Crime

2 Line 3 Oil Pipeline Workers Fired After Sex Sting Arrests

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – Enbridge Energy officials say two of its employees who were working on the Line 3 oil pipeline in northern Minnesota were fired after they were arrested in a sex sting. The two men were among six men arrested after responding to an ad on a sex advertisement website, The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says the…

Charges: Woodbury Man Stabbed Wife to Death While Children Were Upstairs Watching TV

WOODBURY, Minn. (FOX 9) – A Woodbury, Minnesota man is charged with murder for allegedly stabbing his wife to death in the basement of their home last Friday while their children were upstairs watching TV. He was arrested the following day on a Greyhound bus in Wisconsin wearing blood-splattered clothes. McKinley Phillips, 39, was charged Monday with one count of…

Minnesota Lawmakers Reach Deal On Policing Measures

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota’s top Democratic and Republican lawmakers have reached agreement on the highlights of a public safety bill after a contentious debate over police accountability. The deal was reached a day after former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison the death of George Floyd. Some details have yet to…

Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for murder of George Floyd

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 270 months, or 22 ½ years, in prison Friday for the murder of George Floyd. In April, a Hennepin County jury found Chauvin guilty of all three counts he was facing for his role in Floyd’s May 25, 2020 death: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. However, Chauvin…

What to Know as Chauvin Sentenced in Floyd Death Friday

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin faces sentencing Friday in the death of George Floyd, with a judge weighing a prison term experts say could be as much as 30 years. Chauvin, 45, was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for about 9 1/2…

Duluth Police Investigating Armed Robbery at London Road Smoke Shop

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police are actively investigating an alleged armed robbery that took place at a London Road smoke shop Tuesday morning. Authorities say officers responded to a hold-up alarm at Sadi’s Smoke Shop located on the 1600 block of London Road around 11:37 a.m. When police arrived at the scene the suspect had already fled north of the…

Suspect in St. Cloud Shooting Formally Charged

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The 45-year-old Duluth man arrested for the murder of 68-year-old Ed Ward has been formally charged. On Tuesday, Jason Robert Beckman was charged with three felony counts including second-degree murder with intent-not premeditated. According to the criminal complaint, St. Cloud police responded to reports of a shooting at a residence around 6:16 a.m. Sunday where officers…

Final Suspect In Duluth Homicide Turns Himself Into Police

DULUTH, Minn. – The fifth and final suspect wanted in connection to Duluth’s first homicide of the year turned himself into police Monday evening. Homicide victim Juamada Anderson Jr., 22, of Duluth. A city spokesperson said Markus Seville Morris, 31, a well-known boxer from Duluth, made contact with the Duluth Police Department around 5:20 p.m. An arrest warrant was issued…

Police From Minneapolis, UM to Step up Patrols in Dinkytown

MINNEAPOLIS – Officers from the Minneapolis Police Department and the University of Minnesota will begin patrolling the Dinkytown area near the university in an effort to curb violent crime. Dinkytown has been a popular spot for students over the years and is home to numerous restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, and apartments. Crime near campus has surged recently, much of it…

Duluth Police Identify Victim in Downtown Shooting

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police have identified the victim injured in a shooting that took place Sunday night in downtown Duluth. Police say 41-year-old William David Urrutia was struck by gunfire on the 100 block of East 3rd Street around 9:15 p.m. Urrutia was transported to a local hospital for his injuries but has since been released. Authorities say Urrutia…

St. Cloud State Professor Identified as Victim of ‘Random’ Deadly Shooting

(photo credit: Family of Ed Ward) ST. CLOUD, Minn. (FOX 9) – The man shot and killed in what police say was a “random” incident Sunday morning in St. Cloud has been identified as a 68-year-old St. Cloud State University professor. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office said the victim was Dr. Edward Anthony Ward. The University confirmed the news Monday,…

1 Injured In Downtown Duluth Shooting

The condition of the victim was not immediately known.

Duluth police on scene of the shooting Sunday night. DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth police are investigating a shooting that injured one person in downtown Duluth Sunday night. The report of the shooting came in around 9:15 p.m. on the 100 block of East 3rd Street. One male was shot and taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries. At last…

Police: 5 People Shot, Wounded Near University of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Police say five people were shot late Friday in the Dinkytown neighborhood near the University of Minnesota. Just before midnight Friday, police responded to a call of shots fired. Officers found three men and two women had suffered noncritical gunshot wounds. Police spokesman John Elder says the five victims were taken by ambulance to local hospitals. Elder…

Trucker Who Drove Into Floyd Protest Could Have Charges Drop

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A truck driver who drove through a large crowd of protesters on a Minneapolis highway last year during demonstrations over George Floyd’s death will have criminal charges dropped if he remains law-abiding for the next year. Hennepin County prosecutors entered into a “continuance without prosecution” agreement with Bogdan Vechirko, of Otsego, on Friday during a virtual court…

Suspect in Lakeside Stabbing Formally Charged

DULUTH, Minn. – The 28-year-old Duluth man arrested for allegedly stabbing a 78-year-old man at his Lakeside home on Wednesday has been formally charged. Authorities say Warren Holt Jr. is charged with first-degree aggravated robbery, and two counts of first-degree burglary. According to the criminal complaint, officers responded to reports of a medical assault just before 2:00 p.m. Wednesday on…

Man Who Drove at Minneapolis Protesters Charged With Murder

(Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A St. Paul man has been charged with intentional second-degree murder for allegedly driving into a group of protesters in Minneapolis. Prosecutors say 35-year-old Nicholas Kraus was drunk Sunday night when he tried to “jump” a car that was being used as a barricade by protesters in the city’s Uptown neighborhood….

Man Jailed in Fatal Crash at Minneapolis Rally Has Past DWIs

(Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis police say a 35-year-old St. Paul man with multiple convictions for driving while impaired is the driver who plowed into a crowd of demonstrators, killing one and injuring three others. Police say Nicholas Kraus was booked into the Hennepin County jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide. Online jail records…

Police: Vehicle Plows Into Minnesota Protesters, Killing 1

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A woman was killed and another person was injured after being struck by a car during a protest in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood where a Black man was fatally shot earlier this month during an arrest attempt, police said Monday. The suspect was pulled from his vehicle by protesters after the 11:39 p.m. Sunday crash; was taken into police custody…

Hibbing Man Hit With Murder Charge In 2017 Homicide

HIBBING, Minn. – A Hibbing man charged in the death of a woman in 2017 has been hit with a new charge in the case: second-degree murder. 51-year-old Blake Stangel was also charged about two weeks ago with second-degree manslaughter. He’s charged in connection to the 2017 Hibbing homicide of 71-year-old Courtney Fenske. Court documents say Fenske was found dead…

Lawsuit Alleges Minneapolis Withholds Police Misconduct Data

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A group that advocates for government transparency has sued the city of Minneapolis, alleging it uses a loophole known as coaching to circumvent public data laws and keep hundreds of police misconduct records private. Complaints against police are classified as public if the officer is disciplined. But the lawsuit alleges that Minneapolis says one-on-one mentoring known as…

One Arrested in Cass County Shots Fired Incident

CASS COUNTY, Minn. – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a 25-year-old male has been arrested in connection to a Tuesday morning shots fired incident. Deputies responded to reports of several shots fired at individuals around 10:32 a.m. in the Sugar Point area of Gould Township. When authorities arrived at the scene they spoke with the caller who was reported…

Suspect Arrested in 2017 Hibbing Homicide

HIBBING, Minn. – Authorities say a suspect has been arrested and charged in connection to the 2017 Hibbing homicide of 71-year-old Courtney Fenske. According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, 51-year-old Blake Stangel was charged Friday with second-degree manslaughter, He is currently being held at the St.Louis County Jail on $100,000 bail. Court documents say Fenske was found dead…