Crime

Five Dead, Two Injured in Residential Shootings in Wisconsin

The Suspect in Both Shooting is Among the Dead

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (AP) – Authorities in northwestern Wisconsin say shootings at two homes have left five people dead, including the suspected shooter, and two others injured. Chippewa County sheriff’s officials say deputies responded to a 911 call about a shooting at a residence in Lake Hallie about 10:30 p.m. Sunday and found a man and woman dead. Two other…

Three Killed in Garlic Festival Shooting, Including 6-Year-old

Police Have Killed the Suspect

GILROY, Calif. (AP) — A 6-year-old boy described by his grandmother as always kind and happy was one of three people killed and at least 15 others injured when a gunman heard to be “really angry” opened fire during the closing moments of a popular weekend garlic festival in Northern California. Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said the gunman was…

Update: Suspect in Custody After Shooting in Virginia

Victim air-lifted to Duluth, his condition unknown at this time

VIRGINIA, Minn. – 30-year-old Luke Mathias Erkkila was taken into custody by the Eveleth Police Department early Saturday morning without incident. He is being held at the St. Louis County Virginia Jail on First Degree Attempted Murder. Erkkila was arrested in connection to a Friday night shooting in Virginia. Just after 7:00 p.m. Friday night, the Virginia Police Department responded…

Charges: Father set Fatal Fire After Arguing With Daughter

Newport Posted on Facebook That he Intended to Burn Down the Home

(Dave Schwarz/St. Cloud Times via AP) PAYNESVILLE, Minn. (AP) – Prosecutors say a Minnesota man set a fire that killed his 22-year-old daughter after the two argued about her plans to move out. Forty-six-year-old John Newport of Paynesville was charged Thursday with second-degree murder in the death of Jamey Newport. His bail was set at $2 million. Jamey Newport called…

Man who Kidnapped Jayme Closs Moved To Prison In New Mexico

Patterson is Listed on the National sex Offender Registry

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The man who kidnapped Jayme Closs and killed her parents in northern Wisconsin has been moved to a prison in New Mexico. Press-Gazette Media reports the New Mexico Corrections Department has confirmed Jake Patterson has been transferred to one of its prisons from Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun. Wisconsin corrections officials recommended Patterson be sent to…

Jayme Closs Kidnapper Erased From Prison Records

Patterson Also Doesn't Appear on the State sex Offender Registry

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin Department of Corrections has erased any record of the man who kidnapped Jayme Closs and killing her parents from its inmate locator database. Twenty-two-year-old Jake Patterson was moved to an out-of-state facility on July 15. DOC officials declined to reveal where out of concern for his safety. The agency has declined to elaborate. The…

Suspect in Lincoln Park Home Robbery and Assault Pleads Guilty

Sentencing is Scheduled for September 9

DULUTH, Minn. – A Duluth man has pleaded guilty for his involvement in a home robbery and assault that took place in the Lincoln Park neighborhood earlier this year. Authorities say the robbery and assault happened in a home on the 600 Block of Atlantic Avenue around 5:15 a.m. March 13. Christian Hamzah Coleman, 19, turned himself into authorities on…

Police: 50-Plus Complaints Against Hermantown Lumber Co. Totaling $290K In Unfulfilled Work

HERMANTOWN, Minn. (Press Release) – The Hermantown Police Department has received numerous calls from victims who have ordered products such as windows or lumber packages from the Hermantown Lumber Company, which was located at 3707 Lavaque Road, Hermantown, Minn. The Hermantown Lumber Company ceased operations on June 28, 2019, and many orders that were fully or partially paid have gone…

Superior Intersection Painted Green Following Hit and Run

After 11-year-old boy hit and survived, City of Superior changes intersection to slow drivers down.

SUPERIOR, Wis.- The City of Superior has implemented safety changes at an intersection on Hammond Avenue after Police say an 11-year-old boy on his bicycle was struck by a driver, who then took off, last Friday. 11-year-old Cassius Carey is out of the hospital, his mother saying he suffered a concussion but no internal injuries. The woman who Superior Police…

Two Arrested for Drug Sales in Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. – According to the Duluth Police Department, two individuals were arrested Thursday following a drug bust in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Authorities say a search warrant was obtained for a residence at 3101 West 3rd Street but due to a known presence of firearms at the location officers waited for the suspects to leave the home. Matthew Hanson,…

Duluth Police: Suspect Takes Officer’s Taser in Arrest, Limited Forced Used

Video courtesy: Facebook/Tiffany Mason DULUTH, Minn. – A suspect took a Duluth Police Officer’s taser and pointed at another officer’s face during an arrest on Friday afternoon. The incident happened just after 2:00 p.m. at Tri Towers on the 200 Block of 2nd Avenue East. According to police, officers responded to a report of an unwanted 32-year-old male who has…

Epstein Denied Bail in sex Trafficking Case

The Judge Announced the Decision Thursday Morning

NEW YORK (AP) – A federal judge has denied bail for jailed financier Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking charges involving underage girls. The judge’s decision Thursday comes after prosecutors argued Epstein should remain behind bars in New York City because he has the means to flee and is a danger to the public. Prosecutors fear Epstein also might try to…

Ex-Officer who Fatally Shot 911 Caller Appeals Convictions

Noor was Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Attorneys for the former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman after she called 911 about a possible assault have filed an appeal. Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and manslaughter in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia. He was sentenced to more…

Authorities Searching for Stolen Dump Truck in Pine County

(photo: Facebook/Pine County Sheriff’s Office) PINE COUNTY, Minn. – The Pine County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a stolen dump truck. According to the Minnesota BCA, Pine County Deputies were called to a Shafer Contracting construction site on reports of a vehicle prowl Monday evening. Authorities say an employee reported one of the dump trucks…

Man who Kidnapped Jayme Closs Moved out of Wisconsin

It is Unclear why Patterson was Transferred

(T’xer Zhon Kha/The Post-Crescent via AP, Pool) BARRON, Wis. (AP) – A man who admitted to kidnapping Jayme Closs and killing her parents has been moved to a facility outside of Wisconsin. Twenty-two-year-old Jake Patterson is serving life without parole for the October deaths of James and Denise Closs. State records say he was moved Monday, but they do not…

Update: Male Arrested for Assault in Lincoln Park Stabbing

Authorities Continue to Investigate the Incident

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police are continuing to investigate a stabbing that happened Monday night in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. According to the Duluth Police Department, officers responded to a report of a domestic disturbance around 6:15 p.m. on the 500 Block of 22nd Avenue West. When officers arrived they located a 33-year-old female with significant injuries. Authorities say they…

Minnesota Trooper Charged With Sexually Assaulting Girl

Barta Posted $150,00 Bond

HASTINGS, Minn. (AP) – A Minnesota state trooper is charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The Dakota County Attorney’s Office has charged 36-year-old Shawn Barta with first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving the girl who authorities say is “cognitively delayed.” The State Patrol has placed Barta on leave pending the outcome of the case and an internal…

Three Convicted Sex Offenders to be Released in Superior

All three men will live at the Transitional Living Place at 1620 North 16th Street

SUPERIOR, Wis. – Three registered sex offenders will be released in Superior over the next three weeks. All three men will live at a halfway house near the Superior Public Library. The State of Wisconsin issued a Special Bulletin Notice for two of the three offenders, meaning they have some extremely serious convictions, including violations when they’ve been released in…

Murders Decline in Minnesota in 2018, but Rapes Increase

The Report is Based on Data by Local law Enforcement Agencies

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A new report finds that murders decreased in Minnesota last year but rapes increased. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension released the 2018 crime report Monday. The report says violent crimes – including murder, rape, robbery, human trafficking and aggravated assault – decreased by nearly 7% in 2018. Murders in Minnesota decreased from 114 in 2017…

Two Shot in Michigan After man Fires on Crowd During Fireworks

Neither Victim Suffered Life-Threatening Injuries

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (AP) – Authorities and witnesses say a man fired gunshots hurting at least two people in a suburban Detroit neighborhood as fireworks were being set off, leading to a hours-long standoff with police. Police and residents in St. Clair Shores say the man fired into a crowd Thursday evening and hit a 12-year-old in the arm…

Domestic Assault Suspect Dead After Police Standoff

Police Will Hold a News Conference Wednesday Morning

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) – A domestic assault suspect has been fatally shot following a standoff with police in a St. Paul suburb. The Star Tribune reports the man fled on foot after assaulting a woman in a car in Eagan about 6 p.m. Tuesday. Eagan police spokesman Aaron Machtemes says officers tracked the man down to a commercial area and…

Wisconsin’s ‘Serial Toilet Clogger’ Gets 150 Days Behind Bars

He Also Received Three Years Probation

(courtesy: Fox 9) FOX NEWS – A Wisconsin man dubbed “the serial toilet clogger” was sentenced to a 150-day jail term and three years of probation on Monday after being convicted of five counts of criminal damage to property for repeatedly plugging plastic bottles down toilets in the women’s restroom at his workplace, causing them to overflow. Patrick D. Beeman,…

Man who Stole Jayme Closs’ Clothing Sentenced to Probation

BARRON, Wis. (AP) – A man who broke into the home of Jayme Closs after her parents were killed and she went missing has been sentenced to two years of probation. Thirty-three-year-old Kyle Jaenke-Annis earlier pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft for stealing some of Closs’ clothing during the break-in. Jaenke-Annis was initially charged with felony burglary. Investigators found the theft…

Milwaukee man in Custody in Officer’s Death

Officer Hetland was Killed on June 17

RACINE, Wis. (AP) – Sheriff’s officials have identified the man suspected of fatally shooting a Racine police officer who tried to stop an armed robbery. The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office said Friday a 26-year-old Milwaukee man is in its jail following his arrest Thursday, a day after Officer John Hetland’s funeral. Authorities say the suspect was arrested in Milwaukee with…

Prosecutors: Father Angered Over Cake Kills 5-Year-Old son

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Prosecutors say a Milwaukee father is accused of fatally punching his 5-year-old son because the boy ate some of the cheesecake he had gotten for Father’s Day. Travis Stackhouse is charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the child’s death last Saturday. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the boy died from blunt force trauma to the…

Minnesota man Charged in Iowa in Child sex Trafficking Case

If Convicted Nordwall Faces up to Life in Prison

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a 50-year-old registered sex offender in Minnesota faces federal charges after being accused of traveling to Iowa to have sex with minors. Federal prosecutors for Iowa say Terrance Nordwall has been charged with attempted sex trafficking of children, attempted enticement of minors and traveling for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct….

Driver in West Duluth Fatal Hit-and-Run Pleads Not Guilty

His Next Court Appearance Will be July 30

DULUTH, Minn. – A 30-year-old Duluth man charged with criminal vehicular homicide in connection to a West Duluth fatal hit-and-run crash last month pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday. Stanley Brown pleaded not guilty to all three charges which included criminal vehicular homicide, fifth degree possession of a controlled substance, and second degree test refusal. According to court…

Minnesota Skating Coach Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Student

Sentencing is set for September 27

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A figure skating coach has pleaded guilty in Hennepin County to sexually abusing a student. Forty-eight-year-old Thomas Incantalupo, of St. Louis Park, entered the plea to two counts of criminal sexual conduct Tuesday for abusing the girl beginning when she was 14 years old in 2015 and continuing for two years. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says…

Trial Date Set for Hibbing Murder Suspect

HIBBING, Minn.-An August trial date has been set for an Iron Range man accused of a January murder. 18-year-old Deshon Bonnell plead not guilty to multiple felony counts today including first-degree murder. It’s in connection with the shooting death  of 33-year-old Joshua LaValley. LaValley’s body was found by a snowmobiler on the Mesabi Trail near Kerr on Jan. 6. He…

Northland Authorities Make Major Drug Bust Last Week

DULUTH, Minn.-A major drug bust was made last Friday, after multiple Northland agencies executed a search warrant on East Second Street. Law enforcement agencies executed the warrant at a residence on the 1300 block of East Second Street and during the search, investigators located cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, ecstasy pills, along with other evidence of drug sales. Additionally, investigators seized four…

Ex-Minneapolis Police Officer Gets 12 Years in Prison for Fatally Shooting Unarmed 911 Caller

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.-A Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder has been sentenced to a 12-year prison term for the fatal shooting of an unarmed woman who had called 911. A Minnesota jury convicted Mohamed Noor in April of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia….

Cloquet Area Firefighter Resigns After FOX 21’s Report on Sexual Assault Allegations

CLOQUET, Minn. – We have a follow-up to a story FOX 21’s Nikki Davidson brought you Wednesday night involving a Northland first responder who was accused but never charged in St. Louis County and Carlton County of two separate cases of sexual assault, which in one case involved a 16-year-old girl. Thursday at 6 a.m., that 29-year-old first responder with…

Bail set for Duluth man Charged in Fatally Stabbing Wife

DULUTH, Minn. – Bail has been set at $750,000 for Ryan Jazdzewski, 40, who was charged on Tuesday with second-degree murder after admitting to fatally stabbing his wife in their home on Sunday. According to the criminal complaint, the stabbing happened Sunday evening in the Chester Park Neighborhood after Jazdzewski’s wife, Nicole, asked him for a divorce. Duluth Police were…

Duluth Man Charged In Fatal Stabbing Of Wife

DULUTH, Minn. – Disturbing new details are emerging about a violent stabbing in Duluth. Ryan Richard Jazdzewski, 40, is now charged with second-degree murder after admitting to stabbing his wife 10-12 times on Sunday at home on Chester Park Drive, according to the criminal complaint. He told police he stabbed his wife Nicole, 41, after they had been in a…

Charges Filed Against Suspect in East Hillside Shooting

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police have officially charged the suspect arrested in connection to the shooting incident on Sunday in the East Hillside Neighborhood. Christopher Eugene Jamar Davis, 20, was charged on Tuesday with second degree assault, felon in possession of a firearm and first degree aggravated witness tampering. According to the criminal complaint, Davis and a female acquaintance went…

22-Year Sentence in Fatal Reservation Shooting

Whitefeather Pleaded Guilty to Second-Degree Murder

RED LAKE, Minn. (AP) – A teenager has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for killing a man he mistook for a rival gang member on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. Eighteen-year-old Michael Whitefeather pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in December for the fatal shooting of Anthony Wells in April 2018. A federal criminal complaint says Whitefeather and other…

Update: Duluth man Charged With Second Degree Murder in Stabbing Death of Wife

Jazdzewski Charged in Domestic Violence Homicide

DULUTH, Minn. – A Duluth man has been charged with second degree murder in the stabbing death of his wife on Sunday evening in the Chester Park neighborhood. According to the criminal complaint, 40-year-old Ryan Jazdzewski told authorities he and his wife got into a “horrible fight” and he “lost it” stabbing her approximately 10-12 times in the torso in…

Duluth Authorities Make ‘Historic’ Drug Bust

Police and Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force make largest seizure in city's history.

DULUTH, Minn.- The Duluth Police Department and the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force are hot off a massive drug bust, that’s being called the largest in the city’s history. After a two-month long investigation, two suspects–39-year-old Otis Weaver of St. Paul and 36-year-old Eric Black–are behind bars. Eric Black recently moved to Duluth from Chicago, where he…

Police: Husband Arrested After Wife Is Stabbed To Death in Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth police are investigating the city’s second homicide of 2019 after a woman was stabbed to death by her husband in the Chester Park neighborhood Sunday evening, according to police. Officers responded to the 800 block of Chester Park Drive around 8:23 p.m. Sunday following a call from a child that their parents were fighting, according to…

Update: Duluth Police Arrest man in Connection to East Hillside Shooting

The Suspect is Lodged at St. Louis County Jail

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth police have identified a suspect in the Sunday East Hillside Neighborhood shooting. According to authorities, a 20-year-old male was arrested in connection to the shooting that happened on the 600 block of East Fourth Street. Police say an argument took place between the 42-year-old male victim and suspect over an alleged stolen vehicle which led to…

Update: Mall of America Attacker Gets 19 Years in Prison

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A man who threw a 5-year-old boy from a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Minnesota has been sentenced to 19 years in prison. Emmanuel Aranda showed little emotion and said almost nothing as he was sentenced Monday in Minneapolis. The 24-year-old Minneapolis man pleaded guilty last month to attempted premeditated first-degree murder in the…