Benito Hernandez Romo Jr. allegedly steals car during job interiew

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Benito Hernandez Romo
​Benito Hernandez Romo Jr. was looking for a job when he stole a car, prosecutors say.

Romo was in Apple Valley for a job interview when he took someone else's car for a joyride. According to police, the car's rightful owner parked his car at a train station in Apple Valley just before 7 a.m. January 30. The keys stuck in the ignition, but with a bus to catch, the owner left the readily steal-able car behind.

The car was gone when he returned that evening.

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Wendy Jojola, former North Dakota PTA VP, arrested in prostitution sting

Categories: Crime
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Fargo Inforum
Three years removed from NoDak PTA VP, Jojola allegedly agreed to sell her sex for money.
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And people think that PTA meetings are boring...

Wendy Jojola, Fargo resident and former president of a Fargo school PTA, was arrested during a prostitution sting in Fargo on Monday night, the Inforum reports. She allegedly told detectives at a Motel 6 she would engage in sexual activities for money.

Jojola, 46, served as Fargo Discovery Middle School PTA president during the 2008-09 school year, but no longer works with the organization. She also served as the North Dakota PTA's vice president of membership in 2009.

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Wayne DeMay, southern MN man, charged with bigamy

Categories: Crime
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Wayne DeMay's first marriage must've been rough -- 26 days after tying the knot, he bolted, but never got divorced.
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A married-but-separated Hollandale, Minnesota man decided to marry another woman -- and now he faces up to five years in prison.

Wayne DeMay, 41, faces one felony count of bigamy in Freeborn County, which is apparently a little closer to Utah than we thought.

In 2003, DeMay married Brigette DeMay (nee Beaumont), 40, in Kentucky, but fled Kentucky and his wife less than a month later. His estranged wife has recently been trying to track down her husband in order to complete a divorce and get remarried herself. She found him in Southern Minnesota, married to another woman.

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Native Mob takedown: a closer look at the charges [PHOTOS]

Categories: Crime

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The federal indictment names 24 suspected Native Mob members.
​Over the past two weeks, local and federal law enforcement agencies have been collaborating on a statewide takedown of the Native Mob.

As we first reported in our November cover story, "The Banishing," the Native Mob started in south Minneapolis in the '90s, and has since established a national reputation through violent and drug-related crimes.

The indictment, which was unsealed in full last week, describes the gang as a well-organized criminal enterprise, alleging racketeering, witness tampering, conspiracy, and more. Maximum sentences for those charged range from 20 years to life in prison. Below is a closer look at the alleged Native Mob members and the individual charges. Notice that all 24 are charged with RICO conspiracy, which allows for extended penalties for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.

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Aaron Beaulieu guilty in murder of William Nickaboine

Categories: Crime

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William Nickaboine was brutally murdered in summer 2010.
​Aaron Beaulieu, one of two men accused of brutally killing fellow Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe member William Nickaboine in 2010, has been convicted on two counts of felony murder.

We first wrote about the murder in our November cover story, "The Banishing." A civilian search party discovered Nickaboine's body behind the reservation's waste water treatment plant. A knife was found in a ditch nearby, and an autopsy showed Nickaboine had been beaten, cut, and burned.

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Copper thieves targeting north Minneapolis air conditioners

Categories: Crime

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A hot commodity in Minneapolis these days.
​Minneapolis copper scavengers have found a new target: air conditioners.

In the past two weeks, six air conditioners have been stolen or stripped in north Minneapolis, according to police. Since mid-November, 11 more were hit in south Minneapolis neighborhoods.

Though the target is new -- at least in Minneapolis -- the problem isn't. Copper theft is an ongoing crime in Minneapolis, which makes sense, given how the price of copper has continued to go up.

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Rep. Tony Cornish crime bill: a noose and gallows

Categories: Crime, Politics

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Sally Jo Sorensen
A crime bill everyone can get behind?
​Republican State Representative Tony Cornish unveiled his crime bill to DFL colleagues yesterday.

The "bill," revealed in an email to "All DFL representatives," features a photo of two nooses and a gallows -- and that's all. Cornish's Facebook reveals more information.

The gallows is apparently from Arizona, and the photo was apparently taken and uploaded to Facebook earlier this year. Under the photo, Cornish writes: "Only Sure Cure for Repeat Offenders."

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Eric Bower still wanted in Native Mob federal crackdown

Categories: Crime

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Eric Bower is one of 24 suspected Native Mob members named in a recently unsealed indictment.
​Authorities are still trying to round up one suspected Native Mob member in a federal, multi-jurisdictional crackdown on the Minnesota-based gang, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Last night, Wakinyan McArthur and Christopher Lee Wuori were arrested in Minneapolis. Eric Bower, a 23-year-old from White Earth, is the only remaining alleged gang member still on the lam.

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Michael Hudalla sentenced to 6 years in prison, ordered to pay $847,000 in restitution

Categories: Crime
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A judge called Michael Hudalla's behavior "severe," "grave," and "criminal."
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Michael Hudalla, formerly a prominent figure in the Minneapolis biker scene, was sentenced to more than six years in prison yesterday for two racketeering charges. Hudalla was also ordered to pay a combined total of $847,023 in restitution to City Mortgage and Provident Funding.

We first wrote about Hudalla in our April 2011 cover story, "Born To Lie." Once the proud owner of Trackstar Motorsports, Hudalla was charged with felony racketeering in fall 2010 for a series a strange transactions related to his company, Enzo Mortgage Group.

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Minneapolis experiencing rash of smartphone thefts

Categories: Crime, Minneapolis
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Aren't these phones cool? Thieves think so too.
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Attention, idiots who walk down dark Minneapolis streets at night while obliviously staring at your fancy phones -- thieves are out there, and if the opportunity presents itself they may leave you iPhone-less.

A police alert issued this afternoon by the city of Minneapolis warns about a recent rash of smartphone thefts throughout the city.

And no, there is no app to keep thieves away -- just good ol' fashioned common sense.

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