Crime

Wetterling Abduction File Could Soon Be Made Public

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The public may soon have its first look at the investigative file into the 1989 abduction of Jacob Wetterling. Stearns County officials are entering the final stages of redacting and copying thousands of pages of statements, tips, and interview transcripts regarding the 11-year-old boy who was abducted near his St. Joseph home. Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Bruce…

Iron Range Murder Remains Unsolved 40 Years Later

$50,000 Award Offered for Information

AURORA, Minn.-Forty years ago today, 19-year-old Cindy Elias was murdered eight miles north of Aurora. Her body was buried under a pile of brush near a logging road after suffering multiple injuries to her head. The victim was last seen leaving a bar in Virginia, at about 12:30 a.m. Patrons said she was thinking about hitchhiking that night. Three years ago,…

Police Issue Search Warrant of Minneapolis Liquor Store

After the store opened on a Sunday...several months early

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) – Minneapolis police are seeking surveillance video and sales records for Surdyk’s Liquor from Sunday, March 12, when the liquor store opened its doors for premature, illegal Sunday liquor sales. A search warrant filed in Hennepin County court seeks video footage from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day, as well as point of sale transaction records and…

Assistant Principal Facing Sexual Conduct Charges

The public's assistance has been requested by the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office

BELTRAMI COUNTY, Minn. – Assistant Principal of Bemidji Middle School was placed in custody at the Beltrami County Jail, on Thursday, March 22. Brandon Bjerkness, 34, has been charged with two counts of solicitation of children to engage in sexual Brandon BjerknessBeltrami County Jail conduct. He has been contacting juvenile children through Facebook, Snapchat, and email accounts he had set…

40th Anniversary of Aurora Cold Case Tomorrow

Reward Offered for More Information

AURORA, Minn.-Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the unsolved murder of Cindy Elias. Her body was found eight miles north of Aurora. She was last seen in Virginia at about 12:30 a.m. at a local bar. She said she was looking for a ride home and said she might hitchhike. “Elias was found buried under a pile of brush at…

DOJ: Wausau Shootings an Isolated Incident with One Suspect

The incident stemmed from a domestic dispute

WZAWWAUSAU, Wis. – The area of Wausau and Rothschild were struck by tragedy yesterday, when four victims, including an officer of the Everest Metropolitan Police Department, were shot dead. At approximately 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, law enforcement received the report of an active shooter in Rothschild. The suspect visited the Marathon Savings Bank, killing two civilians, and a…

Minnesota Marijuana Oil Sent to New York Stirs Anger

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Some top Minnesota lawmakers want to crack down on a medical marijuana company whose former executives face felony charges for shipping marijuana oil to New York. County prosecutors charged two ex-executives at Minnesota Medical Solutions with felonies alleging they collaborated in late 2015 to ship $500,000 worth of marijuana oil to New York. The charges…

Mother Sentenced to Prison in Newborn’s Death

March 2016 photo of Shwe Htoo, 22, of St. Paul is accused of killing her 5-week-old son, Michael Kyaw Htoo, on Nov. 18, 2015. She was charged in Ramsey County District Court with second-degree murder. Photo courtesy of Ramsey County sheriff’s office.ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A St.Paul mother has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for fatally smothering…

4 Killed, Including Officer is Rothschild, Schofield, Weston shooting

ROTHSCHILD, Wis. (WSAW) – Authorities have now confirmed an Everest Metro Police Officer was one of four killed following three shooting incidents Wednesday. Everest Metro Police Chief confirmed the fatalities during an evening press conference. He said a single suspect has been arrested and the public is not in danger. Names of the people involved have not been released. The…

Duluth Man Gets 20 Years for Role in Hermantown Drive-By Shooting

DULUTH, Minn. – A Duluth man involved in a Hermantown drive-by shooting back in September has received a 20-year prison sentence this morning, according to St. Louis County Attorney Mark Rubin. Last month, a St. Louis County jury found 47-year-old Robert John Lund guilty of four counts of aiding and abetting second-degree attempted murder, four counts of aiding and abetting…

Two Men Charged in Fatal Accident on Hwy 169

ITASCA COUNTY, Minn. – Criminal complaints were filed for two men, today, in Itasca County District Court. One charges Tomas Charles Cuellar, 39, of Grand Rapids, with Criminal Vehicular Homicide and another charging Bradley Gene Doree, 48, of Hill City with Aiding and Abetting Criminal Vehicular Homicide and Aiding and Abetting Fourth Degree Driving While Intoxicated. These charges stem from…

Drug Bust in Eveleth, 3 Arrested

EVELETH, Minn. – Members of the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force executed three search warrants on March 21, 2017, which resulted in three arrests. These individuals were arrested for various drug and weapons charges. As a result of the search warrants, 48 grams of methamphetamine was seized along with three firearms and nearly $7,000 in cash. Categories:…

Police: 2 Injured in Wisconsin Shooting, Schools on Lockdown

ROTHSCHILD, Wis. (AP) – Authorities say a shooting has critically injured two people in northern Wisconsin, and area schools and a hospital are on lockdown. Dozens of police cars and emergency vehicles were responding after a shooting was reported Wednesday afternoon in Rothschild. The Wausau Police Department posted a link on social media saying the situation was still active and…

Tri-Towers Residents Voice Concerns

Tenants Held a Meeting with Police Representative to Discuss Issues

DULUTH, Minn. – Some residents At Downtown Duluth’s Tri–Towers Apartments are scared Because of recent trouble in and around the complex.  However, Duluth police say some incidents are exaggerated. Those were the messages at a meeting between some concerned Tri–Towers tenants and Housing and Redevelopment Authority Community Officer Steve Ring Tuesday. The meeting was inspired by a weekend incident Where…

Subject Identified in Polk County Officer Involved Shooting

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating an officer involved shooting incident that happened on Monday, March 20 in Polk County. The Grand Forks County Medical Examiner has identified the deceased suspect as Clarence Duane Huderle, 73, of Warren, Minnesota. Huderle died of a gunshot wound; the manner of his death…

Duluth Police, Fond du Lac Band Receive Grants for Combating Sex Trafficking

Funding to Provide Investigative Support and Training

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs (DPS-OJP) recently awarded eight Sex Trafficking Investigation and Training Grants to help law enforcement agencies across the state for 2017. Statewide grants totaled $799,268 compared with $487,500 last year. Additional funding was appropriated by legislature and signed by Gov. Dayton. These grants will be used for new…

Arson Incident in UMD Dorms

Arsonists set fire to posters hung near study lounge

DULUTH, Minn. – Sunday, March 19, just after 7:30 p.m., UMDPD and personnel from the Duluth Fire Department responded to the sixth floor of Griggs Hall E on the report of an arson fire. Suspect(s) set fire to posters on a wall near the residential and study lounge areas. The fire activated the alarms, which prompted fire response and evacuation…

Lincoln Park House Fire Investigated as ‘Suspicious’

Someone Seen Running Away from Home at Time of Fire

DULUTH, Minn.-A Monday structure fire at 2006 W. Fourth St. has been deemed suspicious by the Duluth Fire Department. “This fire is suspicious in nature with a report of a person fleeing the scene before the fire was reported,” said the Duluth Fire Department in a prepared statement. When crews responded to the fire at the Lincoln Park home, they…

Border Protection Officer Found Dead at Border

GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. – The Cook County Sheriff’s Office reports that around 6 p.m. Sunday, March 19, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from the Grand Portage Port of Entry where a male US Customs & Border Protection Officer was found fatally wounded. It is believed to be self-inflicted. The name of the Officer is being withheld…

DOJ: Minneapolis Lacked Coordination, but Kept Peace in 4th Precinct Protests

(Ted Haller / Fox 9) MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) – The Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) on Monday released its after-action report of the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department’s response to the protests and demonstrations at the MPD’s 4th Precinct following the November 2015 shooting death of Jamar Clark. The DOJ review was requested by…

Several Arrested in Stand Off Southeast of Bemidji

TEN LAKES TOWNSHIP, Minn. – The Beltrami County Sheriff’s office reports that on Thursday, March 16 around 3:40 a.m., 911 dispatch received information from a female caller that she needed help. As attempts were made to gather information, the call was disconnected. Beltrami County Deputies and Leech Lake Tribal officers were dispatched to the scene, in the 100 block of…

Hoyt Lakes Man Involved in Virginia Pursuit Charged in Court

Daniel Fredrickson VIRGINIA, Minn. – Virginia Police Chief Nicole Mattson reports that on Tuesday, March 14, around 1:30 a.m., the Virginia Police Department and St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department received information about a 29-year-old white male with an active felony warrant. The man, Daniel Earl Fredrickson of Hoyt Lakes, was reportedly armed with a handgun driving a white passenger car…

Duluth Citizens’ Police Academy Begins

The classes are designed to create transparency and a better understanding of how the Duluth Police Department serves the community

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth Police Department’s citizens’ police academy started Wednesday night. Over the next 11 weeks, participants will take part in classroom and field instruction, covering a wide variety of topics the department handles. This year, 21 people will go through the academy classes, with a goal of creating transparency and a better understanding of how the department…

Feds Investigate Threats to Jewish Centers as Hate Crimes

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Federal authorities say threats to two Jewish community centers in Minnesota are being investigated as hate crimes as part of a broader probe into similar threats made nationwide. FBI Special Agent in Charge Rick Thornton said Wednesday that since January 3, more than 140 telephone threats were made to Jewish groups and facilities in 43…

Polish Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Minnesota Man in Nazi Case

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – A court in eastern Poland has issued an arrest warrant for a Minnesota man sought in a Nazi massacre, opening the way for Poland to seek his extradition from the United States. The Associated Press had previously identified the man as 98-year-old Michael Karkoc, an ex-commander in an SS-led unit that burned Polish villages and killed…

Change of venue request for officer who killed Castile

Courtesy: KMSPST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Attorneys for a police officer facing manslaughter charges in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile don’t think the defendant can get a fair trial in Ramsey County, so they’ve filed a motion for a change of venue. St. Anthony Officer Jeronimo Yanez shot Castile seven times during a July traffic stop in the St….

St. Paul police involved in fatal shooting

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – St. Paul police say a man has died in an officer-involved shooting in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. Authorities say officers were called to an apartment building about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday because of a domestic situation that involved physical violence. Police say officers encountered a man on a street in the area, shots were fired and…

Formal Charges in Park Point Drug Bust

Search warrant executed in the 1300 block of Minnesota Avenue

  DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police and investigators from the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force executed a search warrant at a residence in the 1300 block of Minnesota Avenue on Thursday, March 9. The search warrant was conducted as a result of an investigation into the suspected sale of controlled substances at that address. During the search,…

Charges Deferred for Woman, 84, in Car Crash that Killed 3

OCONTO, Wis. (WLUK) – A deferred prosecution agreement has been entered in the case of an 84-year-old woman charged in connection with a triple-fatal crash. The agreement means if Thelma Yashinsky complies with the terms of the agreement, the criminal charges against her will be dropped. Yashinsky was behind the wheel on October 24, 2015, when she drove through a…

Robbery Incident on West Superior Street in Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth Police Department has reported a robbery incident that happened today, March 10 around 2:30 p.m. Officers reponsded to the area of the 300 block of West Superior Street on a report of a robbery incident. The suspects fled on foot prior to officers arriving. The victim was located and unharmed. Officers were able to determine…

Man Charged with 5 Counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct

His conduct involves victims under the age of 13

Richard Dean Wilson, Jr. CASS COUNTY, Minn. – Cass County Attorney Christopher J. Strandlie reports that 42-year-old Richard Dean Wilson, Jr. has been charged with five counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the First and Second Degree relating to offenses that occurred in 2014-16. It is alleged that Wilson sexually penetrated or had sexual contact with three children under the…

19 Plead Guilty in Large Minnesota-Wisconsin Meth Ring

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Nineteen people have pleaded guilty in a drug ring that authorities say trafficked 127 pounds of methamphetamine from the Minneapolis area to central Wisconsin communities over a three-year span. U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil in Wisconsin says 14 of the suspects have been sentenced, and the remaining five will be sentenced over the next two months. Authorities…

Cloquet Woman Charged with Aggravated 1st Degree Sale of Controlled Substance

She was on probation in St. Louis, Hennepin, and Olmsted Counties

Morningstar Webster DULUTH, Minn. – On Tuesday, March 7, investigators from the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force executed a search warrant on a motor vehicle and four occupants of the motor vehicle followed a traffic stop in the city of Duluth. This stop was the result of an investigation into the sale of a controlled substance, specifically…

Minneapolis Cop Charged with Sexual Assault of Passed-Out Woman

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) – A Minneapolis police officer accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman will appear in court Thursday to face two felony charges. Thomas Robert Tichich, 47, was booked into jail early Thursday morning for the alleged December 15 incident. According to the charges, Tichich, the victim, and another woman were out drinking the night before and went back…

Wisconsin Lawmakers Propose Card Skimmer Crackdown

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Two Republican legislators have introduced a bill that would criminalize using credit card skimmers to steal people’s identities. A credit card skimmer is an electronic device that can be attached to a card reader on a gas pump or ATM to secretly collect credit card information. Senator Robert Cowles and Representative Rob Summerfield introduced a bill…

New Report Highlights Impacts of Opioid on Minnesota Tribal Communities

In Minnesota, opioid deaths have increased 430-percent since 2000

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A new report released Thursday, highlights the impacts of opioids on Minnesota Tribal communities across the state. The report is a summary of the Tribal-State Opioid Summit that took place last fall with Gov. Mark Dayton, Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, and Minnesota’s 11 tribal nations, as an effort to develop strategies for prevention, treatment, and recovery….

Wisconsin Men Arrested in Theft of 100,000 Diapers

FOX CROSSING, Wis. (AP) – Two Wisconsin men are accused of stealing 100,000 diapers. The Post-Crescent reports the police allege the men stole nearly 1,800 cases of diapers — valued at more than $45,000, from a charitable organization that provides goods to families in need. Authorities say the diapers were stolen during several thefts between January 3 and February 13…

Duluth Police Offer Tips to Reduce Vehicle Thefts

15 vehicles were stolen in Duluth for the month of January

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth Police Department is offering some suggestions to help reduce vehicle theft incidents. The most important thing one can do to prevent auto theft is to maintain control of keys and key fobs to vehicles. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reports that one of every eight vehicles stolen in 2015 had the key or fob…

All 5 Suspects Charged in Grahek’s Murder

  DULUTH, Minn. – Three more suspects have been charged in their involvement in the shooting death of UMD student, William Grahek on February 14, 2017. Deandre Demetrius Davenport, 21; Noah Duane Baker, 19; and Noah Anthony Charles King, 18, all of Duluth, have been formally charged in St. Louis County Court. All three are charged with Second Degree Murder…

Man Pleads Guilty to Criminal Vehicular Homicide in Gilbert Case

Will be Sentenced May 3rd

GILBERT, Minn.-A 57-year-old man has plead guilty to criminal vehicular homicide for his involvement in a fatal hit and run in Gilbert. In October, Jeffrey Airhart hit 85-year-old Florence Mannelin with his vehicle on the 100 Block of Broadway Avenue. After Airhart left the scene, Mannelin was taken to the hospital where she later died. Airhart has a history of…

Two Of Five Charged in Duluth Man’s Murder

Three Remaining Suspects Will Be Charged Tuesday

DULUTH, Minn. – Two of five suspects in the murder of University of Minnesota Duluth student, William Grahek, have been charged for their roles in the killing. Tara Baker, 22, of Duluth, is charged with murder in the Second Degree, as well as first-degree Aggravated Robbery. This charged is up from the initial report, where she was to be charged…

Disturbance at Ashland County Jail

ASHLAND COUNTY, Wis. – Ashland County Sheriff Michael Brennan reports that on the evening of Saturday, March 4, several inmates in the Ashland County Jail were causing a disturbance by yelling, kicking on doors, and refusing to return to their cells. Three cell blocks were involved in the disturbance. The inmates were reported to be no threat to each other…

Drugs Seized in Minnesota Reach Record Highs

State agencies pushing for education and community support

ST. PAUL, Minn. – From prescription pills to Methamphetamine, drugs are being seized at an alarming rate in Minnesota. Illicit drug use continuously threatens the safety and health of communities across the state as lives are lost and families destroyed by their use and abuse. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) reports that in 2016, Violent Crime Enforcement Teams…

5 Suspects Arrested in William Grahek’s Murder

DULUTH, Minn. – On Friday, March 3, the Duluth Police Department along with members of the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force arrested four people in the shooting death of 22-year-old William Andrew Grahek. A fifth person involved in this homicide was already in custody at the St. Louis County Jail on unrelated charges. • Deandre Demetrius Davenport,…

Man Sentenced to 3 Years for Role in Liquor Store Shooting

Darius Leelionza Handy DULUTH, Minn. – A 24-year-old who pleaded guilty in February, to a felony second-degree assault charge, has been sentenced to three years in prison. Darius Leelionza Handy, of Montgomery, Illionis, appeared in 6th Judicial District Court, today, March 3 after a pre-sentence investigation conducted by Arrowhead Regional Correction. Authorities reported that Handy fired a point-blank shot into the…

Diamond Reynolds, Girlfriend of Philando Castile, Arrested in St. Paul Assault

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) – Diamond Reynolds, the girlfriend of Philando Castile, was one of three women arrested Thursday in connection with the assault of a woman with a hammer in St. Paul, Minnesota. Reynolds gained worldwide attention last July when she used Facebook Live to stream the aftermath of Castile’s fatal shooting by a St. Anthony police officer in…

Northland Man Facing Multiple Felonies After 13-Hour Manhunt

Due Back in Court March 6

FINLAND, Minn.-A Silver Bay man is facing five different charges, including three felonies, after a 13-hour manhunt in Finland Sunday. Mark Wherley is facing two felony counts of assault in the second degree, and one felony charge of making threats of violence. He’s also been charged with two misdemeanors – carrying a weapon without Mark Wherley a permit and fleeing on foot….