Case · C-115

Minnesota 1979: the deputy sheriff, the light on the road and the damaged car

State Highway 220 between Stephen and Warren, Marshall County, Minnesota · United States · Aug 27, 1979

On land Police Physical traces

What happened

Around 1:40 a.m. on August 27, 1979, deputy sheriff Val Johnson, on patrol on a rural road between Stephen and Warren, radioed dispatch that something had hit him; he later said he had driven toward a very intense white light near the ground, which had enveloped the car, and it turned out that he had lost consciousness for about half an hour. The patrol car, a 1977 Ford LTD, had a broken windshield and headlight and bent antennas; his wristwatch and the dashboard clock were found to be 14 minutes behind, and a doctor found eye irritation compared to welding burns. According to MPR News, the police investigated without reaching conclusions; the car is on display at the county museum.

Proposed explanation

The skeptic Philip Klass argued that it was a staged hoax and that the deputy sheriff had damaged the car himself; the hypothesis has not been proven. Johnson refused the polygraph and has never claimed to have seen an extraterrestrial vehicle.

Official investigation

Marshall County Sheriff's Office

Sources

1. MPR News, “Whatever happened to the Marshall County cop who hit a UFO?” (2015) (press)
2. Detroit Lakes Tribune (Forum News Service), “This deputy never knew what he saw…” (press)
3. Wikipedia – Val Johnson incident (other)

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