When Mounds View voters head to the polls this November, they’ll be deciding whether to give Mayor Zach Lindstrom another term — months after he voted to recommend a pardon for a convicted child sex offender.
Lindstrom voted as a member of Minnesota’s Clemency Review Commission to recommend a pardon for Tou Lue Vang, who was convicted of repeatedly sexually abusing a child over a two-year period.
Lindstrom was among the majority in the commission’s 4-2 vote in favor of clemency, according to a report by Fox News.
The recommendation ultimately led to a unanimous pardon by the state’s Board of Pardons, consisting of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson.
Weeks later, the Trump administration announced that Vang had been deported from the United States after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked his legal status.
Lindstrom explains support of pardon
Content advisory: graphic details about sexual abuse
Vang, a Laotian national living in Minnesota, pleaded guilty in 2006 to first-degree criminal sexual conduct after repeatedly sexually abusing a girl beginning when she was 10 years old.
According to the criminal complaint, the girl told investigators that Vang “penetrated her vagina with his penis,” and assaulted her at least “four or five times.” During one of the assaults, the girl told investigators that Vang “put his penis into her mouth and ejaculated.”
According to court records, Vang admitted to having sexual intercourse with the victim multiple times and told investigators the girl “should be arrested also because she was as much at fault.”
In written comments explaining his vote, Lindstrom wrote, “Very tough case but the kids not having a father is not in the best interest of society,” referring to Vang’s children.
Lindstrom also cited what he described as support for clemency from both Vang’s wife and the victim, writing that the “applicant’s wife supports” a pardon and that the “victim supports” it, according to Fox News.
However, as Alpha News previously reported, the victim’s letter cannot be found in the publicly released version of Vang’s pardon application. The Walz administration provided the letter to media outlets only after the pardon sparked widespread public criticism.
Additionally, the pardon application does not include a letter from Vang’s wife supporting clemency. Instead, her support is referenced by others in letters submitted to the clemency board.
Despite his conviction, Vang never served time in prison. Instead, he was sentenced to probation.
Documents obtained by Alpha News show the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office opposed pardoning Vang and explained why prosecutors agreed to probation instead of prison.
Prosecutors wrote they agreed to the reduced sentence because the victim was “experiencing pressure from her family to not cooperate.”
According to court records, Vang got married to the victim’s sister.
Lindstrom touts his own pardon
Lindstrom has served on the state’s Clemency Review Commission since his appointment by Walz in 2023.
Lindstrom himself received a Minnesota state pardon and has spoken publicly about his criminal history.
During legislative testimony, he described struggling with addiction, surviving a near-fatal fentanyl overdose, abusing drugs and alcohol, and spending time “in and out of the justice system.”
He has credited his pardon with giving him a second chance, restoring his civil rights, and ultimately allowing him to pursue public service.
Asked why he voted, Lindstrom doesn’t answer
Alpha News reached out to Lindstrom for comment on his vote to recommend clemency for Vang and invited him to explain why he supported the pardon recommendation.
Rather than commenting on his vote, Lindstrom first asked to review the unpublished article before responding.
Alpha News declined, explaining that it does not provide stories for review prior to publication and again invited him to explain the reasoning behind his vote.
Lindstrom then asked whether Alpha News was contacting other members of the Clemency Review Commission but did not address his own vote.
After Alpha News again invited him to explain his decision, Lindstrom responded by citing Minnesota’s pardon-sealing statute and referred additional questions to the Clemency Review Commission’s executive director.
Lindstrom did not explain why he voted to recommend clemency for Vang.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
