romeo and Juliet" offenders. Wetterling has found common ground with the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and joined them in declaring the Adam Walsh Act unconstitutional and contrary to public safety. On September 14, 2007, Wetterling reiterated her perception of the harm that current sex offender laws are causing.
lawyer Janet Robert withdrew. Wetterling received a $1,000 campaign contribution donation from U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama
, one of only 3 political contributions listed for Obama that year. Kennedy won the election with 54% of the vote to Wetterling's 46%.
Wetterling then entered the race for Mark Dayton
's U.S. Senate seat in 2006 when Dayton announced he would not seek reelection. Wetterling withdrew from the race on January 20, 2006, and endorsed Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar
of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
, who won the election.
After leaving the Senate race, Wetterling was publicly asked by Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch
to run with him as Lieutenant Governor. Wetterling declined Hatch's offer. On February 3, 2006, Wetterling announced that she would once again run for Congress in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District. Wetterling's opponent for the DFL nomination was Elwyn Tinklenberg
, former mayor of Blaine, Minnesota
. A third DFL candidate, Scott Mortensen
, dropped out early on.
On May 13, 2006, Wetterling won the DFL endorsement to face Republican state senator Michele Bachmann
for the U.S. House seat. Wetterling lost the general election to Bachmann, 50% to 42%.
Also in early 2004, news reports circulated that new evidence was being considered in the abduction of her son. News outlets in the Twin Cities indicated that another boy had been assaulted not long before Jacob disappeared. Police
were also ruling out the long-held belief that the abductor had gotten away in a car.
In 2010, news reports again focused upon an earth-moving project occurring on the Rassier farm, in close proximity to the Wetterlings' property. (The Wetterlings still live in the vicinity in which Jacob, his brother and a friend were riding at the time Jacob was abducted.) The Stearns County Sheriff, along with the FBI, were reportedly digging deep into the earth to remove some dirt. They took it away, apparently to be evaluated and tested in the police laboratory. Reports of Patty Wetterling speaking to the press bore witness to her brave willingness to hope for a turn in the case.
Articles
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
advocate of child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren's safety, particularly focused on protecting children from abduction
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and abuse
Abuse
Abuse is the improper usage or treatment for a bad purpose, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, sexual assault, violation, rape, unjust practices; wrongful practice or custom; offense; crime, or otherwise...
. Her advocacy began after her son Jacob
Jacob Wetterling
Jacob Erwin Wetterling is a boy from St. Joseph, Minnesota who was kidnapped from his hometown at the age of 11 on Sunday, October 22, 1989...
was abducted in 1989. She was a candidate for the Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
Sixth District
Minnesota's 6th congressional district
Minnesota's 6th congressional district includes most or all of Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, Wright, Anoka, and Washington counties. The district is Republican-leaning with a CPVI of R + 7. It is currently represented by Republican Michele Bachmann....
seat in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
candidate in 2004 and 2006, losing to Republicans
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
Mark Kennedy and Michele Bachmann
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
respectively.
Biography
Born in Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Wetterling grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and later moved to St. Joseph
St. Joseph, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,681 people, 1,120 households, and 712 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,517.4 people per square mile . There were 1,147 housing units at an average density of 616.8 per square mile...
, where she raised four children with her husband Jerry. On October 22, 1989, their son Jacob
Jacob Wetterling
Jacob Erwin Wetterling is a boy from St. Joseph, Minnesota who was kidnapped from his hometown at the age of 11 on Sunday, October 22, 1989...
, then 11 years old, was abducted at gunpoint by a masked man. An extensive search was carried out, but Jacob and the abductor have not yet been found. Four months after the abduction, the Wetterlings founded the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
dedicated to child safety
Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act is a federal statute that was signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush on July 27, 2006. The Walsh Act organizes sex offenders into three tiers and mandates that Tier 3 offenders update their whereabouts every three months with lifetime...
education. Recently, Wetterling sent a scathing letter to then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
Alberto Gonzales
Alberto R. Gonzales was the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales was appointed to the post in February 2005 by President George W. Bush. Gonzales was the first Hispanic Attorney General in U.S. history and the highest-ranking Hispanic government official ever...
decrying the dilution of sex offender registration laws and demanding that Congress and the Justice Department fix the flaws that their overzealousness caused. On June 18, 2007, Wetterling was interviewed on air by Minnesota Public Radio and discussed "Romeo and Juliet" offenders. Wetterling has found common ground with the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and joined them in declaring the Adam Walsh Act unconstitutional and contrary to public safety. On September 14, 2007, Wetterling reiterated her perception of the harm that current sex offender laws are causing.
Political career
In the 2004 race for U.S. Representative from Minnesota's 6th District she challenged incumbent Republican Mark Kennedy. Wetterling decided to enter the race after StillwaterStillwater, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,143 people, 5,797 households, and 4,115 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,340.0 people per square mile . There were 5,926 housing units at an average density of 915.7 per square mile...
lawyer Janet Robert withdrew. Wetterling received a $1,000 campaign contribution donation from U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, one of only 3 political contributions listed for Obama that year. Kennedy won the election with 54% of the vote to Wetterling's 46%.
Wetterling then entered the race for Mark Dayton
Mark Dayton
Mark Brandt Dayton is an American politician, the 40th and current Governor of the state of Minnesota. Dayton previously served as United States Senator from Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 in the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses...
's U.S. Senate seat in 2006 when Dayton announced he would not seek reelection. Wetterling withdrew from the race on January 20, 2006, and endorsed Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar
Amy Klobuchar
Amy Jean Klobuchar is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party...
of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
, who won the election.
After leaving the Senate race, Wetterling was publicly asked by Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch
Mike Hatch
Michael Allen Hatch is an American politician, and was Attorney General of Minnesota from 1999 to 2007. In 2006, he was the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nominee for governor of Minnesota...
to run with him as Lieutenant Governor. Wetterling declined Hatch's offer. On February 3, 2006, Wetterling announced that she would once again run for Congress in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District. Wetterling's opponent for the DFL nomination was Elwyn Tinklenberg
Elwyn Tinklenberg
Elwyn "El" Tinklenberg is an American politician, and was the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nominee and Independence Party of Minnesota endorsee for U.S. Congress in Minnesota's 6th District elections in 2008...
, former mayor of Blaine, Minnesota
Blaine, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,942 people, 15,898 households, and 12,177 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,330 people per square mile . There are 16,169 housing units at an average density of 477.6 per square mile...
. A third DFL candidate, Scott Mortensen
Scott Mortensen
Scott Mortensen was one of three DFL candidates for the Minnesota Sixth District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2006 election. He dropped out of the primary race by March 2006....
, dropped out early on.
On May 13, 2006, Wetterling won the DFL endorsement to face Republican state senator Michele Bachmann
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
for the U.S. House seat. Wetterling lost the general election to Bachmann, 50% to 42%.
Son's abduction
In 1999, for the 10th anniversary of Jacob's abduction, Patty Wetterling decided to write an open letter to the abductor. Minnesota newspapers agreed to print it for her. Wetterling consulted the FBI for advice on how to word the letter. In the letter, Wetterling asks the abductor if Jacob is still with him. She offers compassion for the abductor, and says that all little boys, including the abductor when he was one, deserve a happy childhood. She tells him she's sorry if he did not have one, that she does not see him as an ugly, dirty old man, and that she hopes that if he ever goes fishing and catches something he cooks it for Jacob. She writes that she and her family are looking for answers, that only he can answer them, and that she wants to know what became of Jacob after the kidnapping. The letter generated some tips, but nothing substantial.Also in early 2004, news reports circulated that new evidence was being considered in the abduction of her son. News outlets in the Twin Cities indicated that another boy had been assaulted not long before Jacob disappeared. Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
were also ruling out the long-held belief that the abductor had gotten away in a car.
In 2010, news reports again focused upon an earth-moving project occurring on the Rassier farm, in close proximity to the Wetterlings' property. (The Wetterlings still live in the vicinity in which Jacob, his brother and a friend were riding at the time Jacob was abducted.) The Stearns County Sheriff, along with the FBI, were reportedly digging deep into the earth to remove some dirt. They took it away, apparently to be evaluated and tested in the police laboratory. Reports of Patty Wetterling speaking to the press bore witness to her brave willingness to hope for a turn in the case.
Electoral history
- 2006 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - Minnesota 6th District
- Michele BachmannMichele BachmannMichele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
(R), 50% - Patty Wetterling (DFL), 42%
- John Binkowski (I), 8%
- Michele Bachmann
- 2004 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - Minnesota 6th District
- Mark Kennedy (R) (inc.), 54%
- Patty Wetterling (DFL), 46%
External links
Official- Wetterling campaign coverage by Minnesota Public RadioMinnesota Public RadioMinnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people...
- Jacob Wetterling Resource Center
Articles
- Democrat Candidate Flays Congress GOP CBS News, October 7, 2006
- Patty Wetterling: Renowned for tragedy, advocacy Star Tribune, October 9, 2006
- Wetterling vs. Bachmann: Apples and Oranges Star Tribune, October 7, 2006
- Wetterling Rails Against GOP In Foley Sex Scandal WCCO October 7, 2006
- Foley Scandal Plays Role in Minn. Congressional Race NPR October 9, 2006
- NACDL Comments on Applying Provisions of the Adam Walsh Act