Former Chisago County sheriff charged with violating restraining order

A former Chisago County sheriff is accused of violating a restraining order put in place after he was convicted of criminal sexual conduct in a blackmail case last year.

Richard Leon Duncan, 60, was charged Thursday with two counts of violating a restraining order, according to court records.

Duncan was sentenced to 178 days in jail and 15 years of probation in February of 2024 after he pleaded guilty to one count of criminal sexual conduct in connection with blackmailing a woman for sex.

RELATED: Former Chisago Co. Sheriff Rick Duncan sentenced to jail, probation after 2017 assault, blackmail

During the November 2023 plea hearing, Duncan admitted to writing blackmail letters between April and June of 2017 in which the victim and Duncan were directed to engage in sexual conduct.

RELATED: Former Chisago Co. sheriff pleads guilty to criminal sexual conduct

Duncan was working as the Chisago County sheriff during the period of blackmail.

Court records state he contacted the victim multiple times over the three-month span, telling her that a “blackmailer” was demanding that the two have sex.

One of the supposed “demand letters” from the “blackmailer” directed the victim to “perform a series of tasks on the route” to a resort hosting a Sheriff’s conference that occurred in June 2017 in Crow Wing County.

On Thursday, Duncan was charged with violating the restraining order after he allegedly delivered a package to the victim’s house on April 29 while working for FedEx, according to court records.

The criminal complaint states Duncan later admitted to law enforcement that he had delivered the package, saying he was not aware that it was the victim’s home and that he had not read all of the paperwork he had received.

The victim then moved to a new address, according to court records. On June 11, the victim reported to the police that Duncan had delivered a package to her neighbor’s home and smiled at the victim before leaving.

When questioned by law enforcement, Duncan stated that he was unaware the victim had moved, the complaint added.

On Tuesday, the victim contacted the police again after driving away from a grocery store and seeing Duncan outside a FedEx truck, delivering a package. A subsequent investigation confirmed Duncan’s truck had been parked about one block away from the victim’s house at the time of the incident.

Duncan was arrested and booked into Chisago County on Thursday. He has since been released, according to online jail records.

Duncan is due back in court on the morning of July 8 for an initial appearance.

As a part of Duncan’s sentencing for the 2017 sexual assault and blackmail case, a violation of his parole could result in an additional 4.5 years in jail.

In a separate case in 2020, Duncan was sentenced to probation for the stalking and harassment of a female coworker from the sheriff’s office.

In that case, Duncan also claimed the pair were being blackmailed by an anonymous third party who signed letters to them as “Control Freak.”

RELATED: Investigative Report: Retired Chisago County sheriff admitted writing ‘blackmail’ letters to himself, female coworker
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