Crime

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…

1 Man Dead, 2 Others Injured Following Altercation

(courtesy: Fox 9) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – An altercation in downtown Minneapolis has left one man dead and two other people with injuries. Police say a fight between two men resulted in one of them stabbing the other Sunday morning. Investigators say the man who was stabbed got in an SUV and intentionally ran over the other man accused of inflicting…

Suspect Arrested After Reported Assault, Kidnapping in Minnesota

WYOMING, Minn. (AP) – Authorities have arrested a Minnesota man accused of kidnapping his 6-month-old son from the boy’s mother after assaulting her. The infant was later found safe. Wyoming, Minnesota police on Friday apprehended 38-year-old Ben Tietz, along with help from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities say Tietz is the father of the child but does not have…

$5,000 Reward for Information in Northern Minnesota Deadly Dog Stabbing

CASS LAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) – There is now a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for fatally stabbing a dog in northern Minnesota, according to the Leech Lake Tribal Police Department. On Dec. 6, police responded to a report of a dog bleeding from multiple injuries at the Allen’s Bay Housing area…

Arrest Warrant Issued for Duluth Man Charged in Overdose Death

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a Duluth man charged in connection to a fentanyl overdose death in 2017. According to reports, Sheriff’s Office Deputies were called to a residence on reports of an unresponsive male on December 4. When Deputies arrived they found a male, later identified as 33-year-old Samuel James O’Leary,…

Duluth Man Sentenced for Fatal West Duluth Hit-and-Run

DULUTH, Minn. – A Duluth man charged with fatally striking and killing 30-year-old Peter Seppanen with his Jeep earlier this year, and then fleeing the scene, has been sentenced. According to court records, Stanley Brown, 30, was sentenced to 78 months in prison after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide and second degree test refusal in October. Witnesses to the…

Minnesota Judge Finds ‘Miracle on Ice’ Star is Mentally Ill

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. (AP) – A Minnesota judge has found that a former member of the “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey team is mentally ill and dangerous. The judge ruled Wednesday that 61-year-old Mark Pavelich should be committed to a secure treatment facility. Pavelich was charged after he allegedly beat a friend with a metal pole in August. His criminal…

Man Formally Charged in Connection to Lincoln Park Shooting

Duluth, Minn. – Duluth Police say a man had been formally charged in connection with a shooting that occurred last week in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Robert Anthony Winston was charged with second degree assault and use of a dangerous weapon on Wednesday. According to police, Winston used a firearm and shot into a moving vehicle on November 25. There…

Man Found Guilty of Fatal Downtown Shooting Sentenced

Jackson Was Sentenced to 367 Months in Prison

DULUTH, Minn. – The man charged with shooting and killing a Duluth man outside of a downtown bar in 2018 has been sentenced. Jamal Jackson, 27, was sentenced to 367 months in prison on Tuesday morning. 1/3 of the sentence will be suspended. Jackson was found guilty of second-degree intentional murder last month for the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Scott…

Two Men Charged With Felonies After Duluth Fentanyl Drug Bust

(Bowser | Hale) DULUTH, Minn. – Two men have been formally charged following their arrests in connection to the largest suspected fentanyl bust in Minnesota in 2019. According to court documents, Raymond Bowser, 35, has been charged with first degree aiding and abetting drugs and fleeing on foot. Denzel Hale, 29, has been charged with first degree sale of drugs….

First Duluth Man Charged From SAKI Grant Sentenced

Clark Was Found Guilty in June

DULUTH, Minn. – A man found guilty of criminal sexual conduct due to evidence collected in the Duluth Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has been sentenced. In a press release from the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office, Kenneth Keith Clark, 66, was sentenced to 144-months in prison after being found guilty of first degree criminal sexual conduct in June. Clark was…

One Arrested After Stabbing In Gary-New Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. – One man was arrested and another was transported to a local hospital early Monday morning after a stabbing incident. Authorities responded to reports of a stabbing in the 1300 Block of Commonwealth Avenue around 1:45 a.m. According to Duluth police, when officers arrived on scene they found a 27-year-old male with a large stab wound to his…

Duluth Police Investigate Shooting In Lincoln Park

A Male Victim Suffered a Gunshot Wound to the Arm

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – Duluth police are searching for a suspect in an overnight shooting in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Authorities say a 35-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to his arm sometime after 10 p.m. Sunday. The man told officers he was shot at an apartment building that had been declared uninhabitable on the 1900 block of West Third…

Duluth Man Charged With Synagogue Fire Sentenced to Prison

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth man charged with setting fire to the Adas Israel Synagogue has requested to execute his prison sentence. Matthew Amiot, 36, violated his probation for the second time last week and will now spend one year and one day in prison with credit for 56 days already served. According to a county attorney, Amiot will serve…

Fond du Lac Shooting Suspect Indicted on Federal Charges

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minneapolis man charged with shooting another man in the head during a funeral on the Fond du Lac reservation last month has been indicted on federal charges. According to a recent press release, 28-year-old Shelby Gene Boswell has been charged with one count felon in possession of a firearm, one count of possession of a…

Aitkin County Man Charged in Death of Missing Woman

AITKIN, Minn. (AP) – An Aitkin County man is charged with murder after authorities say they found a missing woman’s body buried in a crawl space under the home where he lived. The family of 35-year-old Michelle Mae, of Outing, reported her missing Oct. 3. Sheriff’s officials say her Jeep was found near the defendant’s residence a day later. WDIO-TV…

UPDATE: Another Warrant Issued for Duluth Man Who Started Synagogue Fire

Amiot Fled the Beth Port on November 4

Update: DULUTH, Minn. – According to authorities, Matthew Amiot, 36, was located and arrested Tuesday night. Police say Amiot was arrested around 7:50 p.m. on Tuesday and was admitted to a local hospital. It is unknown at this time why he was brought to hospital, but authorities confirm he will be transported to jail after he is released from the…

One Girl Hospitalized, Another in Custody After School Fight

Authorities Say the Victim is in Stable Condition

BLOOMIINGTON, Minn. (AP) – Bloomington police say one girl stabbed another during a fight at Jefferson High School. Police Chief Jeff Potts says the stabbing happened around noon Tuesday in the front hallway of the suburban Minneapolis school. Potts says the two girls are students at Jefferson. He says one girl suffered “multiple” stab wounds and was taken to a…

Former Counselor Pleads Guilty to Juvenile Sex Crimes

His Sentencing is Scheduled for January 27

Mark Painter DULUTH, Minn. – A former The Hills Family and Youth Services youth counselor has pleaded guilty to all five counts of third degree criminal sexual conduct. 29-year-old Mark Painter of Hermantown amended his plea on Monday. Court documents say Painter allegedly engaged in sex acts with five boys between the ages of 13 and 17 at the residential…

Suspect Arrested After School Marked by Swastika

The Swastika and Other Offensive Graffiti was Found at an Elementary School

EDINA, Minn. (AP) – Police in a Minneapolis suburb have arrested a suspect after a swastika and other offensive graffiti was found at an elementary school. In an e-mail to Edina School District families, Superintendent John Schultz wrote that “when an act of hatred occurs anywhere in Edina, it affects our entire community.” Police say the arrest occurred Monday after…

Moose Lake Man Killed After Being Rear-Ended By Drunken Driver

NORTH BRANCH, Minn.  – A 63-year-old Moose Lake man died Friday after he was rear-ended by a drunken driver on Interstate 35 in North Branch, Minnesota. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, at about 5 a.m., the 63-year-old man was driving his Buick on I-35 when a Toyota Tundra, traveling at a high rate of speed, rear-ended him. The Buick then…