New charges allege teens misled police

HASTINGS (AP) -- Dakota County authorities charged five more teen-agers in the beating death of a Lakeville boy, bringing the total number of suspects charged to nine.

Police allege that most of the teens charged Friday tried to mislead police about the beating death of Steven Temple.

Temple, 17, died after being hit in the head with a baseball bat in a Lakeville park on Aug. 15. Police believe shots were fired during the attack, though Temple wasn't hit. Three men and a 16-year-old boy were charged previously in Temple's death.

"There was a concerted and conscious effort to cover this crime up and mislead the police," County Attorney James Backstrom said.

Backstrom said the case remains under investigation and that "if people continue to lie to police about their involvement in this case there may well be additional charges." Police are looking for the baseball bat and handgun used during the attack in Antlers Park, he said.

Two women, two girls and one man were charged with aiding an offender after the fact by lying to police or otherwise obstructing the investigation, Backstrom said.