Former St. Paul police officer back in prison after mistakenly being released

Former officer mistakenly released from prison

The latest local, regional and national news events of the day are presented by the ABC 6 News Team, along with updated sports, weather and traffic.

(ABC 6 News) — A former St. Paul police officer is back behind bars after he was mistakenly released from prison.

Back in June 2016, then-officer Brett Palkowitsch repeatedly kicked a man and allowed a K-9 to maul him when officers mistook the man for a robbery suspect.

Palkowitsch was sentenced to six years in 2021, but he was released in May 2023 because he was mistakenly given credit for time he didn’t serve.

Once the mistake was uncovered, he turned himself back in. On Monday, a judge denied his request for a compassionate release.