Crime

Woman charged with fraud after buying $1,800 worth of male enhancement pills

Filed under: Crime

A Crystal woman is facing felony fraud charges after allegedly stealing credit card numbers to buy $1,800 worth of male-enhancement pills online. Police say they grew suspicious after dozens of NRA sticker-emblazoned Ferraris began showing up in her driveway during all hours of the day.

Upon questioning, Phylicia Freeman, 20, reportedly told police that she "had nothing to do with any stolen credit cards or with customer credit card numbers where she works." She claimed the pills belonged to a 22-year-old man she lived with. City Pages has obtained a photograph of that man.

Posted by Matt Snyders at July 1, 2008 4:26 PM | Comments (1)

 

Criminal Profiler Debunks "Smiley Face Killers"

Filed under: Crime

Are a team of serial killers preying on college men across the country, abducting and then drowning them in rivers and lakes, and taunting police with with cryptic calling cards at the scenes of the crime?

The creepy theory of the Smiley Face Killers first aired locally on KSTP's 5 Eyewitness News a few weeks ago and later made national headlines when it was picked up by CNN and ABC's Good Morning America.

According to the reports, two retired detectives from New York have spent 11 years investigating 40 cases of college-age men who died under similar circumstances: They disappeared after a night of heavy drinking, and their bodies were later recovered from nearby bodies of water. The drownings occurred in 25 cities in 11 states, stretching from New York to the Midwest, including nearly 20 cases in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The detectives believe the young men were murdered, even though there was no evidence of foul play. All the deaths were officially ruled drownings, although one case--that of University of Minnesota senior Christopher Jenkins, who died on Halloween in 2002--was reclassified as a homicide after a jailhouse tip.

The detectives base their theory on clues that include one hauntingly lurid detail: In 12 of the 40 cases, the ex-cops say they found painted smiley faces near where they suspect the bodies first entered the water. Because some of the deaths occurred on the same day in different states, the detectives surmise that more than one person is committing the crimes.

Pat Brown

It's a bizarre theory, but because we don't have a degree in criminology, we decided to solicit the opinion of one of the nation's best-known criminal profilers. Pat Brown is a former Minnesotan now living in the Washington, D.C., area. She has appeared frequently as a media commentator, including appearances on CNN, FOX, and MSNBC, and she is a regular guest on CNN's Nancy Grace. When we asked her opinion of the so-called Smiley Face Killers, she didn't mince words.

"They don't exist," she said flatly. "It's ludicrous." Serial killers, Brown said, "just don't work that way."

For one thing, she says, sociopaths probably wouldn't work that hard, traveling to several states to find victims.

Second, a serial killer's motive is generally pretty clear. "It's usually a sexual assault," Brown says, which isn't the case in these drownings.

Third, serial killers prefer to work alone. "Sometimes you'll get a pair of them," she says, but not working in separate locations.

Fourth, their choice of victims doesn't match the serial killer profile. "They don't pick on big college boys. They pick on little girls, or teenage girls, or young teenage boys like 14 years old who can't fight back."

Fifth, the idea that they could abduct 40 male college students and drown them all without leaving a suspicious mark on their bodies strains all credibility.

And what about the most suggestive clue--the smiley faces? "It's not an unusual symbol. There could be millions of them around town," she says. If there were ones on the bodies of the boys, on their chests, then I'd say you've got something." The detectives can't know where the bodies first entered the water, so the entry point is only educated guesswork. "If you look in an area five miles square, I bet you could find a smiley face."

So, college students still have to worry about getting drunk and drowning, but Brown doesn't believe they have to worry about an "Internet gang" of killers. "It's just absolutely insane," she says.

Posted by Matt Smith at June 13, 2008 3:46 PM | Comments (19)

 

Chief Dolan in the Dog Pound

Filed under: Crime

Just over a week ago, City Pages reported that it had been a ruff month for Police Chief Tim Dolan, who was forced to admit to using the police K-9 kennel to board his civilian pooch. The confession came after officers complained to the Police Federation they were tired of grooming the chief's mutt on city time.

Yesterday, the Star Tribune confirmed it: Dolan is in the doghouse.

Continue reading "Chief Dolan in the Dog Pound"

Posted by Beth Walton at June 12, 2008 2:14 PM | Comments (0)

 

Crime takes a holiday: Violence on the decline in the Twin Cities

Filed under: Crime

Violent crime in the Twin Cities is down virtually across the board according to newly released FBI stats.

The bureau cautions that the data is preliminary, but the stats show violent crime down 1.4% and property crime down 2.1% nationwide. The rates are even better for Minneapolis and St. Paul, according to this chart. From 2006 to 2007:

Continue reading "Crime takes a holiday: Violence on the decline in the Twin Cities"

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at June 12, 2008 7:23 AM | Comments (2)

 

Same-sex domestic violence is real--and deadly

Filed under: Crime

After wrapping up my article on cuts to Hennepin County's Domestic Abuse Service Center, I got word of a deadly domestic assault. The victim was a man. His abuser-turned-murderer: also a man.

Rebecca Waggoner Kloek heads up the Anti-Violence program for OutFront Minnesota. She works 20 hours a week at the Domestic Violence Service Center as an advocate for the GLBT victims who walk in the door.

Continue reading "Same-sex domestic violence is real--and deadly"

Posted by Jeff Severns Guntzel at June 10, 2008 7:22 PM | Comments (1)

 

MC Rove Will Be in Da House Tomorrow

Filed under: Crime

In a move that has baffled everyone from bloggers to the Star Tribune editorial board, the Republican Party has selected a soulless, Machiavellian huckster to deliver the keynote speech at the state GOP convention in Rochester tomorrow.

What would possess a party comprised of intellectually crippled closet-perverts to select Karl Rove remains unclear at this point, though many have speculated that the Party’s shadowy culture of backroom dealing and raging cronyism may have had a hand in the selection. Or maybe it’s Rove’s ability to cut a rug that so entices the party faithful. Dude's considered something of a rock star amongst bullshit peddlers.

Continue reading "MC Rove Will Be in Da House Tomorrow"

Posted by Matt Snyders at May 30, 2008 4:01 PM | Comments (3)

 

Minnesota's GLBT community reported 137% more violence and intimidation last year

Filed under: Crime

In a new study, The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) has found that reports of violence, harassment, and intimidation against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in Minnesota spiked in 2007. Nationally, overall reports went up by an average of 24%. In Minnesota: 135%.

Some additional findings:

Continue reading "Minnesota's GLBT community reported 137% more violence and intimidation last year"

Posted by Jeff Severns Guntzel at May 30, 2008 1:24 PM | Comments (0)

 

Gubernatorial Graffiti

Filed under: Crime

The portraits of Jesse Ventura (1999-2003), Harold LeVander (1967-71), and Elmer L. Andersen (1961-63) were vandalized with with markers most likely some time today.

Continue reading "Gubernatorial Graffiti"

Posted by Ben Palosaari at May 14, 2008 5:31 PM | Comments (1)

 

Alleged Public Masturbator Charged with Indecent Exposure

Filed under: Crime

U of M police charged a Minneapolis man yesterday with two counts of indecent exposure.

In two separate occasions last week, a pair of U of M coeds claimed a middle-aged man sat next to them in the U's Walter Library and began masturbating. Police arrested David Lee Gatson Tuesday evening after the 39-year returned to the library, presumably intent on repeating his performance.

Gatson faces up to one year in prison and/or a fine of $3,000 for each count.

[Cribbed from the Minnesota Daily]

Posted by Matt Snyders at April 11, 2008 2:38 PM | Comments (2)

 

Storlie speaks

Filed under: Crime

David Chanen has a fascinating profile of Charles "Chip" Storlie in today's Star Tribune. For the first time since shooting undercover officer Duy Ngo multiple times with a machine gun five years ago, Storlie gives his account of what happened that dreadful night. The MPD officer tells Chanen that when he realized he had shot a fellow cop, "the blood rushed from my face and I felt like I was wearing lead boots."

Storlie was never charged with a crime. He was also cleared of any wrongdoing by the MPD's internal affairs unit. However, by all accounts the investigation into what happened that night was horribly botched from the outset. The City of Minneapolis settled a civil lawsuit stemming from the incident in November for $4.5 million.

Since the shooting, Storlie has served two tours of duty overseas with the Minnesota National Guard. Most recently he's been working as a security guard for a private military contractor in Iraq. However he intends to eventually return to the MPD.

Ngo gave his account of the shooting incident in this 2003 CP cover story.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 10, 2008 1:10 PM | Comments (1)

 

It's a dangerous world out there, watch yourself, watch your shoe

Filed under: Crime

We here at City Pages found the University of Minnesota's video on student safety so compelling that a mention in our print blotter just didn’t suffice. After all, lives, and apparently shoes, are at risk even in broad daylight on the U's campus. This is problem we cannot ignore.

Continue reading "It's a dangerous world out there, watch yourself, watch your shoe"

Posted by Beth Walton at March 6, 2008 3:43 PM | Comments (2)

 

Minnesota ranks high in black murder victims

Filed under: Crime

The Violence Policy Center just released a report on what it is calling a "national crisis" of black homicide victims. FBI statistics for 2005 were studied and Minnesota tied New Jersey for 16th largest rate of black murder victims per capita.

Continue reading "Minnesota ranks high in black murder victims"

Posted by Jeff Severns Guntzel at January 30, 2008 9:38 AM | Comments (2)

 

Murder Mystery in Blue Earth

Filed under: Crime

The Fairmont Sentinel has published a riveting series about a Blue Earth cold case. It's the story of a Jane Doe, strangled and dumped in a ditch, her body found by a farmer after floating some distance in floodwaters. It was 1980. Eventually, after searching in vain for the woman's killer and her identity, Fairbault County paid $1,500 to have her buried in Blue Earth's Riverside Cemetery. Her tombstone read: “Unidentified Woman: Found May 30, 1980 near Interstate 90 east of Blue Earth.” The killer, a former state trooper and member of a religious cult, eventually confessed to the killing but could not help with the woman's identity. He said she was a hitchhiker. He's up for parole. Perhaps the most incredible part of this story is the woman recently moved to Blue Earth has made it her mission to find out who Jane Doe was.

Continue reading "Murder Mystery in Blue Earth"

Posted by Jeff Severns Guntzel at January 21, 2008 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

 

Racially Motivated Beat-Down on the Bus

Filed under: Crime

A black man and woman were arrested for being part of a group of seven that beat up an African man on a bus last week in Minneapolis. Their stated reason, according to a criminal complaint: he was African.

Continue reading "Racially Motivated Beat-Down on the Bus"

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at January 4, 2008 1:52 PM | Comments (8)

 

Daddy Dumbest

Filed under: Crime

On a recent Friday night, Andrew St. Michel was speeding through Brooklyn Center on I-94 when Sgt. Dan Beasley, a state trooper, pulled him over. According to a criminal complaint, when Beasley approached St. Michel's window, the 23-year-old driver explained that he was in a hurry to pick up his young son. After noticing St. Michel's telltale bloodshot and watery eyes, Beasley opened St. Michel's door and told him to get out the car.

Continue reading "Daddy Dumbest"

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at December 27, 2007 12:33 PM | Comments (0)

 

Judge's Order Questions DWI Convictions

Filed under: Crime

A Hennepin County district court judge has issued an order suppressing information from a breathalyzer test should the defendant in the case not get access to proof of the particular machine's effectiveness within 30 days of requesting it. Judge Jack Nordby wonders whether it is "thinkable, constitutionally, that our society could imprison persons who simply decline to take a test on a machine to whose design, construction, and functioning they do not have complete access?”
Via Minnesota Lawyer.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at December 11, 2007 12:03 PM | Comments (0)

 

Good Cop, Bad Cop

Filed under: Crime

At about five o'clock on Sunday morning, as a Hennepin County sheriff's deputy pulled up to his Brooklyn Park home, he saw that all the lights in the house were on and that a strange car was parked at an angle and stuck in a snow bank in his driveway. Upon walking into his garage, the deputy encountered 28-year-old Daniel Lewandowski, who was coming from the house to the garage. Thinking Lewandowski must be a friend of his teenage daughter, the deputy told him to move his car.

Continue reading "Good Cop, Bad Cop"

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at December 5, 2007 5:48 PM | Comments (0)

 

Crime blotter: three wheelin'

Filed under: Crime

On November 10 at approximately 10:35 p.m. a Minneapolis cop pulled over Carly Jo Juetten in downtown Minneapolis. The reason? Her vehicle had no left front tire. Juetten informed the officer that she was unaware that her car had only three tires. The cop also observed that she had slurred speech, smelled of booze, and had difficulty walking, according to a criminal complaint filed this week. The 26-year-old Minneapolis resident declined to take a breathalyzer test. She's been charged with one count each of driving while intoxicated and refusing to take a breath test.

Posted by Paul Demko at November 28, 2007 2:58 PM | Comments (0)

 

A day at the mall

Filed under: Crime

According to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County Court: Last Sunday, 18-year-old Joshua Jackson and a couple friends were cruising Lake Street in the car he'd stolen the day before when, in a stroke of bad luck, it broke down. Happily, the three pals were close to the light rail, so they hopped aboard and rode it to the Mall of America, where they spent a few hours soaking in the ubiquitous amusements. When it was time to go home, the three amigos decided not to bother with public transport. Instead, they settled on an enticing Buick Century in the parking garage. Sadly, as Jackson was hotwiring the car with a screwdriver, its rightful owner showed up. Jackson and his two friends were quickly apprehended and arrested. And, in a sign of how fragile friendship can be, two of them got right to accusing each other of breaking the car window.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at November 21, 2007 1:52 PM | Comments (0)

 

What do you have to do to solve a sex crime in the Twin Cities?

Filed under: Crime

In the wake of the City Pages investigation into the under-staffing of the Minneapolis Sex Crimes Unit, today's Pioneer Press front page story raises many of the same issues about the infrastructure a city needs to respond to and solve rapes and other sex crimes.

The headline of Mara Gottfried's piece says about all you need to know: "Rape tipster wanted cops, got voicemail." Get the rest of the story here.

Posted by Jeff Severns Guntzel at November 13, 2007 11:54 AM | Comments (0)

 

Man faces five to 15 years in prison for possessing BB gun

Filed under: Crime

A Brooklyn Center man is facing up to 15 years in prison for brandishing a BB gun.

According to the police complaint filed on Monday, Lucas Martel James strolled into an apartment in South Minneapolis with the "gun" in tow and declared he "would go wherever he wanted."

One of the apartment-dwellers left the building and flagged down Sergeant Gregory Freeman and told him that James had a "long, black machine gun." It remains unclear whether James knew the apartment’s occupants or, for that matter, why he showed up in the first place. (No breaking and entering or assault charges to speak of.)

Whatever the case, Sergeant Freeman arrived on scene to find the scoped air gun next to the couch. In a post-Miranda statement, James admitted he "played with the BB gun." After Freeman discovered that James had been convicted of simple robbery back in 1990, he arrested the 38-year-old for felony possession of a firearm. The charge carries a penalty of five to 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine.

Posted by Matt Snyders at November 3, 2007 9:38 AM | Comments (3)

 

The Disappearing Sex Crimes Unit

Filed under: Crime

In Minneapolis, with rapes on the rise, the Sex Crimes Unit of the Minneapolis Police Department has been cut from 10 investigators to 4--and their rape related arrests have tanked (see this week's cover story). The Chief of Police says he has a finite number of cops to move around and that he is accountable to community calls for cops on the street. Mayor Rybak says Pawlenty's Local Government Aid cuts are to blame. Meanwhile, for roughly nine out of every ten rapes reported to the police, there is a victim waiting to hear word of an arrest. What do you think?

Continue reading "The Disappearing Sex Crimes Unit"

Posted by Jeff Severns Guntzel at October 17, 2007 12:47 PM | Comments (8)

 

Fergus Falls vandalized by dyslexic tagger

Filed under: Crime

Last week Fergus Falls endured a rash of graffiti. The message: "Fuck Fergus Falls Police Nigya." On three different occasions taggers spray-painted anti-cop messages in the town of 14,000, 175 miles west of the Twin Cities. City streets have been hit twice, while a third message was sprayed on a railroad bridge.

Sgt. Jeff Hohrman, of the Fergus Falls Police Department, says that graffiti aimed at the cops is a new phenomenon in the town. "We've dealt with some tagging and stuff in the past, but it's not a real rampant problem," he says.

According to Hohrman, no suspects have been identified. The police believe all three messages were left by the same tagger. The offensive remarks have been painted over by city workers.

Posted by Paul Demko at August 20, 2007 1:06 PM | Comments (8)

 

A bad day fishing

Filed under: Crime

On July 9, 2005, Dewayne Davidson was fishing along the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis when he decided to take a nap. The Mankato resident's sleep was interrupted, however, by the sound of a barking dog.

According to a lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court, Davidson stood up and saw a man with a flashlight. He was worried that he was going to be robbed. "Get your ass up here now you scum bag, you homeless scum bag," the man purportedly said. The stranger was subsequently identified at Minneapolis police officer Mark Lanassa.

Davidson was ordered to the ground. After he complied, Davison claims, he was set upon by a police dog. The canine bit into his left leg and held on for a "lengthy period of time," according to the lawsuit. Davidson further charges that Lanassa kicked him in the testicles and ribs, along with punching him in the face.

Continue reading "A bad day fishing"

Posted by Paul Demko at July 9, 2007 3:03 PM | Comments (1)

 

Vang Pao devoted his life to fighting communism in Laos—until the U.S. government arrested him

Filed under: Crime

The most recent issue of Orange County Weekly features a story on former Royal Lao Army General Vang Pao and the recent arrest for his involvement in the secret purchase of millions of dollars worth of AK-47s, C-4 explosives and Stinger missiles. Dubbed Operation Popcorn, the armaments, along with hundreds of American mercenaries, would be smuggled from Thailand to Hmong insurgents in Laos. An excerpt: "If convicted, Vang faces a possible sentence of life in prison. Thousands of Hmong gathered in Sacramento to protest his arrest, many of them chanting, 'Free Vang Pao!' and charging the U.S. government with betraying Vang, who has for decades openly advocated a violent overthrow of the Laotian government. As recently as February 2007, the New Republic quoted Vang bragging that he would pull off a coup in Laos sometime this year. 'The U.S. has better rifles, better guns than the communists,' Vang said. 'If they give me the guns, I can conquer Laos in 2007. I still believe I can do it.' Despite this, Vang's lawyer, John Balazs, quickly released a statement declaring Vang's innocence." Read Nick Shou's story, The General's Last Stand, here.

Related: The Last Place on Earth, The Outsiders, Exodus

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 6, 2007 1:58 PM | Comments (0)

 

Convenience stores become the latest casualties in the war on drugs

Filed under: Crime

The sidewalk in front of Wafana's, a convenience store on Lyndale Avenue and North 24th Street, was for years known as a place to score all manner of illegal drugs. But last November, in a crackdown on troublemaking corner stores, the city finally forced Wafana's to close.

So far, eight stores have gotten the ax, reports Grant Wilson, business license manager for the city. "These are places people don't feel safe walking by," he says. The new get-tough policy, he asserts, has been "a great success. Some stores changed their behavior to cooperate with police. In other cases we had to revoke licenses."

Continue reading "Convenience stores become the latest casualties in the war on drugs"

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at June 13, 2007 11:03 AM | Comments (1)

 

The true cost of fighting crime in Minneapolis

Filed under: Crime

When a memo circulated around City Hall last week indicating that the Minneapolis Police Department is on pace to be $5.6 million over budget for 2007, most hand-wringing was over the fact that the MPD will delay adding 20 recruits to the payroll until 2008 as a stopgap measure. But a more salient point was missed: How did the department run afoul of budget guidelines in the first place?

Several reasons, according to MPD Chief Tim Dolan and city finance officer Pat Born. "The department did run over budget in 2006," notes Born, adding that the police budget accounts for $120 million out of the city's $328-million general fund. "But in the recent past, there's been nothing like this."

Continue reading "The true cost of fighting crime in Minneapolis"

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at May 29, 2007 12:32 PM | Comments (0)

 

Road rage with a This Old House twist

Filed under: Crime

On May 1 shortly after 2 p.m., Joshua Korwin was traveling northbound on Highway 52 in South St. Paul. While exiting onto Butler Avenue, a white vehicle pulled up behind him. A Hispanic male, subsequently identified as Jesus Arroyo Malave, stepped out of the white vehicle and approached Korwin. He was carrying a hammer.

According to a Dakota County criminal complaint, Malave swung the hammer at Korwin through the driver's side window, striking him in the ribcage. The assailant then allegedly wielded the hammer again, shattering the windshield. Fearing for his safety, Korwin drove east on Butler Avenue, then south on 19th Avenue. The white vehicle followed.

Korwin approached a resident mowing his lawn and asked him to dial 911. The white vehicle then took off. Malave was arrested the next day. He is currently in the Dakota County Jail, charged with third degree assault and criminal damage to property.

South St. Paul police chief Michael Messerich expresses bewilderment as to what spurred the confrontation. "He must have had some kind of driving contact that really upset this guy," he says. "As far as we know the two people do not know each other."

Posted by Paul Demko at May 17, 2007 11:56 AM | Comments (0)

 

The MPD takes a knee

Filed under: Crime

In his years as a lawyer taking on cases of alleged police misconduct by the MPD, Bob Bennett has seen his share of cuts and scrapes, euphemistic police reports, and general bad cop behavior. But the case of Walter Childs, to whom the Minneapolis City Council agreed to pay $75,000 to last Friday, had all three in spades.

According to a memo from the city attorney's office, on May 10, 2006, MPD officers James Burns and Michael Geere were responding to a stolen vehicle report on the city's north side, in the 4th precinct. The cops pulled over two juveniles, who were driving a car that led the officers to the 3300 block of Emerson Avenue North. There they encountered Childs, who was asked by the officers to come out of the house and identify the boys.

"Once Childs was out of the house," the city attorney's report reads, "Burns took him down to the ground to handcuff and arrest him."

Continue reading "The MPD takes a knee"

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at May 16, 2007 9:37 AM | Comments (1)

 

Getting detention for poor penmanship

Filed under: Crime

This week's stupid criminal: 27-year-old Cory Fitzgerald Jackson, whose penmanship got in the way of his attempted hold-up, according to a Hennepin County criminal complaint.

A Walgreens clerk explained to the cops that Jackson had walked up to the counter and handed over an indecipherable note. When asked for an explanation, Jackson told the clerk that the note read: "This is a stickup. Empty the register. I have a gun."

The clerk summoned a manager. Jackson waited patiently by the register. The police were called. Jackson was ordered outside to await their arrival, whereupon he was duly arrested.

Continue reading "Getting detention for poor penmanship"

Posted by Paul Demko at May 4, 2007 2:03 PM | Comments (0)

 

Climate change puts the deep-freeze on crime?

Filed under: Crime

Warm weather brings about the seasonal ritual of city leaders worrying about crime in downtown Minneapolis, and if last week is any indication, the hand-wringing is in full bloom.

The Star Tribune ran a story about Mayor R.T. Rybak's desire to get Metro Transit to move bus stops off of 7th Street, leading to an apparently troubled corner of Block E, to 4th Street. "Now, if we stop someone who looks suspicious, they can always say they're waiting for the bus," the story quoted MPD First Precinct Inspector Janee Harteau as saying, citing 40 narcotics arrests in the area in just one week. "It's a reason to be there." Ultimately, Rybak and others will have to lobby Metro Transit to make the move.

At the same time, Rybak's office issued a press release with hizzoner calling for some $500,000 to be put toward hiring more cops on overtime to patrol the area. The city's 2007 budget is $1.3 billion, with some $325 million in the general fund and $125 million of that earmarked for the MPD. So half a million might seem like small potatoes.

Continue reading "Climate change puts the deep-freeze on crime?"

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at May 1, 2007 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

 

Black and blue

Filed under: Crime

In a shocking display of openess in the first full year of the Tim Dolan era, the MPD actually sent its Internal Affairs annual report to the media last week. But depending on your skin color, that may be where the good news ends.

According to the report, "The Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) is to function as a mechanism to receive, investigate and resolve complaints of employee misconduct." Citizens and cops alike can file complaints.

According to Chief Dolan, the document is "an excellent report, the best report we've ever done," and adds that these reports are a new development under his stint. "It's about transparency and it's about being accountable to the community," says Dolan.

Continue reading "Black and blue"

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at April 30, 2007 9:34 AM | Comments (0)

 

San Antonio PD officers plan to file suit against McManus

Filed under: Crime

It's been more than a year since former Minneapolis Police Chief Bill McManus skipped town to San Antone, but trouble seems to have followed him to Texas.

KENS 5 Eyewitness News reported in early March that "two high-ranking female San Antonio Police Department officers plan to file a lawsuit against Chief William McManus." The story, posted on mysanantonio.com, reports that "attorneys for the women say they weren't considered for jobs they're well-qualified to do and that they weren't treated like other candidates." (McManus could not be reached by Blotter for comment.)

This should sound familiar to MPD observers. McManus was sued under similar circumstances by Barbara Temple, who was fired when McManus took over the Dayton, Ohio police department and promptly installed three men to serve under him on a command team. The city of Dayton settled with Temple in September for a cool $1.2 million.

Continue reading "San Antonio PD officers plan to file suit against McManus"

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at April 11, 2007 11:26 AM | Comments (3)

 

Bottle Battle

Filed under: Crime

On March 25, shortly before 2 a.m., Mendota Heights police officer Jeffory VonFeldt was conducting a routine walk through at Moose Country when he observed two males being escorted out of the bar. One of them, the officer couldn't help but notice, was covered with blood.

According to a criminal complaint filed last week in Dakota County District Court, Vonfeldt discovered that the shorter of the two men, 26-year-old Michael Anthony Tonn, had struck his fellow bar patron with a beer bottle. The victim had a four-inch gash across his forehead. Paramedics arrived and transported him to the hospital.

Upon being detained, Tonn allegedly informed the officer that he'd hit the victim with the bottle because the man had grabbed his ass. He's charged with third-degree assault. The West St. Paul resident could not be reached for comment.

Posted by Paul Demko at April 3, 2007 3:34 PM | Comments (1)

 

Copping an attitude

Filed under: Crime

The recent revelations about the NYPD's practices preceding the 2004 Republican National Convention—namely that the department was collecting data on possible attendees across the county and sharing it with other law enforcement agencies, a practice that once was called "spying"—made many locals paranoid about the 2008 GOP blowout in St. Paul. But the controversy has made local officials a little uneasy as well.

One call to the St. Paul PD spokesman Tom Walsh (who notes that he is not an officer with the department) seeking a reaction to the round of lawsuits that led to the unveiling of the NYPD's spying indicates as much.

"There has been such a focus on the lawsuits by the media and I don't understand it," Walsh growls over the phone. "There are going to be lawsuits after every convention, and frankly that's not our concern."

Continue reading "Copping an attitude"

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at April 2, 2007 9:08 AM | Comments (2)

 

The kids are all right

Filed under: Crime

From the headlines, you'd think there was an epidemic of child abuse going on. Not just child abuse, but fatal baby and toddler abuse. Every week or two this winter, a new account has shocked readers from the pages of the daily papers.

The Star Tribune headlines feel appalling and yet almost monotonous:
"Police investigating death of 5-week-old" (March 21)
"Police investigating baby's death in St. Paul" (March 6)
"Baby Dies From Injuries; Dad Arrested" (February 14

Then there are the old court cases—grievous wrongs that are only now coming through the system:
"Mom Admits Letting Boyfriend on Drugs Care for Son Who Died" (March 6)
"Mother sentenced in toddler's suffocation" (January 27)

Throw in the Mankato parents charged with battering a once-conjoined twin—an headline-grabber if ever there were one—and you'd be forgiven for wondering if it's open season on little children.

Continue reading "The kids are all right"

Posted by Michael Tortorello at March 26, 2007 11:28 AM | Comments (1)

 

Weapon master

Filed under: Crime

On February 24 shortly before 9 p.m. Bloomington police officers were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 1100 block of East 80th Street on reports of a fight. Arriving at the scene, cops discovered a baby shower taking place in the party room of the building. The people at the gathering, who were predominantly Hispanic, reported that an African American male, subsequently identified as Jirell Tremon Thomas, had entered the room and started shouting racial insults at the group. Thomas allegedly stated that he had a gun and grabbed his waistband.

"What kind of set it off was some kids that were running around in the hallway making some noise," explains Sgt. Mark Stehlik, of the Bloomington Police Department. "I think that was what initially agitated Mr. Thomas."

Continue reading "Weapon master"

Posted by Paul Demko at March 5, 2007 11:07 AM | Comments (0)

 

The hits keep coming

Filed under: Crime

Friday's Minneapolis City Council meeting brought two different payouts over one alleged police misconduct incident. The full council approved a $10,000 payday to Christopher D. Perry and $5,000 to his brother Mario P. Perry, who was a juvenile when the two ran afoul of the cops on November 16, 2004.

Payouts over claims of police misconduct are nothing new in this town (see "The Hit Parade Revisited," CP 7/20/2005), but this incident seemed rooted in some rather, uh, dubious behavior. According to a city attorney's memo urging the council to approve settlement, MPD officers James Burns and Michael Geere were cruising the north side looking for "an identified murder suspect known to frequent" 4050 Bryant Avenue North. The officers found a car "with four occupants" illegally parked in the alley behind the address. Officer Burns approached the car and "smelled marijuana and saw a 'philly blunt' in the ashtray," according to the memo from the city attorney's office.

Continue reading "The hits keep coming"

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at February 26, 2007 10:59 AM | Comments (0)

 

Crime blotter: 57-year-old Minneapolis resident bowls, gets drunk--and steals things

Filed under: Crime

On November 19 at 11:24 a.m. Brooklyn Center police officers were dispatched to AMF Earle Brown Lanes. The responding cops were informed that there had been a series of thefts from rental lockers in recent weeks. The manager of the bowling alley stated that four individuals had lost items valued at a total of $1,155.35.

According to a criminal complaint filed today in Hennepin County District Court, in response the manager of the bowling alley had set up a hidden surveillance camera near the rental lockers. On November 13, shortly after 10 p.m., the video camera recorded a gentleman, subsequently identified as Richard Lee Peters, removing a large ring of keys from his pocket and opening several lockers. According to the complaint, the tape shows Peters removing two bowling balls, a bag, and a pair of shoes from locker number 76. He subsequently places the items in his own locker, number 113. The bowling alley manager informed the police that Peters is a frequent bowler who competes in leagues twice a week.

Continue reading "Crime blotter: 57-year-old Minneapolis resident bowls, gets drunk--and steals things"

Posted by Paul Demko at February 14, 2007 1:26 PM | Comments (0)

 

St. Paul accountant barred from preparing tax returns

Filed under: Crime

Nash Sonibare has prepared his last tax return. Or so the U.S. government hopes.

Yesterday U.S. District Court Judge Donovan Frank issued an order barring Sonibare from preparing any more federal tax returns. According to court documents, since 2002 Sonibare has done accounting work for some 3,373 clients. His St. Paul-based business, Liberty Financial Group, primarily targeted recent immigrants not versed in U.S. tax laws.

Continue reading "St. Paul accountant barred from preparing tax returns"

Posted by Paul Demko at February 6, 2007 3:45 PM | Comments (0)

 

Gangs of St. Paul cover story comment thread

Filed under: Crime

This week's cover story, Gangs of St. Paul, written by Paul Demko and photographed by Mike Dvorak, focuses on the younger and more randomly violent gangsters currently feuding with each other in the capital city. "The [amount of] guns that we're recovering off these kids is just incredible. They're just blatantly going down the street shooting. You have a target, but you don't know what you're going to hit," says St. Paul investigator Sandy Kennedy. Read the story, then come back to give us your thoughts.

Posted by Corey Anderson at January 23, 2007 5:16 PM | Comments (8)

 

Crime blotter: directionally impaired

Filed under: Crime

On January 14 at 3:34 a.m., Richfield police officer Robert Schletty was parked at the intersection of 67th Street and Portland Avenue South when he observed a 1995 Ford Escort pull into the lot. The driver, Andrew James Cole, proceeded to exit the vehicle and wave at the officer. Cole then approached the squad car and asked for directions to downtown Minneapolis. Schletty observed that the man's eyes were bloodshot and watery, and that he staggered back to his car. The cop proceeded to follow the Escort as it exited the parking lot and noticed that the vehicle was weaving in its lane. Schletty pulled over the car and the driver agreed to take a breathalyzer test. According to a criminal complaint filed this week in Hennepin County District Court, Cole blew a .20, or more than twice the legal limit. The 23-year-old resident of downtown Minneapolis is charged with driving while impaired.

Posted by Paul Demko at January 18, 2007 12:34 PM | Comments (1)

 

Crime blotter: let's play hockey!

Filed under: Crime

On December 29 at approximately 2:47 a.m. St. Paul police officers were dispatched to 1482 Grand Avenue to investigate a robbery complaint. Upon arrival officers observed an individual talking frantically on a cell phone and gesturing towards a dark vehicle parked in the middle of the street. The cops also noticed an individual, subsequently identified as 22-year-old St. Paul resident Brian Terrance Krueger, carrying a broken hockey stick.

According to a criminal complaint filed yesterday in Ramsey County District Court, when the police began shining a spotlight into the vehicle it took off with the passenger-side door open. However the driver, 22-year-old Maplewood resident Jonathan Edward Averill, pulled over after the squad car's emergency lights were activated.

Continue reading "Crime blotter: let's play hockey!"

Posted by Paul Demko at January 4, 2007 12:01 PM | Comments (1)

 

Crime blotter: Mother always said "Never stick a gun in someone's face if you're not prepared to use it"

Filed under: Crime

On December 19 at 10:19 p.m. police officers were dispatched to Burnsville Center on report of an armed robbery. The victim told the cops that a white male wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a bandana over his face accosted her in the mall parking lot. According to a criminal complaint filed in Dakota County District Court, the assailant pointed a gun at her and demanded money. However, the victim did not initially believe it was a real gun. She laughed at him and entered her vehicle. The assailant eventually fled in a vehicle with four other males inside, but not before the woman was able to record the license plate number.

The vehicle in question was subsequently stopped by police officers in the parking lot of a SuperTarget in Savage. There were four juveniles and one adult, Brian Dunn Kelly, inside the vehicle. Officers also recovered a sub-machine gun, a magazine for the weapon, and numerous .9 millimeter rounds. According to the complaint, Kelly admitted attempting to rob the woman at gunpoint. He allegedly told the officers that he needed money for Christmas and that he was shocked when the woman laughed at him. The 18-year-old Bloomington resident has been charged with one count each of second degree assault and attempted first degree aggravated robbery.

Posted by Paul Demko at December 28, 2006 1:34 PM | Comments (0)

 

Crime blotter: white riot

Filed under: Crime

On December 8, at roughly 11:30 p.m., Minneapolis police officers were dispatched to a residence on the 3700 block of Bryant Avenue N. to investigate a disturbance. Upon arrival the officers attempted to disperse a large group of African American males gathered outside the home. According to a pair of criminal complaints filed this month in Hennepin County District Court, two white males, brothers William Kenneth Saarela and Daniel Jay Saarela, then emerged from the residence and began yelling racial profanities at the group. Officers ordered the pair to go back inside the house, but they initially refused. The police then radioed for additional squad cars. At some point during this confrontation William Saarela stated that he was going inside to get a handgun.

The group of black males was eventually persuaded to disperse. Shortly afterwards, according to the criminal complaints, multiple shots were fired from the rear of the residence. Officers then heard a male voice inside the house hollering threats. "I'm going to fucking kill you," he allegedly screamed. "You're fucking dead." Officers then ordered all occupants of the house to come outside. The Saarela brothers were both arrested after being tased. William has been charged with making terroristic threats, obstructing the legal process, and intentional discharge of a firearm. Daniel faces counts of making terroristic threats and obstructing the legal process.

Posted by Paul Demko at December 22, 2006 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

 

Crime blotter: flauting the law

Filed under: Crime

On June 16 two flutes worth over $3400 were stolen from the Schmitt Music store in Burnsville. Three days later the business was robbed again. The loot: two more flutes valued at more than $3200. The stolen instruments were subsequently pawned at four different area pawnshops for a total of $676.50. On July 12, Burnsville police officers were again dispatched to Schmitt Music to investigate an attempted theft of expensive flutes. According to a criminal complaint filed last week in Dakota County District Court, employees of both the music store and one of the pawn shops identified Brandon Tremayne Watkins (a.k.a. Brandon Tremayne Bray) as the serial flute thief. Watkins allegedly admitted pawning the four flutes, but denied stealing them. He has been charged with receiving stolen property and theft. According to records maintained by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the 29-year-old Maple Grove resident has been convicted of 24 previous crimes, including 11 counts of theft.

Posted by Paul Demko at December 14, 2006 11:30 AM | Comments (0)

 

Crime blotter: beheading in the suburbs

Filed under: Crime

On November 26, at 3:34 a.m, Eagan police officers were dispatched to investigate a domestic dispute. According to a criminal complaint subsequently filed in Dakota County District Court, officers discovered that Nathan David Andersen had kicked over a bird cage during the altercation. He then proceeded to tear the head off the bird (breed unspecified) with his hands. The animal, according to the criminal complaint, was kept as a pet. Andersen, a 24-year-old Eagan resident, has been charged with one count of animal cruelty.

Posted by Paul Demko at December 7, 2006 10:57 AM | Comments (2)

 

We hear the Highland Park Lollipop Guild is on the rise

Filed under: Crime

St. Paul's young gangsters need to hire a naming consultant. If they ever hope to inspire genuine fear in the general public the current collection of monikers just isn't going to suffice. According to a search warrant recently filed in Ramsey County District Court these are some of the gangs fighting over turf in the Capitol city: Get Money Boys, Lower Town Gangsters, Selby Siders, 5th and MN Boys, Grown Man Click, East Side Boys, 3rd Block, and the Get Money Girls. Perhaps the Emerson Murder Boyz could take some time out from terrorizing the North Side to provide some consulting work to their brethren across the river.

Posted by Paul Demko at December 6, 2006 1:02 PM | Comments (1)

 

Crime blotter: making hay

Filed under: Crime

On November 14, at approximately 3 p.m., Glenn Wayne Oltman entered an Unbank location in downtown Minneapolis. According to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court, Oltman attempted to cash a $7800 check drawn from an account at Delaware Federal Credit Union. He told the Unbank employee handling the transaction that he'd received the money for selling hay. The check, however, turned out to be counterfeit. When the police arrived Oltman allegedly confessed that he'd received the check via email and that he was to receive 10 percent of the proceeds in return for cashing it. The 42-year-old Wadena resident has been charged with one count of offering a forged check.

Posted by Paul Demko at November 20, 2006 4:51 PM | Comments (0)

 

Crime blotter: isn't that cute?

Filed under: Crime

On October 27 at approximately 3:30 p.m., Amberly Lynn Young was shopping at the Lakeville SuperTarget. According to a criminal complaint filed in Dakota County District Court, the 20-year-old spotted a flat-screen, plasma television that she deemed "cute." Young then purportedly placed the TV, along with a Playstation 2 and two video games in her cart and exited the store without paying. When a store employee approached her outside of the store, Young sprayed the worker with mace. The cost of the items that she attempted to purloin was $652.76. It was later determined, according to the criminal complaint, that Young had previously stolen $600 in merchandise from the same SuperTarget, as well as $210.44 in goods from a neighboring store. She has been charged with one count each of theft and fifth-degree assault.

Posted by Paul Demko at November 6, 2006 10:47 AM | Comments (4)

 

That burning sensation: northside edition

Filed under: Crime

What's the hottest spot in Minneapolis? For night clubbers, foodies, and bar hoppers, that can be a matter of endless debate. But for the literal-minded, there is no question. The 2100 block of Bryant Avenue North is, for the moment at least, the undisputed arson capital of Minneapolis.

Continue reading "That burning sensation: northside edition"

Posted by Mike Mosedale at November 3, 2006 2:58 PM | Comments (0)

 

The great Minneapolis crime wave: Not as bad as you think

Filed under: Crime

There has been no shortage of ranting and raving about crime rates in Minneapolis. In part, of course, this is because crime has been on the rise in the city for the better part of four years. But the tenor of the commentary--both in the mainstream news outlets and the local blogosphere--has become markedly more hysterical of late. And this being the political season, the problem has been laid at the feet of everyone from Mayor RT Rybak to Governor Tim Pawlenty to Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar to the Minneapolis Police Department. On the web, naturally, the usual suspects (i.e. Somalis and American born blacks) have been the recipients of some especially nasty lashings.

Continue reading "The great Minneapolis crime wave: Not as bad as you think"

Posted by Mike Mosedale at November 1, 2006 4:24 PM | Comments (3)

 

Crime blotter: divine intervention

Filed under: Crime

On April 24, at approximately 9:18 a.m., Eagan police officers were dispatched to the Peace Reform Church on Glory Drive to investigate a burglary. Upon arrival, the cops were informed that four credit cards and $5 in cash had been stolen from a church employee's purse. The purse had been stowed inside a desk drawer in the church's office. An employee reported seeing a tall black male exiting the office at about the time of the theft.

That same day, at approximately 10:59 a.m., Eagan officers responded to a call at St. John Newman Church on Pilot Knob Road. There they were informed that a church employee's wallet had been stolen from an equipment room. A maintenance worker reported that he observed a tall black male wearing a mink coat exiting the building around the time of the theft.

Continue reading "Crime blotter: divine intervention"

Posted by Paul Demko at October 24, 2006 5:13 PM |