Crime

Armed Man Fatally Shot by Deputy in Cass County, Second Man Found Dead in Home

BACKUS, Minn. – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy shot and killed an armed adult male while responding to reports of an intruder at a residence in Backus Sunday evening. According to the sheriff’s office, they received initial reports of an intruder at a residence and a shot fired around 1:38 p.m. Sunday. When deputies arrived on the…

Duluth Man Sentenced to Nearly 37 Years for Fatally Stabbing Wife

DULUTH, Minn. – A Duluth man has been sentenced to nearly 37 years in prison for fatally stabbing his wife in their Chester Park home last June. Ryan Jazdzewski, 40, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in January as part of a plea agreement. According to court records, police were called to the Chester Park area on reports of a possible…

Accountant Charged With Stealing Over $235k From Duluth Chamber Pleads Not Guilty

Frye is Due Back in Court on April 13

DULUTH, Minn. – The accountant accused of stealing more than $235,000 from the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce pleaded not guilty to charges of theft by swindle on Tuesday. Jesse David Frye, 40, was charged with two counts of felony theft by swindle in January after the Chamber identified “discrepancies in the bookkeeping and payroll records” in their 2018 Financial…

Deer River Man Pleads Not Guilty to Second Degree Murder

Jackson is Due Back in Court on March 31

ITASCA COUNTY, Minn. – A 29-year-old Deer River man pleaded not guilty on Monday to second-degree murder charges. Kevin Daniel Jackson was charged with second-degree murder last August in the death of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old son. According to the criminal complaint, authorities responded to a call of a non-responsive four-year-old on August 21, 2019. When officers arrived on the scene…

Suspect in Lincoln Park Shooting Incident Formally Charged

Allen is Scheduled to Appear in Court Again March 24

DULUTH, Minn. – The 24-year-old Barnum man arrested earlier this week after shooting a gun in an alleyway in Lincoln Park has been formally charged. Bianca Leshun Allen, 24, was charged Thursday with one count of felony reckless discharge of a firearm within a municipality. According to the criminal complaint, authorities were called to the 2800 block of West First…

Duluth Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Two Underage Girls at Daycare

DULUTH, Minn. — A 23-year-old Duluth man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two felony charges of first degree sexual assault of two underage girls. According criminal complaints, Daniel Bunnell sexually assaulted an 11-year-old who was staying at the 24-hour at-home daycare that Bunnell’s mother was running. The victim told police he had sexually assaulted her more than once, and it…

Two Fires in Less Than a Month at Virginia Home Both Ruled as Arson

VIRGINIA, Minn. — A Sunday evening fire at a home in Virginia on 3rd Street North has been ruled as arson, according to a press release from the Virginia Fire Department. A fire that happened on the property weeks before on January 15th has also been ruled as arson. The first fire left minimal damage to the property, but the…

Appeals Court Upholds Hibbing Man’s 2017 Manslaughter Conviction

DULUTH, Minn. — The Minnesota Court of Appeals has upheld a manslaughter conviction of a Hibbing man who left his baby nephew home alone before a fire broke out. Jesse Bonacci-Koski, 27, left the home for several hours to use drugs the day of the 11-month-old’s death. He’s serving an eight-year prison sentence for the crime. Attorneys for Bonacci-Koski argued…

Minnesota Officer Charged With Sexually Touching Students

COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (AP) – Prosecutors have charged a Minnesota police officer with sexually touching female students while hugging them at a suburban high school where he was a school resource officer. Forty-year-old Adam Pelton of River Falls, Wisconsin, was charged Monday with three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and four counts of fourth-degree sexual conduct. Pelton is accused…

Juvenile Arrested In Weekend Stabbing In Two Harbors

TWO HARBORS, Minn. – A 14-year-old is under arrest after a stabbing over the weekend in Two Harbors. The juvenile suspect is accused of 2nd-degree assault against the victim. Their genders were not released by police on Monday.  The age of the victim was not released either. The stabbing happened around 2:30 p.m. Sunday within city limits. The victim was…

Duluth Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Wife

DULUTH, Minn. – A Duluth man charged with fatally stabbing his wife in June has pleaded guilty to murder. According to court records, 40-year-old Ryan Jazdzewski pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Monday morning. Jazdzewski is accused of stabbing his wife, Nicole, to death in their Chester Park home after she asked him for a divorce. According to the criminal…

Edina Student Injured in Hit-And-Run Crash While Getting on School Bus

Edina Police are looking for this vehicle they believe struck and injured an Edina High School student Thursday morning. (Edina Police Department / FOX 9) EDINA, Minn. (FOX 9) – A female student was injured in a hit-and-run crash as they were getting on a school bus heading to Edina High School Thursday morning, according to police. According to Edina Police…

Bayfield Man Found Guilty of Murder

CARLTON COUNTY, Minn. – A Bayfield man accused of fatally shooting his uncle and injuring his cousin in 2018 has been found guilty of murder. James Montano, 34, was found guilty of premeditated first-degree murder, intentional second-degree murder, and attempted premeditated first-degree murder early Wednesday morning in a Carlton County courtroom. In April 2018 Montano shot and killed his Uncle…

1 Injured, 2 Arrested In Home Invasion, Robbery In Duluth’s Woodland Neighborhood

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth police are investigating an apparent home invasion and robbery that injured a man. The call for help came in around 5:30 p.m. Sunday on the 200 block of St. Paul Avenue in the Woodland neighborhood. Two suspects were arrested and police were not searching for anyone else. Authorities say two BB guns, baseball bats, and marijuana…

Former Minnesota Probation Officer Accused of Luring Slain Real Estate Agent to Her Death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A woman who had worked as a probation officer is accused of luring a real estate agent to a Minnesota house before the agent was kidnapped and killed on New Year’s Eve, prosecutors alleged Friday. Elsa Segura, 28, of Fridley, was charged Friday in Hennepin County court with one count of kidnapping. Segura is accused of luring…

Parents Sue After Bemidji Students Sexually Exploited

BEMIDJI, Minn. – The parents of two students are suing the Bemidji school district, alleging it was negligent in allowing a former assistant principal to sexually exploit their children. Brandon Bjerknes, who was arrested in 2017, is serving a federal prison sentence for producing child pornography and coercing minors into sexual contact. A lawsuit by the parents of two of…

Duluth Man Pleads Guilty to Six Felony Burglaries

DULUTH, Minn. – A Duluth man accused of burglarizing multiple businesses in the area in 2019 has pleaded guilty to six felony counts of burglary. According to court records, 25-year-old Kyle Michael Carl pleaded guilty to burglaries at the Woodland Car Wash, Carmody Irish Pub, Fitment Group, U.S. Bank, Duluth Cider, and Midtowne Manor. Before his arrest in October for…

Accountant Charged With Stealing $235,000 From Duluth Chamber

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking legal action against their former accountant who is accused of allegedly stealing more than $235,000 from the organization. Court records show Jesse David Frye, 39, was charged with felony theft by swindle on Tuesday. The Chamber says they identified “discrepancies in the bookkeeping and payroll records” in their 2018…

Superior Man Convicted in Fatal Drunk-Driving Crash, Charged Again for DWI

DULUTH, Minn. – A Superior man previously sentenced to prison for a 2012 fatal drunk-driving crash has been charged for driving while impaired again. According to the criminal complaint, 27-year-old Hawk Edwards is facing two counts of first-degree driving while impaired. Edwards was pulled over by Duluth police on Sunday around 1:33 a.m. after authorities observed his vehicle going 55…

Shooting in Southern Minnesota Leaves Officer, Suspect Hurt

There's no Immediate Word on Their Conditions

(courtesy: Fox 9) WASECA, Minn. (AP) — A police officer in southern Minnesota was gravely injured when he was shot in the head while responding to a report of a suspicious person, officials said (AP Photo/Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) Tuesday. Officer Arik Matson, 32, was shot at about 8 p.m. Monday in Waseca, and was taken by air to…

Minnesota Man Killed Woman Who Honked at Him to Hurry Up

ROSEAU, Minn. (AP) — Prosecutors in northern Minnesota accused a man of fatally shooting a woman who yelled at him to hurry up and honked her horn while waiting for him outside his home. Angelo Borreson, 56, was charged Friday with second-degree murder and second-degree assault in the death of 51-year-old Angela Wynne. Borreson told authorities Wynne drove to his…

Jury Selection Begins for Carlton County Murder Case

PROGRESS TOWNSHIP, Minn.  – Jury selection began today for the trial of a Bayfield man suspected of fatally shooting his uncle in April 2018. According to court records, 34-year-old James Montano allegedly shot and killed his Uncle, Andrew Gokee, and also grazed his cousin with a bullet. Montano is facing charges of first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree murder, first-degree premeditated attempted…

Duluth Man Charged in 2017 Overdose Death Arrested in California

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police say they have located and arrested a Duluth man charged in connection to a 2017 fentanyl overdose death. Authorities say two Duluth investigators teamed up with detectives at the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in California and arrested 20-year-old Deshaun Clay Robinson on Thursday. Robinson is facing charges of third-degree aid and abet murder for his…

Fond du Lac Funeral Shooting Suspect Pleads Not Guilty in Federal Case

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The suspect accused of shooting a man on the Fond du Lac reservation in Carlton County in October pleaded not guilty to three felony charges in federal court on Thursday. 28 year-old Shelby Boswell of Minneapolis is accused of shooting his sister’s boyfriend in the head during a funeral in a school gym. He is charged…

Hibbing Police Searching for Suspect in Vehicle Pursuit

HIBBING, Minn. – Hibbing police say they are searching for a 36-year-old male suspect who fled from an officer Wednesday morning during a traffic stop. According to police, an officer attempted to make a traffic stop after observing a red Chrysler 300 being driven by Zephaniah James Skarja, 36, who is wanted on charges for domestic assault. Authorities say Skarja…