BARRON, Wis. – A man accused of kidnapping a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl and killing her parents has been ordered to stand trial after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing. Twenty-one-year-old Jake Patterson gave brief answers to the judge Wednesday. He acknowledged he was giving up his right to a hearing at which prosecutors would have had to show they…
BARRON, Wis. – A man accused of kidnapping a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl and killing her parents is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing. Jake Patterson is accused of killing James and Denise Closs on Oct. 15 and kidnapping their daughter , Jayme Closs, from their Barron home. Jayme escaped on Jan. 10, after 88 days . Patterson…
DULUTH, Minn.-A Grand Rapids physician is among seven men arrested and suspected of soliciting a minor for sex. Authorities conducted an undercover sting operation and placed ads on various sites know for soliciting sex. Prosecutors say Dr. Ogechukwu Adekweh was among those who responded to an ad and was arrested when he arrived to meet a juvenile female at a…
SUPERIOR, Wis.-A public meeting is now scheduled as two convicted sex offenders are set to be released from prison and will take up residence in Superior in the next few weeks. 41-year-old Jesse Thompson will be released Feb. 12 and will reside at on North 16th Street in Superior. He was convicted of third degree sexual assault in Eau Claire…
DULUTH, Minn. – A convicted felon is off the streets of Duluth after a drug bust by the Lake Superior Violent Crimes Task Force. The arrested happened during a warrant on the 1200 block of East 1st Street. Investigators recovered cocaine, heroin, $2,500 in cash, three firearms and packaging material consistent with sale narcotics, according to Duluth Police Chief Mike…
DULUTH, Minn. – According to local authorities, eight men have been arrested for online solicitation of minors for sex following a sting operation earlier this week. The Duluth Police Department, St. Louis County Attorney’s Office, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension led Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force conducted the operation on January 30 and January 31. The men ranged…
SEARLES, Minn. – A Minnesota man is accused of removing his ailing wife from a care center, taking her home and holding what is described as a “death party” with methamphetamine before she died. Duane Johnson is charged with criminal neglect. Prosecutors say he failed to provide proper care for 69-year-old Debra Lynn Johnson who died at their home in…
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The former superintendent of the Rocori School District won’t serve any jail time after pleading guilty to indecent exposure, unless he violates terms of his probation. The attorney for Scott Staska told a judge in Stearns County District Court Thursday that the superintendent’s actions were the result of trauma and stress, including the 2003 school shooting…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – In a two-part special report, we take you inside the Douglas and St. Louis county jails. Corrections officers talk about the dangers faced inside and outside the jails, and the training they go through to keep the peace. FOX 21’s Dan Hanger reports. For corrections officers at the Douglas County Jail, things can get a little colorful…
DULUTH, Minn. — In part two of a special report – Jail Dangers – we take you to the St. Louis County Jail where safety and security concerns go far beyond the walls of the jail. “We’re basically running a little city there,” said Sheriff Ross Litman. “I have a really high level of admiration for the staff that work…
MOOSE LAKE, Minn. – An inmate at the Moose Lake Sex Offender Program with past felony convictions of sexual assault and assault within that facility is charged with attempted premeditated murder after a counselor’s throat was slashed twice. The suspect, George Mack, Jr., 42, is charged with attempted murder in the first degree, and fourth-degree assault within a secure treatment…
DENVER – A Minnesota man has been sentenced to more than 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal stalking charges. Federal prosecutors in Colorado say Eric Ronald Bolduan also must register as a sex offender following his release. Bolduan pleaded guilty to three counts of stalking and three counts of interstate communications in September. Prosecutors say he created…
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Wis. – In a recent release, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office says they do not anticipate filing a criminal complaint against Jake Patterson in the immediate future. Douglas County District Attorney Mark Fruehauf states: “A prosecutor’s decision whether to file criminal charges involves the consideration of multiple factors, including the existence of other charges and victim-related concerns….
DULUTH, Minn. – Two men have been arrested in connection to an opioid related death that occurred on December 14, 2018. The Duluth Police Department and Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force arrested 26-year-old Jacob Johnson on Wednesday and 49-year-old Jamie McNeary Thursday morning on charges of third-degree aiding and abetting murder. According to the criminal complaint a…
DULUTH, Minn- Ahead of Friday’s memorial for fallen K-9 Officer Haas, a non-profit group is preparing something special that people who attend the funeral. The non-profit Backing the Blue Line is preparing 750 blue roses to represent the sacrifice law of enforcement officers and their families. Each rose is tagged with a paw print and K-9 Haas’ name. K-9 Haas…
SEBRING, Fla. (AP) — An Indiana man accused of fatally shooting five people inside a Florida bank branch has long been fascinated with the idea of killing, but people who could have done something about it didn’t take his threats seriously, a woman who identified herself as his former girlfriend told a television station. Zephen Xaver, 21, “for some reason…
DULUTH, Minn. – An Indiana man has pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend and burying her remains in a shallow grave on a property near Cook. Forty-year-old Daniel Lynn pleaded guilty to second-degree murder without intent on Wednesday for the murder of 28-year-old Christina Woods. Woods’ remains were found on July 2 in a shallow grave on a property owned…
DULUTH, Minn. – Two Duluth men have been convicted in federal court of trafficking a 15-year-old girl for sex. A jury in Duluth found 44-year-old Amos Kiprop Koech guilty Tuesday of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and sex trafficking of a minor. Koech’s alleged co-conspirator, 33-year-old Andre Mathis Jr., pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor…
HIBBING, Minn. – A suspect charged in the murder of an Aurora man earlier this month has been ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation to determine his mentally competency. Deshon Bonnell, 18, is accused of shooting and killing 33-year-old Joshua Lavalley on January 6 in Hibbing. Lavalley’s body was found the same day by a snowmobiler on the Mesabi Trail…
TWIN LAKES, Wis. – A 14-year-old Kenosha County girl is accused of stabbing her father in the face after they argued about her online relationship. Police were called to an apartment in Twin Lakes Sunday where they found the wounded father. Investigators say they learned the 38-year-old man and his daughter were arguing about the online relationship before she attacked…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken spoke with park point residents in the aftermath of the January 2nd burglary and homicide there, which was the first homicide of the year in Duluth. Chief Tusken’s appearance at the Park Point Community Club was to answer questions about the recent crime that killed 70-year-old Larry Watczak and ease community fears….
DULUTH, Minn. — A 49-year-old man is under arrest after police say he threatened a female with a firearm during a domestic incident. The call for help came in around 1:44 p.m. Tuesday on the 200 block of Proco Court in the Gary-New Duluth neighborhood. “Responding officers located a vehicle leaving that area and stopped the vehicle. The vehicle was…
BARRON COUNTY, Wis. – The defendant in the Jayme Closs kidnapping case has been moved out of Barron County to another jail. The defendant, 21-year-old Jake Patterson of Gordon, has been moved from the Barron County Jail to the Polk County Jail in Balsam Lake. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald confirmed one of Jayme Closs’s relatives works at the Barron…
BARRON, Wis. – The man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents has been transferred to a different jail. Twenty-one-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson had been held in the Barron County Jail since his arrest Thursday. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald says he moved Patterson to adjoining Polk County Monday night. Fitzgerald confirmed that one of Jayme’s relatives…
DULUTH, Minn. — More serious charges are now filed against the man accused of attacking and ultimately killing a Park Point resident during a burglary and robbery of that man’s home. Darrel Mayhew, 30, of Duluth is now facing two counts of 2nd-degree murder — one with intent, one without. He is also charged with aggravated robbery and burglary of the…
DULUTH, Minn. – More serious charges are now filed against the man accused of attacking and ultimately killing Park Point resident Larry Watczak, 70, during a burglary and robbery at his home. Darrel Mayhew, 30, of Duluth is now facing two counts of 2nd-degree murder — one with intent, one without. He is also charged with aggravated robbery and burglary of…
BARRON, Wis.- The man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs for 88 days and killing her parents could be sentenced to life in prison. He’s facing four serious charges including two counts of first degree homicide, and one count of kidnapping, and armed burglary. The press conference on Monday was vastly different than the one held last Friday when Closs escaped….
DULUTH, Minn. — It was an emotional night Monday for the Duluth Police Department the Northland law enforcement community. A procession was held down Grand Avenue to transport the body of K-9 Haas for cremation. Haas was shot and killed in the line of duty Sunday night during a domestic assault call. Dozens of people lined up along Grand Avenue Monday…
BARRON, Wis. – A criminal complaint says a Wisconsin man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs spotted her getting on a school bus one day and made up his mind to take her. Jake Thomas Patterson was charged Monday with kidnapping and with killing Jayme’s parents. The criminal complaint says Patterson told investigators he was driving to his job at…
DULUTH, Minn.- Events of the shooting on West Skyline Parkway all began when officers responded to a domestic dispute around 6:30 Sunday night. For about an hour officers negotiated with a male suspect in a home before he fired shots at them, striking four year veteran Officer Aaron Haller and killing his K-9 partner Haas. (Click here for the procession…
BARRON, Wis. – A Wisconsin man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents sat impassively as a judge set his bail at $5 million. Prosecutors on Monday charged 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, one count of kidnapping and one count of armed burglary. Patterson appeared in court Monday afternoon via video…
(Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via AP, File) Click HERE to Watch Live Categories: Crime, News, News – Latest News
DULUTH, Minn. – A felony level domestic assault call on West Skyline Parkway ended Sunday evening with an officer shot and his K-9 partner dead, including the suspect, according to a press release from the Duluth Police Department. The incident began around 6:30 p.m. Sunday in a home on the 1000 block of West Skyline Parkway, according to police. Duluth…
DULUTH, Minn.- Even though the holiday season is over, that hasn’t stopped some more Grinches from stealing from Bentleyville Tour of Lights as the display is being taken down. Thursday night crooks sawed off a cable that was the major power supply of the light show, stole 150 gallons of diesel, a motor, and spotlights that lit up the “#Bentleyville2018”…
DULUTH, Minn. – Larry Watczak, the 70-year-old man assaulted in his Park Point home during January 2nd burglary, has died. Watczak died in Essentia Health early Saturday morning. Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken says his death will count as the first Duluth homicide of 2019 because it was caused by another person while committing a burglary. A suspect, Darrell Darryl…
BARRON, Wis. – Authorities in Wisconsin say they believe the man suspected of abducting 13-year-old Jayme Closs was out looking for her when he was arrested. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Friday that 21-year-old Jake Patterson wasn’t at home when Jayme escaped Thursday afternoon. Deputies arrested Patterson in his vehicle soon after Jayme turned up on a neighbor’s doorstep…
GORDON, Wis. – Jayme Closs’ disappearance and her parents’ murder have become international headlines. Many in her community have been feeling pain for the missing teen and her family. Jayme Closs escaped from captivity herself but was helped by good neighbors in Gordon, Wisconsin. “It has been 88 days of hope for her safe return, 88 days of prayers for…
MILWAUKEE – Notable events in the disappearance and discovery of Jayme Closs, a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who went missing after her parents were killed in the family home. Investigators say she was found alive on Thursday and that a suspect is in custody. October 15, 2018 – James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46, are found shot to death in…
(Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via AP, File)BARRON, Wis. – A woman who helped a Wisconsin girl who’d been missing for three months following her parents’ deaths says the girl told her she’d been held against her will. Kristin Kasinskas says she took 13-year-old Jayme Closs into her home after the girl and a woman she’d approached for help came to her…
The following has been posted to the Barron County Sheriff’s Department’s Facebook page: Jayme Closs has been located: On Thursday evening the Barron County Sheriff’s Department was notified by the Douglas CO WI Sheriff’s Department that they had located Jayme Closs alive. The Douglas County Sheriff says Closs was found at 4:43 p.m. Thursday in the Town of Gordon. A…
HIBBING, Minn.-Three suspects, including one juvenile, have been charged in connection with a homicide in Hibbing Sunday. Deshon Bonnell, 18, along with 20-year-old Anthony Howson, and a 17-year-old female, are all getting charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, and aggravated robbery, for the murder of Joshua LaValley of Aurora. The 33-year-old LaValley’s body was found Sunday by a snowmobiler on the…
HIBBING, Minn. – Joshua LaValley was loved by so many and his murder has left people close to him heartbroken. A life cut short for man described by his friends as having a lot character and multiple talents. Joshua loved to draw and play guitar. His funny demeanor brought joy to those who cared for him. Filled with emotion, a…
DULUTH, Minn. – 30-year-old Darrel Mayhew of Duluth has been officially charged with three felonies in the violent attack of a 70-year-old man taking a nap in his Park Point home. That man is Larry Watczak who continues to fight for his life in a coma since the January 2nd attack to his head. Mayhew is facing First Degree Assault,…
Darrel MayhewDULUTH, Minn. – Formal charges have been filed against 30-year-old Darrel Mayhew who is accused of violently attacking a 70-year-old man and breaking into several homes in the Park Point neighborhood last week. Mayhew is charged with first-degree assault, first-degree aggravated robbery and first-degree burglary. According to the criminal complaint, officers were dispatched to the 800 block of South…
DULUTH, Minn. – The family of a Park Point resident who is in a coma after being violently attacked in his own home during a burglary is asking for help with growing medical bills. 70-year-old Larry Watczak’s family has set up a GoFundMe account to raise the funds. Watczak’s son, Erik, told FOX 21 that an intruder or intruder came…
DULUTH, Minn. – A Duluth man accused of shooting a woman outside a Hermtantown hotel in August of 2018 is headed to prison for more than eight years (98 months). Benny Urrutia Jr., 21, pleaded guilty to felony first-degree assault in October. He shot the woman outside the Econo Lodge on Haines Road. She survived but suffered organ damage. Categories:…
HIBBING, Minn.- The city of Hibbing is on edge after Hibbing Police make three arrests in the suspected murder of 33-year-old Joshua Lavalley of Aurora. Formal charges are pending against two men, 18 and 20, as well as a 17-year-old female all from Hibbing. Meanwhile residents, especially those who exercise on the Mesabi Trail, are shaken up. “We go running…
HIBBING, Minn. – Authorities announced Tuesday afternoon that three people have been arrested in the murder of 33-year-old Joshua Robert Lavalley. According to Hibbing Police an 18-year-old male and 20-year-old male were arrested Monday night and booked in the St. Louis County Jail. A 17-year-old female was arrested on Tuesday. Police were called to the Mesabi Trail east of Kerr…
HIBBING, Minn. – According to a recent StarTribune article, authorities have arrested an 18-year-old male on suspicion of second degree murder in the death of a man found on the Mesabi Trail. Police were called to the Mesabi Trail east of Kerr on Sunday afternoon after a snowmobiler came upon the body and called 911. Authorities determined the male to…
DULUTH, Minn.- Another suspect has been sentenced in the homicide of UMD student William Grahek. 23-year-old Deandre Davenport was given a mandatory life sentence, with possibility of parole in 30 years. Last month, Davenport was convicted of two counts of first degree murder and one count of intentional second degree murder. Davenport took part in the fatal shooting of Grahek…
