Duluth PD releases statement on officer under investigation — again
Officer Tyler Leibfried
(Duluth Police Department)
DULUTH, MinN. – A Duluth Police Officer who was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing after shooting a man through an apartment door in 2020, is now cleared again of another alleged crime.
This time the allegations are of sexual assault involving a fellow Duluth police officer.
While he has not been criminally charged for sexual assault, Officer Tyler Leibfried is currently under an internal investigation by the Duluth Police Department.
The internal investigation is regarding possible violations of department and city policies.
Chief Mike Ceynowa said in a statement, “We take allegations against our officers very seriously and investigate each complaint thoroughly.”
The now-closed criminal investigation came from accusation from fellow officer.
They came forward in 2024 accusing Leibfried of sexually assaulting her in the back seat of his truck.
It happened outside a bar they had been drinking at as part of an informal police department gathering.
The alleged victim said she blacked out and awoke during the sexual act. She said Leibfried had been “feeding” her drinks all night.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigated the complaint. They then passed along their findings to St. Louis County Attorney Kim Maki’s Office, which declined to criminally charge Leibfried.
Leibfried remains on paid administrative leave from the Duluth Police Department as of December 10, 2025.
He was placed on on paid leave on Monday, December 23, 2024.
The police statement said the Minnesota BCA requested Leibfried be placed on leave “to preserve the integrity of the investigation.”
FOX 21 obtained a 19-page memo from the St, Louis County Attorney’s Office explaining the decision to not press charges.
The last full paragraph in the memo reads, “While I do not believe the evidence is sufficient to pursue charges, neither do I believe that Alleged Victim’s report was in bad faith. Her
version of events appears consistent with the evidence, and her lack of memory of what occurred put her in an extremely difficult position. She was cooperative with the investigation and there is no appearance that the report was made vindictively.”
