Whistleblower Speaks out on Vet Home Retaliation

HASTINGS, Minn. - A Hastings man says when he complained about a state veterans' home, top administrators tried to get him civilly committed. His allegations of retaliation launched one woman's mission to uncover what was really happening at the veterans' home in Hastings.

Louie Klimek admits he's a bit of a squeaky wheel and believes it got him kicked out of the Hastings Veterans Home, where he stayed for seven years. But one day as he was giving an interview to a local reporter about his woodworking, the top administrator of the Hastings home, Chip Cox, apparently thought Klimek was complaining about his care.

"Chip Cox came into my room and said the interview was over and had police there, and came and took me to Regions Hospital," said Klimek.

He was in the psych unit for six weeks, as administrators tried to get Klimek civilly committed as mentally ill and dangerous. They tried a second time too and even changed his medication, he says, without his knowledge.

Ginny Sieben knew Klimek and watched as he became a medicated zombie. A veteran herself, as well as a nurse and an attorney, she was the first to blow the whistle on the Hastings home. She alerted Senator Al Franken about a pattern of retaliation.

"That's totally unacceptable," said Franken.

But the head of veterans' health services, Gil Acevedo, told FOX 9 he was unaware of a pattern of retaliation, until a few weeks ago.

With three top administrators of the Hastings home suspended, and Franken watching, change may finally be coming to the Hastings home.