Legislation to strengthen penalties for assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon, authored by a pair of local legislators and named for a Waseca police officer critically wounded in the line of duty, is included in the Legislatureâs comprehensive judiciary and public safety budget agreement.
The Matson Strong bill â inspired by and named after Waseca Officer Arik Matson who was shot while responding to a report of a suspicious person call in January 2020 â will increase penalties for those convicted of first-degree assault with a dangerous weapon against a police officer, judge, prosecutor or correctional officer, upping the minimum sentence from 20 years to 25 years in prison.