November 28th 2008
Lake Crystal, MN
A police officer in southern Minnesota stopped only one car, but he ended up arresting two people for drunken driving. Lake Crystal Police say officer Joe Swenson stopped a 25-year-old driver Tuesday and gave him a field sobriety test. He determined the man was drunk, so he arrested him and put the man in his squad car. While Swenson was taking care of paperwork, he saw the passenger of the car, a 40-year-old man, jump into the driver's seat and speed away. With the first DWI suspect in the back, police say Swenson followed the man, who eventually stopped but refused to take an alcohol breath test. Lake Crystal Police Chief Tony Cornish says he's seen drivers
attempt to switch seats with sober passengers, but he says he's never heard of a passenger taking off with a car when they're not in trouble. Cornish says the man probably would have gotten a ride home but "in this case, he got a ride to jail instead."
Sauk Rapids, MN
The Benton County Sheriff's office has released the name of an infant killed Tuesday in a two-vehicle
collision outside of Sauk Rapids. Alexander Rosales-Roque is the 5-month-old son of Clara Roque
and Virgilio Rosales. That's according to Benton County Sheriff Brad Bennett. Bennett says Rosales was driving and Roque was ejected in the crash, which happened Tuesday evening at Mayhew Lake Road and County Road 74. The baby was in a car seat in the back seat. He was dead at the
scene. His mother suffered serious injuries and was being cared for at St. Cloud Hospital. Authorities are still investigating what happened.
Duluth, MN
A 28-year-old man was in jail Thursday after allegedly attacking a police officer with a screwdriver.
Duluth police say they responded to an incident Wednesday after a resident called to say her intoxicated son refused to leave. When police arrived, they say the man lunged at an officer with
the screwdriver, injuring the officer in the bicep. The officer was treated and released at a local hospital. The man is in the St. Louis County jail facing attempted murder
and assault charges.
November 26th 2008
Prior Lake, MN
A community notification hearing about a level three sex offender set to move into Prior Lake will be held at City Hall, 4646 Dakota St., at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2. Travis Allan Olsen, 35, a level three sex offender, will move into the 16000 block of Cambridge Circle, just south of Lakefront Park, on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Police received notification of Olsen moving into the Cambridge neighborhood late in the day on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Olsen has a history of sexual contact with female victims ages 14 to 16, according to police. The contact included penetration, and force was used to gain compliance, police said. Olsen was also known to his victims. During the notification hearing, speakers from the Department of Corrections and the Prior Lake Police Department will give presentations about Olsen and answer questions from the public regarding Olsen and his release from custody.
Faribault, MN
The National Transportation Safety Board is nearly finished with its final report on the plane crash at the Faribault airport that killed four people. On Nov. 25 last year, a single-engine plane piloted by Dr. Chester Mayo cartwheeled down the runway and exploded. An initial report suggested a gust of high wind might be to blame. NTSB investigator Ed Malinowski says his final report is in the review stages and could be issued as early as December, though he couldn't comment on any if its findings. However, he cautioned if the report is sent back for revision it might not be published until March or April. Those killed in the crash included Mayo, his son - Chester Mayo Jr. - his son's girlfriend Corey Lyn Creger and his son's Shattuck-St. Mary's roommate, Jay Wang.
Wayzata, MN
A 25-year-old Wayzata man has been sentenced to 24 1/2 years in prison for raping a woman at knifepoint near the University of Minnesota. Christopher E. Karls was sentenced Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court. He had pleaded guilty to several felonies in the
home invasion and attack. During his sentencing hearing, his multiple charges were merged
into one count of burglary, one count of kidnapping and one count of criminal sexual conduct.
After the woman was raped in May, she escaped by jumping out the second-floor bathroom window wrapped in a towel. She broke her ankle and suffered minor knife wounds. Court records indicate that blood samples from the scene matched Karls's DNA.
Minneapolis, MN
Law enforcement authorities in Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin are participating in a regional crackdown on holiday motorists who violate seat belt and other
traffic safety laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Midwest
administrator, Michael Witter, says the effort is focusing on nighttime hours from Tuesday through this weekend and has a simple goal: to save lives. He says officers don't enjoy writing tickets, but it's far worse to have to notify next of kin after a fatal crash.
November 25, 2008
Savage, MN
Grainwood Elementary Principal Barb Yetzer will be the new Redtail Ridge Elementary Principal when the new school in Savage opens its doors in 2009-10. Superintendent Sue Ann Gruver presented Yetzer to the board Monday, which approved and congratulated her on the role. One of Yetzer's first tasks will be to arrange for furnishings at the school for its opening. Gruver hasn't found a replacement for the vacant spot in Grainwood yet and will have the opening posted.
Darwin, MN
Authorities are investigating after a body was found in a burned pickup truck south of Darwin sunday night in Ellsworth Township in central Minnesota. Meeker County Sheriff Mike Hirman says a passing motorist reported that a pickup was on fire just after 10 p.m. Sunday. After fire crews put out the blaze, the body was discovered inside the cab. Hirman says the body has been taken to Anoka County for an autopsy. No other details are being released at this time.
St Paul, MN
A week of dry weather helped Minnesota farmers advance on the corn harvest, which remains behind the historical average for this time of year. The weekly crop report from the Minnesota filed office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture says 92 percent of the corn crop is harvested. It's usally 97 percent done by now. The sunflower harvest is at 93 percent complete, compared to 100 percent last year and 95 percent for the five-year average. Freezing temperatures throughout the state last week, however, has hindered some farmer's ability to till the soil and apply fertilizer. The average temperature for the week was 22.2 degrees, 4.7 degrees below normal, and there were just under five days suitable for fieldwork. Statewide topsoil moisture supplies as of Friday were 4 percent short, 79 percent adequate, and 17 percent surplus.
Boulder, CO
A 37-year-old Minnesota man has escaped injury after the plane he built crashed near the Boulder Municipal Airport. The Boulder County Sheriff's Office says engine failure appears to have caused the single-engine plane to go down in a field shortly after taking off at about 1 p.m. Monday. The left wing of the Kitfox Classic 4 experimental plane then hit a post, causing the aircraft to spin around before coming to stop within yards of homes. The crash sparked a small grass firethat was put out by firefighters. Authorities say the pilot, Jason Patton of Albert Lea, MN., was able to get away from the wreckage unharmed before it was engulfed in flames. The FAA is now investigating the crash.
St. Cloud, MN
Police in St. Cloud are looking for a retired St. Cloud State University professor who has been missing since Sunday. The vehicle that 80 year old Allen Leroy Brink was driving was found early Monday in the middle of the street, next to the school's hockey arena. It was unlocked and the keys were in the ignition.
November 20, 2008
New Prague Walmart Nixed Adam Bartels
Wal-Mart announced Wednesday, November 19 that they have withdrawn their plans to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter in New Prague.
According to a press release from the company, "the decision is related to Wal-Mart's recently announced plans to moderate growth of U.S. Supercenters."
The press release stated that the company's decision "takes nothing away from New Prague as a good place to do business, but instead is based on the company's current national growth strategy being implemented across the country.
The City of New Prague recently passed an ordinance annexing approximately 75 acres of land on the west side of the city, with Wal-Mart taking up about a third of that land. The state is expecting to finalize the annexation within the next two weeks.
New Prague's city administrator, Michael Johnson, said it appears that the project is a victim of the current economic climate, much in the same way as the housing situation in New Prague.
