St. Paul Mayor Faces Investigation Amid Police Chief's Harassment Claim
WHO:
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her is under investigation.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry filed the formal complaint against Mayor Her.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - Attorney Chris Madel is representing Chief Henry.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - Mark Ross is the president of the St. Paul Police Federation.
WHAT:
NBC News - The complaint alleges that Mayor Her behaved inappropriately toward Chief Henry and other members of his department.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - The letter to the city attorney states that litigation is “reasonably foreseeable.”
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - The letter includes a redacted picture with a statement message saying, “When she wraps you up in her blanket after you gave her a good weinering,” with laughing emojis.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - A formal sexual harassment complaint was filed against Mayor Her.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - The complaint alleges that Her made inappropriate sexual comments toward Chief Henry and other city employees.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - The letter to the city attorney claims Her used mobile phones to send inappropriate and unlawful text messages.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - The letter includes a screenshot of a message saying, “Happy Weiner Wednesday! Wish I was having a (hotdog emoji) with you all on 6 today!”
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - The letter states that the inappropriate incidents extend to other city employees and police officers.
WHERE:
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - The investigation involves the city of St. Paul, Minnesota.
WHEN:
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - The document outlining the complaint is dated April 1.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - Chief Henry recently closed a triple-homicide case in under four hours.
WHY:
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - The letter claims that the inappropriate incidents extend beyond isolated incidents and involve other city employees and police officers.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - Chief Henry came forward as the formal complainant due to concerns that without doing so, the behavior would continue unchecked and may expose others to retaliation for speaking out.
HOW:
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - Attorney Madel called on the city attorney to “take all steps necessary to perform a full filesystem extraction” of Her’s phones.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - Chief Henry participated in extensive interviews with investigators on at least two occasions.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - Attorney Madel called on the city attorney to perform a full filesystem extraction of Mayor Her’s phones.
(UPDATED July 29, 2026 23:19 UTC)
A complaint has been filed alleging that Mayor Her acted inappropriately toward Chief Henry and other members of his department, with the letter to the city attorney indicating that litigation is “reasonably foreseeable.” The letter also claims that these incidents are not isolated and involve other city employees and police officers, and it includes a redacted picture with a statement that has raised eyebrows. Attorney Madel is urging the city attorney to take all necessary steps to conduct a full filesystem extraction of Her’s phones.
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(UPDATED July 29, 2026 16:26 UTC)
St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her is currently under investigation following a formal sexual harassment complaint filed by Police Chief Axel Henry, who alleges that Her made inappropriate comments toward him and other city employees. The complaint, which includes a screenshot of a text message from Her, claims that she used mobile phones to send unlawful messages and that the inappropriate behavior extended to other city staff. Chief Henry has expressed concerns that without taking action, this behavior could continue unchecked, potentially exposing others to retaliation for speaking out.