Public Safety

Police: Man Accused of Starting Fire At Wis. Congressman’s Office Motivated By TikTok Ban

FOND DU LAC, Wis. (AP) — A man accused of setting fire to a strip mall in Wisconsin where a congressman’s office is located told authorities he was motivated by the federal ban on the popular TikTok video-sharing platform. Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman had voted last April for a bill that mandated TikTok’s China-based parent company sell its U.S. operation…

Missing Snowmobiler Found Dead In Chequamegon Bay

ASHLAND, Wis. – A missing snowmobiler was found dead in the open waters of the Chequamegon Bay Sunday morning. The discovery came after a nine-hour search effort by the U.S. Coast Guard, Wisconsin DNR and the Ashland Fire Department, among other agencies. The 20-year-old male victim was reported overdue for ice fishing around 12:15 a.m. Sunday. The last known communication…

Superior Police Find Shooting Victim at Hospital

The victim suffered a non-life-threatening wound to his arm

SUPERIOR, Wisc. – Superior Police say a man is in custody for shooting that left another man with non-life-threatening injuries. Police responded to the 3800 block of Tower Avenue around 10:00 pm Thursday evening for reports of a disturbance. Those at the scene told officers they heard a disturbance before a single gunshot. While investigating the scene, officers learned that…

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…

Man Charged for 778 grams of Cocaine, was out on Bond in Separate Drug Case

A LSVOTF search warrant seized 778 grams, and arrested a 24-year-old

DULUTH, Minn. – A man who was out on bond for allegedly possessing 730 grams of cocaine back in June, was arrested again last Tuesday for another substantial drug charge. The Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force (LSVOTF) seized 778 grams of cocaine when executing a search warrant at 2325 West 7th St in Duluth on Tuesday. The search and…

Winter Weather Safety Reminders

DULUTH, Minn.– With the Northland experiencing another cold snap there are a few things to keep in mind. The seasonal snowfall brought in a wave of customers checking out equipment to handle the weather. Staff at Marshall Hardware in Duluth informed FOX 21 about the importance of stocking up on the right winter gear. These items including plastic window covers,…

24 Dead As Crews Try To Corral Los Angeles Wildfires Before Winds Return

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters scrambled Sunday to make further progress against wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed 24 people in the Los Angeles area as forecasters again warned of dangerous weather with the return of strong winds this week. At least 16 people were missing, and authorities said that number was expected to rise. The National…

Duluth Hillside Stabbing Suspect In Custody, Charges Pending

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police say a man is in custody with charges pending for 1st Degree Assault, after a stabbing today in Duluth’s Hillside neighborhood. A 24-year-old was booked into the St. Louis County Jail today, pending charges for 1st Degree Assault, according to a statement by the Duluth Police Department. Officers responded to 100 block of East 3rd…

Hibbing Fire Department Purchases New Aerial Apparatus Truck

HIBBING, Minn.– Since 1994, the Hibbing Fire Department has relied on their big yellow apparatus truck to help them out with emergencies. But now, in the coming years, they will welcome a new aerial apparatus to join their fleet of trucks. The 1.9-million-dollar truck will take around two years to get manufactured. The truck will be built over in Wyoming…

Deadly Los Angeles Wildfires Rage On; FOX 21’s Perspective Of Fires On Northland Map

DULUTH, Minn. — Click the video above to watch FOX 21’s coverage at 9 p.m. Wednesday of the raging, fatal wildfires in the Los Angeles area.  Plus, Meteorologist Rusty Mehlberg gives a perspective of what the size of the fires over Los Angeles would look in Duluth and other parts of the Northland.  It’s a perspective that really opens your…

Manhunt for Triple Murder Suspect Grows in Wisconsin

The Juneau County Sheriff's Office "believe that Virgil may be out of the area."

NEW LISBON, Wisc. – The FBI and US Marshals have joined the manhunt for a triple murder suspect considered armed and dangerous in Wisconsin. The Juneau County Sheriff’s Office says it has conducted extensive ground searches and utilized drones in the search for 47-year-old Virgil Thew. Thew is wanted on three counts of First-Degree Intentional Homicide, after three bodies were…

Teen In Custody After ‘Shooting Incident’ In Bayfield County

TOWN OF KEYSTONE, Wis. — The Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 16-year-old after a “shooting incident” Dec. 30. According to a news release issued Jan. 8, the shooting happened in the Town of Keystone. The release did not provide details about the incident time, whether anyone was hit by gunfire, what the sex of the suspect is or…

Carlton Co. Inmate Charged with Attempted Murder of Guard

CARLTON, Minn. – A Carlton County inmate has been charged with attempted murder after he attacked a corrections officer, according to court documents. Matthew William Johnson, 27, is facing charges, including attempted murder, after authorities say he attacked a corrections officer at the Carlton County Jail on December 30. According to court documents, an officer let Johnson out of a…

Vineyard Church and Vineyard USA Face Civil Suits for Former Youth Pastor’s Abuse

The lawsuits name the church, their parent origination, their former youth pastor Jackson Gatlin, and his parents

DULUTH, Minn. -While the criminal cases against former Duluth Vineyard youth pastor Jackson Gatlin were prevented by a plea deal, new lawsuits aim to discover how sexual abuse within the church went overlooked for so long. On Nov. 6, Jackson Gatlin pled guilty to five counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a child. Gatlin received a 13-year sentence for the…

Warrant Finds Fentanyl at West Duluth Apartment

  DULUTH, Minn. – A man is in custody after a search warrant uncovered 150 grams of fentanyl, and thousands in cash at a West Duluth apartment. Duluth Police say a 54-year-old man was arrested this afternoon when they executed a search warrant alongside the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force. According to a statement by the department, officers executed…

Agencies Respond for Group Fighting at Miller Hill Mall Food Court

No arrests or persons of interest have been reported

DULUTH, Minn. – Multiple agencies responded to the Miller Hill Mall food court Monday afternoon, after calls that a group of juveniles and adults were fighting. In an email, the Duluth Police Department confirmed to FOX21 that around 6:30 pm this evening, they responded to the Miller Hill Mall for reports of “multiple people, both juveniles and adults, fighting in…

DECC Security Guard Charged After Recording Teen

The security guard is also charged with recording young women in his neighborhood

DULUTH, Minn. – A now former security guard has been charged with sexual harassment for recording a teen girl while she was using a private fitness facility at the DECC; and that wasn’t his first time. According to a criminal complaint filed Saturday, 62-year-old security guard Perry Michael Burke used his phone to record a 17-year-old girl while she was…

Driver Faces 24 Charges Stemming from Cherry Bus Crash

DULUTH, Minn. – The driver, who authorities say, was distracted by her phone when she crashed into a school bus back in September, is now facing 24 charges. Svea Snickers, 19, faces 24 charges including five felonies, seventeen gross misdemeanors, and two misdemeanors, from the same crash. A criminal complaint, filed on Thursday, claims the September 12, 2024, crash between…

Blighted Duluth Parking Ramp to be Torn Down

Duluth, Minn — One of Duluth’s deteriorated ramps is finally slated to come down. The Shoppers Auto Park Ramp on 2nd avenue west has been sitting empty for years now. Coated in graffiti and boarded up, it’s been a headache for the neighborhood. The neighboring New Garrick Building and the parking ramp share some structural supports, which means that demolition…

Federal Indictment for Two Men Accused of Fentanyl/Meth Distribution to Red Lake

A September traffic stop turned up a pound of meth and 100 grams of fentanyl

DULUTH, Minn. – A traffic stop by a Minnesota State Trooper in September uncovered 454 grams of meth and 100 grams of fentanyl, according to court documents; now the two occupants have been indicted. Federal authorities accuse 46-year-old Bobby Donnell, and 29-year-old Jordan Lussier, of conspiring to traffic drugs on the Red Lake Reservation. According to court documents, both men…

Douglas County Data Breach

SUPERIOR, Wisc. – Unauthorized access of HIPAA-protected information by county employee, largely flies under the radar. Six-months after the Douglas County Department of Health and Human Services determined an employee had accessed protected personal and health information without authorization, a notice appeared on the county’s website. The one-page statement states the employee was terminated, and that the Superior Police Department…

Sheriff’s Office Puts Out Warning After Man Flips Snowmobile In Rice Lake

RICE LAKE, Minn. – The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is reminding snowmobilers to use cause and wear a helmet. The reminder comes after a 79-year-old man flipped his snowmobile on Wild Rice Lake Reservoir in the city of Rice Lake Thursday. The accident happened around 4:15 p.m. When first responders arrived on scene, the man was breathing but was…

Police: 2 People Found Dead In Vehicle At Duluth Airport

UPDATE, (December 20)- Police have identified the two individuals found dead at the Duluth International Airport Thursday. The bodies of 75-year-old Duluth resident Lawrence Roscoe and 77-year-old Duluth resident Ann Roscoe were found inside a vehicle in a parking ramp at the airport. Police say the incident remains an active investigation. DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth police are investigating after two…

Building, Vehicle Struck By Gunfire During Bar Close In Superior

SUPERIOR, Wis. — Superior police are searching for a shooter after bullets went flying at bar close early Sunday morning. Police responded to the area of North 7th Street and Tower Avenue at 2:17 a.m. for reports of shots fire. A large group of people were leaving the bars when police arrived. Vehicle starts on fire after taking on gunfire…

Gilbert Woman Arrested for 2023 Fentanyl Overdose Death

DULUTH, Minn. – The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office say they have made an arrest in the overdose death of a Range man in 2023. A nine-month investigation into the death of 25-year-old Isaiah Deegan has resulted in 3rd Degree Murder charges for a Gilbert woman. 20-year-old Ashley Cook is who authorities allege sold Deegan the Fentanyl-laced pill that took his…

Sen. Hauschild Asks President To Rescind Clemency Of Former Duluth Headshop Owner Jim Carlson

DULUTH, Minn. — Minnesota Sen. Grant Hauschild (DFL-Hermantown) is calling on President Joe Biden to rescind his clemency ruling for former Last Place On Earth owner Jim Carlson. Carlson is among roughly 1,500 people whose sentences have been commuted by Biden — people who were “serving sentences in home confinement during the pandemic and who have successfully reintegrated into their…

3 Dead, Others Injured In Shooting At Private Christian School In Madison

Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A student opened fire at a private Christian school Monday morning in Wisconsin, killing two people in the final week before Christmas break. The shooter also died, police said. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes offered no details about the victims but said other people were wounded at Abundant Life Christian School, a K-12 school…

Staff Oppose Duluth Federal Prison Camp Closure

Prison camp staff object to closure of Duluth facility, site lack of warning

DULUTH, Minn. – Workers from Duluth’s Federal Prison Camp meet to discuss next steps, after the FBOP announced they will close or ‘deactivate’ multiple facilities across the country. A flurry of emotions at tonight’s workers’ union meeting over what comes next, after being informed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons that Duluth’s camp will be among the facilities to either…

Police: Man In Custody Had Gun, Mask, Writings Tying Him To Killing Of UnitedHealthcare CEO

FOXNews.com NEW YORK (AP) — Police arrested a “strong person of interest” Monday in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO after a quick-thinking McDonald’s employee in Pennsylvania alerted authorities to a customer who was found with a weapon and writings linking him to the ambush. The suspect, identified by police as 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione, had a gun believed…

Duluth Federal Prison Shutting Down

DULUTH, Minn. — The decades-old Duluth Federal Prison is shutting down. The Federal Bureau of Prison said Thursday that it’s one of six prisons across the country being “deactivated.” The agency said the decision is being made to help deal with significant challenges, including a critical staffing shortage, crumbling infrastructure and limited budgetary resources. The Duluth camp is not only…

Bicyclist Stuck, Killed By 2 Vehicles At Busy Duluth Intersection

DULUTH, Minn. – A bicyclist was struck and killed by two vehicles at a busy intersection in Duluth Wednesday evening. Duluth police said the 60-year-old man was struck around 5 p.m. on Mesaba Avenue below West 1st Street. Investigators believe the man was riding westbound when he went through the crosswalk without checking for oncoming traffic, which is when the…

UnitedHealthcare CEO Killed In ‘Targeted Shooting’ Outside New York Hotel, Officials Say

(AP) NEW YORK (AP) — UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed Wednesday morning in what police said was a “brazen, targeted attack” outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding an investor conference. The 50-year-old executive was shot around 6:45 a.m. as he walked alone to the New York Hilton Midtown from a nearby hotel, police…

Arson Suspected in String of 6 Sawyer County Fires

Sawyer County Sheriffs release surveillance video while appealing to public for information

DULUTH, Minn. – Sawyer County Sheriffs released a short surveillance video on Wednesday, showing an individual seen near one of the fire locations. Sawyer County Sheriffs are appealing to the public for information regarding a string of suspected arsons. Six structure fires were reported in the last week, all clustered near Exeland, Radisson, and Birchwood Townships. The first fires date…

Officers Assaulted, Student Arrested After Fight At Denfeld High School

DULUTH, Minn. — A fight at Denfeld High School Tuesday ended with one student arrested and officers assaulted. A school resource officer responded to help staff members try to separate the students. During the chaotic scene, one staff member and two officers were assaulted, according to a police spokesperson. Three other staff members suffered the effects of a chemical irritant,…

Former Duluth Youth Pastor Sentenced in 2 of 5 Cases

Jackson Michael Gatlin pled guilty to sexual assaulting children, while he served as a youth pastor from the Duluth Vineyard Church

DULUTH, Minn. -A former youth pastor for Duluth’s Vineyard Church, was sentenced to 13 years in prison Monday, after entering a guilty plea earlier this month. Jackson Michael Gatlin, 36, of Duluth, was a former youth pastor for Vineyard Church, where he sexually assaulted five girls from the congregation. On Monday, Gatlin was sentenced to 13 years in prison in…

Grain Elevator Blast Cause Still Unknown

SUPERIOR, Wisc. – Video from a Park Point home’s security camera Monday evening, captures the moment an explosion rocks a grain elevator across the bay. A press release from the Superior Fire Chief Camron Vollbrecht, confirmed the location of the blast as the Viterra Grain Elevator on Connor’s Point. All three of the city’s fire engines responded to the blast…

Superior Grain Elevator Explodes On Connor’s Point; No Injuries Reported

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Superior Fire Department is investigating an explosion at a plant on Connor’s Point in Superior Monday night. Doorbell video from a home on Duluth’s Park Point captured multiple bursts of flames around 6:15 p.m. Mayor Jim Paine told FOX 21 that fire crews responded to a grain explosion at the Viterra Grain Elevator at 400 Main…

Mother Of Teen Killed In W. Skyline Parkway Rollover Remembers His Love For Cars, Family

Duluth police said speed was a major factor in the accident.

DULUTH, Minn. — A Duluth mother is remembering her son, Tyriq Gordon, 19, who died over the weekend after his beloved Audi left West Skyline Parkway in what authorities believe was a high-speed accident. Tyriq celebrates 19th birthday Tyriq planned to celebrate his 20th birthday on Nov. 22. The one-vehicle accident happened around 1:15 a.m. Saturday on the 5-thousand block…

New Safe Exchange Area at Duluth Safety Building

  DULUTH, Minn.– A lot of purchases these days involve transactions through the internet. And with those exchanges, finding a safe place to meet up can be challenging. And to help with that uncertainty St Louis County, and the Duluth Police Department launched the new safe exchange area. It is located at the Duluth Public Safety building. It’s meant to…

E-Mailed Bomb Threats Target Minnesota Election Offices

E-mailed bomb threats have targeted more than half of Minnesota’s election offices since Nov. 8. St. Louis county has not been targeted, though, according to a county spokesperson Tuesday night. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon issued the following statement: “Threats of violence against election workers, aimed at disrupting our democracy, are absolutely unacceptable. Although election day is over, election…

5 Dead in Suspected Murder-Suicide

A father is suspected of shooting his two sons, and their mothers before taking his own life

DULUTH, Minn. – Around 2:00 pm Thursday, Duluth Police performed a welfare check at the 6000 block of Tacony Street, which would lead to the discovery of one of the deadliest criminal acts in recent history. At a press conference, officials addressed the deaths of three adults and two children whose bodies were found at properties less than a mile…

Victims of Former Youth Pastor Speak

A Duluth youth pastor pled to sexual assault of children in his congregation

DULUTH, Minn. – Sexual assault victims of a former youth pastor spoke today, after a plea hearing in a Duluth court. A former youth pastor for Vineyard Church in Duluth, Jackson Michael Gatlin, was booked into the St. Louis County Jail today, following a plea hearing in which he faced 10 charges related to the sexual assault of children from…

Investigation of Superior Police Officer Leads to Dismissal of 40 Criminal Cases

Dist. Atty. Mark Fruehauf said he discovered serious inconsistencies between the officer's written report and body camera evidence.

SUPERIOR, Wis. — A Superior police officer is no longer on the force after Douglas County District Attorney Mark Fruehauf discovered the officer may have intentionally lied on a police report to raise a suspect’s charges to a felony. As FOX 21’s Dan Hanger reports, Fruehauf has been forced to dismiss 40 criminal cases because of credibility concerns involving the…