Resident alleges county complicity in property-taking and asks for investigation

At public comment, Chester Cohen Jr. accused county officials of complicity in what he described as an illegal taking and filling of his property and asked the St. Louis County Board to investigate.

Cohen said he first raised the matter in 2019 and has since filed court cases. He told the board that a court decision found the land was private, not public, and alleged the county attorney’s office encouraged a third party, whom he named as Brian Hutchinson, to continue filling his land while the court matter proceeded. Cohen also alleged false testimony by a Floodwood county garage supervisor and said he provided the board with an 18-minute video and other proof; he characterized the county’s handling as complacency that enables fraud and government corruption.

Cohen said specific parcels belonged to Richard and Susan Kochi, whom he said were not recorded owners for the easement exchanges at issue, and he said neither those property owners nor he were invited to hearings where easement changes were discussed. “Fraud committed at any level should not be ignored,” Cohen said.

What the board did: The chair thanked Cohen for his comments but did not announce an investigation or other formal response in the recorded segments. No county attorney or county official response appears in the provided transcript excerpts.

Context and next steps: Cohen asked the board not to be complacent and to pursue transparency and investigation; the transcript does not show board action, referral to staff, or a commitment to open an inquiry during the recorded public-participation segment. Any official next steps would need to be confirmed from board minutes or subsequent statements.