Ex-Alexandria, Minn., police chief arrested on felony theft charges

By Celeste Edenloff

April 08, 2022 at 4:57 PM

ALEXANDRIA, Minn. 鈥� A former Alexandria, Minnesota, police chief in Minnesota was arrested Friday, April 8, following a year-long investigation into alleged financial crimes.

Richard Wyffels, 57, was taken into custody by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension without incident, according to a release from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. He was arrested at his Alexandria home.

He has been charged by complaint with felony theft by swindle and was booked into the Douglas County (Minnesota) Jail. Wyffels is expected to appear in Douglas County District Court in the coming days, according to the release.

Wyffels was chief of police in Alexandria from 2006 to 2020,

The Stearns County Attorney鈥檚 Office is prosecuting the case for the Douglas County Attorney鈥檚 Office. Further information about the investigation is

The BCA initiated the investigation at the request of the city of Alexandria, according to the release. It remains an active and ongoing investigation.

By Celeste Edenloff

Celeste Edenloff is the special projects editor and a reporter for the Alexandria Echo Press. She has lived in the Alexandria Lakes Area since 1997. She first worked for the Echo Press as a reporter from 1999 to 2011, and returned in 2016 to once again report on the community she calls home.