Crime

Additional Drug and Firearm Charges for Hibbing Man

HIBBING, Minn. – A Hibbing man charged with distributing illicit material of children is now facing additional drug and firearm charges, court documents show. The Hibbing man charged just weeks ago on nine counts of distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) over the messaging app “Kik” is facing new charges. Joshua Eckstrom, 46, was arrested on Feb. 26 after local…

Cloquet High School and Middle School Evacuated After Alleged ‘Swatting’ Call, CPD

CLOQUET, Minn. – Cloquet Police say they received a call reporting a bomb and a person with a gun outside of the high school but have since given the ‘all clear.’ Around 12:16 p.m. today, a call came into Carlton County dispatchers reporting a bomb and a person with a rifle at Cloquet High School. According to a press release…

After 2 Years on the Run, Man Accused of Sex Crime is Back in Minnesota to Face Charge

DULUTH, Minn. – A man charged with sexual assault in Minnesota was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Maine, after spending two years on the run. After spending over two years on the run, 42-year-old Samuel Adam Linkert is back in Minnesota. Linkert is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct stemming from an alleged assault that occurred at a Duluth residence…

Two Men From Illinois Assaulted Man in Hibbing Over Owed Money, Charges Claim

HIBBING, Minn. – A daylight attack by two men in Hibbing last Friday against another man who owed them money resulted in a high-speed chase, authorities say. Two men have been charged in connection to an assault on another man in Hibbing last Friday. According to the charges, the suspects, Kimonte Travion Cadge, 27, and Genio Taroyes Keller, 31, are…

Meth and Firearm Found after Vehicle Chase in Cass Co

Authorities say approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine and a 9mm pistol were found

CASS LAKE, Minn. – A cordial traffic stop turned vehicle pursuit resulted in the discovery of 80 grams of meth and firearm, according to Leech Lake Tribal Police. What started as a cordial traffic stop last Thursday quickly turned into a vehicle pursuit,  the discovery of 80 grams of meth and a firearm. On Thursday, a Leech Lake Tribal Police Officer…

Accused Stalker Arrested Again While on Pre-Trial Release

PROCTOR, Minn. – A man was granted pre-trial release after submitting guilty pleas in two cases; but “within two hours” of leaving custody, the victim said his attempts to contact her continued. Over the last eight months, multiple criminal cases have been filed against Rocky Allen Wrazidlo Jr., 27, of Proctor, for charges including harassment, first-degree burglary, and false imprisonment….

Rock Ridge High School Employee is Suspect in Child Sex Crime Investigation

The employee has not been arrested but was placed on paid leave

VIRGINIA, Minn. – A Rock Ridge High School employee is on paid leave, after the St. Louis County Sheriff and the Minnesota BCA began investigating him for child sex crimes. In a Friday press release, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said they had conducted search warrants at multiple locations across Virginia and Eveleth on Mar. 6, including at the…

Woman Airlifted After Fingertip Bitten Off During Aurora Assault

The woman's current condition is not known by law enforcement

AURORA, Minn. – Police say a woman’s condition is still unknown after having her finger bitten off in a midday assault, this past Monday. According to charging documents, East Range Police were called to the Iron Gate Apartments in Aurora around 12:30 p.m. on Monday for reports of an assault. Officers said that when they arrived, they found 29-year-old Madusu…

Man Arrested for Child Sex Crimes, After Initially Claiming he was Assaulted by Juvenile

FOND DU LAC RESERVATION – Police say they responded to a call from man in his 60s claiming to have been assaulted by a juvenile; but further investigation into the incident led to child sex crime charges against him. Fond Du Lac Police arrested 62-year-old Phillip Alexander Petite Tuesday on charges of criminal sexual conduct with a child. The arrest…

Aitkin Daytime Stabbing Hospitalizes 2 Women; Suspect Later Arrested in Ramsey County

AITKIN, Minn. – Police say they found a bloody scene when responding to a slashing at a residence in the quiet community of Aitkin, that left two women in the hospital. Aitkin Police responded to a residence on First Street Northwest around 10:56 a.m. on Wednesday after they received a call that a female had been stabbed. Officers found the…

Shooting in Rural Cass County

BACKUS, Minn. – A victim’s condition is unknown after a shooting in rural Cass County last Thursday. Cass County Sheriffs responded to a residence near rural Backus around 11:30 p.m. Thursday evening after reports of a shooting. According to the sheriff’s office, first responders found a 36-year-old male with gunshot wounds at the scene, who was transported by air to…

Charges Filed After Hermantown Police Chase

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – A man told police he had to urinate before taking Hermantown Police on a miles-long midnight chase Tuesday, according to police reports. 54-year-old Justin Lee Briggs has been charged with fleeing police, after an attempted traffic stop around 12:10 a.m. on Tuesday. The police report said an officer attempted to stop Briggs’ vehicle because it had no…

Hermantown High-Speed Pursuit Caught On Video

HERMANTOWN, Minn. — A high-speed pursuit took Hermantown police for quite the ride early Tuesday morning. The chase started just after midnight after an officer spotted a suspicious vehicle behind the Goodwill store on Miller Trunk Highway. When the officer initiated a discussion, the driver took off. The chase went on for 11 miles until a pit maneuver was used…

Brainerd Man Charged with Sexual Assault of Stepchild

BRAINERD, Minn. – Charges allege that a Brainerd man sexually assaulted his stepdaughter for years, before she came forward to her mother and police. Authorities have charged 34-year-old Fred Robert Stumbo of Brainerd with three counts of criminal sexual conduct after allegations that he sexually assaulted his stepdaughter. The girl, who the report said is now 15, and her mother…

Duluth Judge Rules Serial Break-In Suspect Incompetent to Stand Trial

DULUTH, Minn. – A judge rules that the suspect in a series of violent break-ins last November is incompetent to stand trial. For three days in November, Duluth Police were attempting to catch the perpetrator of brazen home invasions in the Woodland neighborhood. Police arrested and charged 59-year-old Jeffery Scott Montana with five felony counts, that together, could carry up…

Charge: Duluth Man Stabbed Stepfather In The Back

DULUTH, Minn. — A Duluth man accused of stabbing his stepfather in West Duluth Jan. 24 is facing a serious charged for the crime. Nolan Shane-Peanuts Leeson, 25, of Duluth is charged with second-degree assault. The stabbing happened at his mother’s home on the 4800-hundred block of West 5th Street, according to authorities. The criminal complaint said Leeson’s mother told…

Officials: Man Shoots At Vehicle, Hits Woman In Duluth Township

DULUTH TOWNSHIP, Minn. — A 19-year-old man is accused of shooting a woman in Duluth Township in what authorities believe was a drug-related crime. The shooting was reported around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. A 19-year-old female was at Aspirus St. Luke’s with a gunshot wound to the foot. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting happened in the 6200…

Hillside Stabbing Suspect Charged

DULUTH, Minn. – A man faces 2nd Degree Assault charges, for a seemingly unprovoked stabbing in a Hillside neighborhood apartment last week, according to court documents. 24-year-old Lewis Barney Jr. is charged with 2nd Degree Assault with a deadly weapon after police say he stabbed a sleeping man. Police were called to 115 E 3rd St Apartments around 12:00 pm…