WILLMAR POLICE DEPARTMENT

One reported dead in shooting south of Willmar, Minnesota, following high-speed chase

Jennifer Kotila — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 17:28:01 GMT

Editor's note:

The Kandyohi County Sheriff's Office later Tuesday night confirmed a driver was fatally shot outside Willmar. Few additional details were available Tuesday night, but

<i class="rte2-style-italic">read more from the Sheriff's Office statement here.</i>

WILLMAR — What started as a domestic assault at an apartment building on Lyndale Avenue near 29th Street in Minneapolis ended in a deadly shooting southeast of Willmar on Tuesday afternoon, with another reported gunshot victim near Lake Lillian.

According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, who spoke at a news conference late Tuesday afternoon, the incident at the apartment building started when the suspect’s ex-girlfriend came to pick up some of her belongings and the suspect began shooting.

Before the building was cleared, negotiators were on the phone with the suspect and discovered he had left the area. Law enforcement agencies west of the Twin Cities were notified to be on the lookout, according to O’Hara.

According to reports from police radio scanners posted on the MN CRIME WATCHERS Facebook page, negotiators also learned he was willing to shoot at law enforcement and was threatening suicide by cop.

Law enforcement agencies located the suspect’s Jeep and began a pursuit that eventually turned into a high-speed chase that reached speeds of 165 miles per hour westbound on Minnesota Highway 7, according to the scanner reports.

At 2:01 p.m. Tuesday, negotiators suspected that the man had shot someone. Law enforcement found the suspect’s Jeep and discovered he had stolen another vehicle, according to scanner reports.

At 2:08 p.m., Carver County law enforcement confirmed he had carjacked another vehicle, and there was a report of a gunshot victim found inside a house near 195th Avenue Southeast on Minnesota Highway 7 in Lake Lillian. The victim had a gunshot wound that passed through the top part of their chest and law enforcement closed the area down, according to scanner reports.

A West Central Tribune staff member observed law enforcement and police tape at the Lake Lillian location.

O'Hara during his news conference spoke in only general terms about the events in western Minnesota.

“Obviously, it appears that crimes occurred, that some tragedy has occurred outside of the city, and that occurred in western counties, and I don't have specific information as to what happened west of the city,” O’Hara said. “ … It has been a busy day here in the city. This was a very taxing situation, and I know it's weighing especially heavy on the crisis negotiators that were on the phone with this individual. I know our officers did absolutely everything they could, but it appears clear that this person was homicidal and just bent on committing violence.”

The Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office had not issued a statement as of 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, and Sheriff Eric Tollefson had not yet returned a message from the West Central Tribune, but it was likely that officers were still on the scene. The Minnesota Department of Transportation was still showing that portion of the highway as closed.

According to scanner traffic, law enforcement lost the suspect as he entered the city of Raymond, but he was picked back up driving eastbound on Minnesota Highway 23 near County Road 1 west of Willmar.

At 2:25 p.m., OnStar executed a slow down on the stolen vehicle as it traveled on the Highway 71/23 bypass south of Willmar. Squad vehicles were reported to be in position and setting up a perimeter.

The suspect is said to have fled on foot and attempted to steal another vehicle before running across westbound lanes and throwing something on the ground.

Law enforcement called for an ambulance at 2:27 p.m. Tuesday for another gunshot victim. It was reported the person was shot in the head and did not survive.

Law enforcement was able to bring the suspect into custody and recovered a firearm in the ditch.

The Highway 71/23 bypass was closed Tuesday afternoon on the southeast edge of Willmar as officers investigated what had occurred. It was closed by 2:45 p.m. and was expected to be reopened by 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to the road closure posting on the Minnesota Department of Transportation's 511 travel information page.

MnDOT vehicles, numerous law enforcement vehicles and at least one ambulance were observed by West Central Tribune staff in that area of the bypass.

The Willmar Senior High �� went into lockdown at 2:30 p.m. due to an “external threat,” according to Superintendent Dr. Bill Adams. The Senior High �� immediately activated its secured response protocol.

Students and staff continued normal activities within the building in accordance with the protocol, he said in a news release. At 2:42 p.m., the school received the “all-clear" notification.

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ACLU files suit against Willmar, Minnesota, officer and city for 'walking while black' arrest

Dale Morin — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 19:59:13 GMT

WILLMAR — The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota has filed suit against a Willmar police officer and the city on behalf of a Black man who says he was unlawfully arrested for “walking while Black.”

According to a news release issued Wednesday by the ACLU, Derrick Gilbert, 39, was misidentified as a different Black man for whom an arrest warrant had been issued. Once the misidentification was determined, Gilbert was arrested anyway, according to the lawsuit filed June 21.

During the arrest, officers cut Gilbert’s backpack off, threatened to use a stun gun against him, and handcuffed him. The suit further states that because Gilbert was handcuffed improperly, it caused him to suffer pain.

Gilbert was jailed on a misdemeanor charge of obstruction and made several court appearances in the matter, for which he had to take time off work, before the prosecution dismissed the charge six months later, according to the release.

Willmar Police Chief Jim Felt is out of office for several days. Messages left with Police Capt. Michael Anderson and the office of City Administrator Leslie Valiant were not immediately returned Wednesday.

According to the narrative in the news release, Officer Christopher Flatten saw Gilbert while driving on patrol June 22, 2022. Flatten checked to see if Sammy Price had a warrant out for his arrest. Flatten reported that he had multiple prior interactions with Sammy Price and knew what he looked like.

Gilbert was walking to work that morning, wearing a sleeveless red hoodie with the hoodie up. The ACLU says Gilbert’s face was obscured, and Flatten assumed he was Price.

The ACLU in the news release said that, once it became apparent that Gilbert was not Price, Flatten decided to instead arrest Gilbert for obstruction, specifically reporting that Gilbert had “clenched fists” during the incident.

The ACLU states Gilbert did not at any time deny a lawful order from an officer.

The ACLU states under these facts, obstructing the legal process is a misdemeanor offense, for which arrest is unlawful. The complaint states, "Defendants had no reason to believe further criminal conduct would occur if they did not detain him. Defendants had no reason to believe that there was a substantial likelihood that Mr. Gilbert would not respond to a citation."

According to the release, Price is seven years younger than Gilbert, four inches shorter, and at least 90 pounds heavier. The release also states Gilbert has significantly darker skin than Price. The filed civil complaint also states Mr. Price has significant scar/markings on his face that Gilbert does not have.

There is no video of the arrest, according to the news release. The lawsuit alleges the officer parked his squad car without the lights on and thus no dash-cam video was created. Additionally, though he was required to turn on his body camera, Flatten says he had forgotten to do so.

According to the civil complaint in the lawsuit, as Flatten exited his squad vehicle, he allegedly said to Gilbert, “Sammy Price, you have a warrant.”

Gilbert turned to the officer and said he was not “Sammy,” but Flatten continued to follow him.

The lawsuit states, “Mr. Gilbert consistently told him (Flatten) he was not Sammy and asked Defendant Flatten to leave him alone.”

The suit claims Flatten continued following Gilbert and taunted him, still calling him Sammy, and called for backup.

According to the ACLU news release, a Kandiyohi County sheriff’s deputy arrived a minute later, followed by two men not wearing uniforms in an unmarked gray pickup truck. The truck jumped the sidewalk and within five seconds Flatten and three other officers jumped Gilbert and pulled him in different directions, nearly dropping Gilbert on his face on the sidewalk.

Gilbert filed a complaint against Flatten and the city of Willmar with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights on June 15, 2023. According to the ACLU, the defendants admitted in response that they had updated their impartial policing policy but claimed that the facts are just an unfortunate reality of a Black man living in Willmar saying, “Gilbert was also in the right place at the right time, that is, in the City of Willmar where Sammy resides.”

The Minnesota legal director for the ACLU, Teresa Nelson, said in a statement, “Sadly, what Mr. Gilbert went through isn’t uncommon for Black men in America.”

She said, “Officer Flatten’s racist behavior — requiring Mr. Gilbert to identify himself with no legal justification — is grotesque and has no basis under Minnesota law. We hope that this lawsuit will make the Willmar Police Department change the way they operate and will result in some measure of justice for Mr. Gilbert.”

The lawsuit claims Flatten and the city of Willmar violated Gilbert’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure and that they discriminated against Gilbert in violation of the Minnesota Constitution and the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

In addition to the legal claims, the suit is also seeking money damages in excess of $50,000 and payment for attorney fees and costs.

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Two killed, another injured in crash near Pennock, Minnesota

Dale Morin — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 19:35:07 GMT

PENNOCK, Minn. — Two people died and another was injured Tuesday night after a crash on U.S. Highway 12 near Pennock.

According to a crash report from the Minnesota State Patrol, Joyce Larayne Nokleby, 69, and Llewellyn Reynold Nokleby, 83, both of Benson, died in the crash reported around 7:03 p.m. Tuesday, April 23.

Another driver, Douglas Claire Robinson, 45, of Waseca, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to the CentraCare — St. Cloud Hospital for treatment. Robinson was the only occupant in his vehicle.

According to the State Patrol, Robinson was driving a 2013 Jeep Wrangler eastbound on Highway 12 as Joyce Nokelby was driving herself and passenger Llewellyn Nokelby westbound in a 2017 Ford Explorer. The two vehicles collided near mile marker 67 on the highway.

Airbags in both vehicles deployed, and all parties were wearing their seat belts. Alcohol was not involved, according to the crash report.

Road conditions were reported dry at the time of the collision.

Pennock is located in central Minnesota, roughly 7.5 miles northeast of Willmar.

The Minnesota State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad, Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office, Kerkhoven Fire Department, Willmar Police Department and CentraCare Ambulance.

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Charges filed against Minnesota business owner accused of inducing prostitution

Dale Morin — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 21:06:45 GMT

WILLMAR — The Willmar business owner arrested last weekend in an alleged assault at her massage business has been charged with inducing a woman into prostitution.

Ying He, 55, made her first court appearance Tuesday, March 12 in Kandiyohi County District Court on charges of inducing a a female employee to engage in prostitution at her massage parlor in Willmar, a felony offense.

A gross misdemeanor charge of running a disorderly house and a misdemeanor fifth-degree assault charge also were filed against her.

Minnesota statute defines a disorderly house as a location where habitual violations of the law occur, which could include prostitution, sale or possession of controlled substances, gambling or unauthorized sale of liquor.

Judge Melissa Listug set $150,000 bail with no conditions. Conditional bail was set at $50,000, including the conditions that He have no contact with the victim and turn in her passport within three hours after her release.

She remained in custody as of Friday morning at the Kandiyohi County Jail. Her next scheduled court appearance is for a remote hearing on March 20.

According to the criminal complaint, Willmar police were dispatched March 9 to a business in the 2400 block of First Street South. The owner was waving the officer down outside, but the 911 caller was said to be inside the business.

The caller, the woman from California, was sitting on the floor of the business and appeared to be crying. She told the officer through an interpreter that He, her boss, had confined her in a small room within the building, would not let her eat or drink or turn on lights, and would not allow her to leave.

She advised the officer that she had flown to Minnesota from California on March 3 and had been living inside the business since then. She alleged that He would lock her inside a small room every day whenever there was no business appointments.

According to the complaint, the woman told the officer that she had given a 30-minute massage to a customer that day and when the customer asked for more work to be done, He became upset with her and punched her on the head. She further stated that she felt dizzy and had a headache.

The woman was transported to the hospital via ambulance for treatment of minor injuries.

At the hospital, she told a detective that she had been in Willmar for approximately one week after she found employment through an agency based in Los Angeles, California.

According to the complaint, she paid the agency $100 and was told her flight to Minnesota would cost about $630. She advised she paid for half of her flight ticket and He, her new boss, paid for the other half and arranged an Uber to bring her to Willmar from the airport.

The woman told police that He controlled her movements and she was forced to begin working the day after she arrived. She further stated He told her to do “whatever the customer wanted her to do.”

The woman alleged He told her to perform sex acts on customers, clarifying that “small jobs” meant masturbating the customer, and “big jobs” meant having intercourse with the customer.

According to the complaint, when the woman refused to do as instructed, He got mad at her and allegedly threatened that she would find her if she tried to leave. He allegedly described her own boss in Los Angeles as a lawyer who worked for the courts.

When He spoke to the responding officer, she denied hitting the woman and said the woman had yelled at her and tried to hit her with a water bottle, according to the complaint.

She told police the woman was driving customers away because she did not know how to do massages. She told the officer she wanted the woman to leave and denied forcing her to live there, according to the complaint.

Police later returned to He’s massage parlor and viewed surveillance video from the business. According to the complaint, the video shows an interaction between the woman and He in a hallway outside a client room that an adult male was seen entering.

It is unclear what the interaction was about, according to the complaint, but the two women passed each other and the video shows that He punches the woman on her head and punches her a second time before the woman starts walking away.

After reviewing the video, officers placed He under arrest.

According to the complaint, law enforcement seized eight different cell phones along with business ledgers and DNA swabs from inside the business while executing a search warrant.

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Minnesota business owner accused of assault, false imprisonment, luring employee into prostitution

Dale Morin — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 17:55:30 GMT

WILLMAR — A 55-year-old business owner in Willmar, Minnesota, was arrested over the weekend on allegations of false imprisonment, assault, running a disorderly business and inducing a woman into practicing prostitution.

According to a Monday, March 11 news release from Willmar Police Chief Jim Felt, police were called to a business on the 2400 block of First Street South in Willmar Saturday following a report of a woman screaming.

Upon arrival, officers located an adult female employee who said she had been punched by the business owner. The woman was transported to the hospital by ambulance with minor injuries.

During the investigation, police received information that the victim had recently moved to Minnesota from out of the state and was living inside the business with the business owner.

According to Felt, the victim stated she had come to Willmar on the prospect of a new job and that the owner had “secluded her inside the business.” The woman alleged the owner was not allowing her to leave and was controlling her basic care, such as eating and bathing.

The woman also alleged the owner instructed her to perform sex acts on customers when requested. She said that when she refused to do so, the owner assaulted her.

A search warrant for the business was obtained. Upon searching, officers found what appeared to be living quarters inside the business that were not designated for housing. Various items, including video systems, cellphones, ledgers, and suspected DNA evidence, were also confiscated as evidence.

The business owner, identified as a 55-year-old woman from Willmar, is currently in custody at the Kandiyohi County Jail pending potential charges including domestic assault, false imprisonment, inducing an individual to practice prostitution and owning/operating a disorderly house.

The business owner and business have not been identified, pending charges being officially filed.

Felt said the investigation remains ongoing.

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The boy who went missing after his first day of school in 1944

Jennifer Kotila — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 13:31:00 GMT

PAYNESVILLE, Minn. — Victor John “Jackie” Theel would have turned 86 years old on Feb. 15, 2024. On Sept. 5, 2024, Jackie will have been missing from Paynesville, Minnesota, for 80 years, having disappeared on the way home from his first day of school.

News accounts of the disappearance described a nice fall day in Paynesville on Sept. 5, 1944, as an excited 6-year-old Jackie walked with his two older brothers to his first day of school. He was wearing a blue sailor suit shirt, long pants and brand new shoes and was toting his new school supplies.

Being so excited, Jackie couldn’t eat his breakfast that morning and carried a bag of chips with him to school. Throughout the morning’s first-day-of-school activities of singing and games, Jackie snacked on some of the chips.

It was only a half-day of school for the first-grader, who was to walk home with his brothers at lunchtime, according to the note his mother Bernice sent with him to school.

After class was dismissed at 11:30 a.m., Jackie's teacher, Miss Dorothy Gladke, neglected to have him wait for his older brother to walk with him. Jackie left school with his teacher and a group of classmates.

They walked together for a short distance before going their separate ways, the teacher asking Jackie if he knew his way home and him pointing in the direction in which he thought he lived.

However, Jackie would end up going in the wrong direction and that was the last time anybody definitively saw the boy. He disappeared, apparently without a trace, carrying the bag of chips and a school registration card. He had left his new school supplies at his desk.

Sources for this article come from the Paynesville Historical Society, which has a file of old newspaper clippings from the days after Theel disappeared. Newspaper sources include the Paynesville Press, St. Cloud Times and the Minneapolis Star.

When Jackie did not arrive home for lunch on Sept. 5, 1944, his mother first called friends for help. When Jackie had not been found by 3 p.m., she notified Paynesville Mayor Russel Portinga.

Portinga and several businessmen started searching for Jackie under the direction of Stearns County Deputy Sheriff Ike Lunde and Constable Martin Kobberdahl. After not being able to find him, soon the whole town was involved in the search.

Jackie’s father, Harold, was an over-the-road truck driver. He was called home from St. Paul when Jackie went missing.

There were two reports of the boy being seen along Minnesota Highway 23 on the west side of town. Mrs. Pete Thompson, who was returning from a fishing trip at Long Lake with her husband, reported seeing a boy at about 1:30 p.m. fitting Jackie’s description along the highway. He was carrying a piece of paper and walking along the ditch about a block out of town.

Later that day, two boys, Robert Burr, 16, and William Johnson, 14, reported seeing a boy at about 4:45 p.m. getting into a light brown or gray car at about the same spot.

The car was traced to Willmar, Minnesota, where law enforcement discovered it was being driven by a 24-year-old combat veteran who stopped at three different garages in Willmar attempting to have the starter repaired.

News reports state the soldier was accompanied by his younger brother who was wearing a sailor suit. It is unclear how it was verified that the young boy was indeed related to the soldier or whether it could have been Jackie. A news report on Thursday, Sept. 7, 1944, stated, “The car has not been seen or heard of since.”

Stearns County Sheriff Art McIntee was called into the case and he called Kandiyohi County Sheriff Paul Anderson to assist. Later in the evening, the Willmar Police Department was also called to assist with the search efforts.

Searches continued until 1 a.m. Wednesday and then resumed at 6 a.m. News accounts at the time described the investigators called in to join the case as being Jack Burns of the Willmar State Crime Bureau and William Conley, an investigator with the St. Paul Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

One of Jackie’s sisters, Annabelle (Theel) Krupke, who was 16 years old when he disappeared, told the Paynesville Press in 2004 that the day of Jackie’s disappearance was nice, but the following days were rainy and cold.

But that didn’t stop local townspeople and others from thoroughly searching the town and countryside. Farmers searched buildings, fields, pastures, grain shocks, pits, wells and swamps.

The North Fork Crow River bed and its banks were searched several times. If Jackie had drowned, his body would likely have been found due to how shallow the river is in the fall.

The Civil Air Patrol stationed out of St. Cloud searched for Jackie by air on Wednesday and Thursday. The plane was piloted by Ray Ubracken, and Paynesville barber Les Spaeth was the observer.

Boys from Paynesville High �� were dismissed Wednesday and Thursday afternoons to help with the search efforts and Paynesville businessmen closed up their shops Thursday afternoon to help.

Newspapers and radio stations statewide covered Jackie’s disappearance, writing about the case and airing descriptions of Jackie, the blue-eyed, strawberry blond 6-year-old who was just getting two new bottom front teeth. He was 37 inches tall and weighed 45 pounds and had a fresh scratch under his right eye and a one-inch scar on the back of his head.

On Saturday, Boy Scouts from Cold Spring joined local Boy Scouts in the search. Also sometime in the first week, an old cistern that was no longer in use had been searched.

The following Wednesday, bloodhounds were brought in by Raymond Huelskamp (spelled Hulscamp and Hulskamp in media reports) of New Ulm. Despite the rainy weather that had occurred since Jackie went missing, the dogs were able to pick up his trail near the school and followed it to Schwartz Drug Store and then to the North American Creamery (now AMPI).

The trail led to the edge of the river where faint, small footprints were located, and then to the Evangelical Church and west to the William Johnson filling station in west Paynesville. Here the scent was really strong, but Johnson didn’t recall seeing a boy matching Jackie’s description.

The scent grew weaker as it traveled west to Highway 23 and then vanished near the location in which the boy was spotted by the couple returning from a fishing trip. The hounds were brought to Hawick to search the ditches on both sides of the highway going north, but Jackie’s scent was never picked up again.

By Thursday, Sept. 21, 1944, the Paynesville Press was reporting that hope of finding Jackie alive was waning, but that the search would continue until Jackie was found dead or alive. It also reported that the Civil Air Patrol had again searched by air the previous Friday.

The report also shared speculations of what may have happened to Jackie, including wandering off into thicker woods or swamps and perishing, having been kidnapped from the side of the highway or becoming the victim of a “sex maniac.”

Spiritual faith healers and fortune tellers had been contacted by Jackie's father Harold and were certain Jackie was still in the area and alive, according to the report. However, within the first week of his disappearance, a faith healer had given the opinion he was in a nearby mud hole, which was searched to no avail.

McIntee and Conley told the Paynesville Press that in all their experiences, they had never seen anyone cooperate as well as the people of Paynesville in searching for Jackie. “Everyone from the school age boy to the farmer has done a magnificent job. (McIntee and Conley) said that everyone seemed to think it was their boy that they were searching for. A more thorough and efficient search has never been carried on,” stated the article.

Jackie never has been found. The Paynesville Press interviewed Jackie’s siblings Fay and Annabelle for an article that was published Sept. 22, 2004. KARE 11 News interviewed Jackie’s sister Judy Espelund for a news piece that aired Feb. 4, 2016.

Annabelle and Fay, who was 5 years old when Jackie disappeared, told the Paynesville Press that there have been numerous rumors that circulated throughout the years that Jackie has been missing.

"I tend to believe that someone saw him wandering and picked him up," Annabelle said in 2004. "I don't see how it could have been anything else."

Fay said that he also believed that the most likely scenario was that Jackie was kidnapped. This was at the height of World War II and soldiers could get out of the army if they had dependents, which could have been a motive.

Both Annabelle and Fay told the Paynesville Press they thought the story about the car that was spotted picking up a boy dressed in a sailor’s suit and later located in Willmar was quite a coincidence. They wondered how the Willmar police identified that the “brother” was not Jackie.

The Willmar Police Department does not have records dating back to the 1940s, according to the 2004 article in the Paynesville Press. Stearns County records go back only to 1960 and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension does not have records of the case, according to the KARE 11 report.

A former Paynesville school teacher in the 1960s wrote Annabelle a letter stating she had seen a man getting off a Navy ship in California that resembled a Theel and signed his name “Jackie Theel.” He told the teacher he had been adopted.

Then in the 1980s, Fay was told a man came into Tuck’s Cafe in Paynesville looking for family, but could not find the name Theel in the phonebook. Fay reported the incident to the FBI, but doubted the story since there were Theels that lived in town and had their names listed in the phonebook.

"It's impossible to know," Fay told the Paynesville Press in 2004. "You don't know if he's dead or alive."

Jackie's mother Bernice was traumatized by his disappearance, Annabelle and Fay told the Paynesville Press. "Ma turned gray overnight," said Fay. "She had salt-and-pepper hair, but she turned white practically overnight."

The Minneapolis Star in September of 1945 reported, “A sobbing mother sent a five-year-old son for the first time here today, recalling the tragedy in a similar experience a year ago.” This was in reference to Fay’s first day of school. “I hope it doesn’t turn out the same way with him,” Bernice said, according to the report.

It stated that Bernice had several theories about Jackie’s disappearance, but would not disclose what they were. “I can’t prove any of them.”

It also stated that McIntee theorized that Jackie had been taken by someone, which was investigated by the FBI. “There is something in the community we haven’t figured out,” the Star reported McIntee saying.

In a Websleuths forum thread about Jackie’s disappearance, Gary L. Theel joined the conversation. He stated he was the son of Jackie’s brother, Tom, who was supposed to walk with Jackie home from school.

He shared that each time his family would come to visit his grandparents in Paynesville, his father would talk about the day his brother disappeared and the cloud that hung over the family.

“When he would speak his voice would sometimes break, and you could hear the sadness in his tone,” Gary wrote. “... I guess, looking back in retrospect, this could be why we were so guarded as children.”

Gary also shared that his father died in 2004, and would have wanted answers to what happened to his brother. However, Gary and the people on the Websleuth forum have not gotten any closer to solving the mystery of Jackie’s disappearance.

He attempted to track Federal Bureau of Investigation records regarding the case, contacting the Minnesota office of the FBI, the Washington, D.C., offices and the FBI national archives in Maryland and was told there were no records.

He also checked with the federal Department of Justice and was told there are no records of the case there.

It is not unreasonable to think that Jackie could possibly still be alive if he were kidnapped, as several family members have been long-lived. Fay is 85 years old. Annabelle died in December of 2023 at the age of 96.

Jackie’s father and mother lived to 86 and 83, respectively. Cross-referencing a photo of the Theel children from 1944 and Annabelle’s obituary, brothers Carl and Denton are still alive and in their 90s and a brother Norman is alive in his early 80s. A sister, Judy Espelund, born five years after Jackie disappeared, is in her 70s.

Eight other siblings, Donald, Lloyd, Floyd, Milton, Tom, Andrea Calendar, Dorothy and Myron, are all deceased. Dorothy died as an infant and Myron died just six months after Jackie went missing at a little over a year old.

Many online mystery sleuths have written about or created videos about Jackie’s disappearance and there is also a chapter about it in the book “Cold Cases of Stearns County, Minnesota” by Robert M. Dudley.

Those who have information regarding the case should contact the Stearns County Sheriff's Office at 320-259-3700.

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Charges filed against man shot by police in Willmar, Minnesota

Dale Morin — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:12:00 GMT

WILLMAR — A criminal complaint filed Tuesday, Feb. 13, in Kandiyohi County District Court gives greater detail surrounding circumstances that led a Willmar police officer to shoot a man alleged to have swung a knife at him in downtown Willmar on Feb. 4.

The man shot by the officer — Jerry Bernard Jones, 33, of Willmar — is facing two felony counts of assault, one first-degree and one second-degree; two felony counts of threats of violence; a felony drug possession charge and a gross misdemeanor assault charge.

A first appearance has not yet been scheduled, according to the online case file, which also indicates an order was signed to hold Jones without bond. According to a previous news release from the BCA, Jones was hospitalized and in stable condition as of Feb. 9. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

The officer who fired his handgun was earlier identified as Sgt. Michael Holme of the Willmar Police Department. He has 17 years of law enforcement experience, according to the BCA. Holme suffered minor injuries in the incident.

According to the criminal complaint, an adult male reported around 8:10 a.m. Feb. 4 that he was threatened by a man with a knife, later identified as Jones, in the lobby of an apartment building in the 300 block of Fourth Street Southwest.

The criminal complaint states video footage from the lobby shows Jones picking up a knife and meeting the adult male with the knife in his left hand after the male enters the building.

During the interaction, Jones blocks the path of the man, who is seen putting his hands up and backing away from Jones and exiting the building as Jones continues to follow him. The entire interaction lasts for approximately 30 seconds, according to the complaint.

The adult male later told detectives that he had arrived at the apartment building where he resides and was met in the lobby by Jones, who was holding a knife by his side.

Jones spoke to the man and told him to leave. The man told detectives that Jones then began taking longer strides toward him before he decided to leave the building and call 911.

He explained he had a brief interaction with Jones the previous day, but that Jones was “talking gibberish to him.” He also said Jones appeared to be staying in the lobby of the apartment building.

According to the criminal complaint, evidence collected from the lobby of the building included a backpack, which contained numerous items of clothing and paperwork belonging to Jones. Drug items, including a substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine, were found in the front pouch of the backpack.

According to the criminal complaint, Holme’s body camera was activated and recorded the incident leading up to and after the shooting.

In the video footage, Holme finds the adult male who had called 911 standing on the sidewalk, greets him and begins talking when the sound of a door opening is heard.

Holme then sees Jones exit the building. According to the complaint, about six feet separated Jones from Holme.

Holme is heard asking Jones what is going on as Jones is seen transferring a knife from his left to his right hand and beginning to move toward Holme. According to the complaint, about nine seconds elapsed from when Holme first spoke with Jones to when the first shot was fired.

The complaint states Holme is heard ordering Jones to drop the weapon multiple times after he draws his handgun and begins backpedaling away from Jones and into the street. Instead, Jones continued to “rapidly and aggressively” approach Holme while swinging his arms.

After Jones closes the gap to just a few feet between himself and Holme, Holme fires one round from his handgun and falls backwards in the middle of the street. Jones is seen standing above Holme, still holding the knife, and begins to make slashing motions.

Holme continues to fire for about three more seconds, before Jones turns and runs away from him.

Holme then gets up off the ground and radios “shots fired” to dispatch, before he continues to pursue Jones. According to the complaint, Holme did not discharge his firearm again.

Jones continues to run north toward the end of the block, before turning west. He crossed the street and moved towards the sidewalk near a parking lot before he lay down.

According to the complaint, Holme requested an ambulance, as Jones attempted to get up and continue to walk away before falling on the street.

Two additional squad vehicles then pulled up to the scene. Another officer is seen walking up to Jones and heard ordering him to drop the knife before using his foot to push the knife out from Jones’ hand.

Officers, including Holme, then begin to provide medical care for Jones before medical personnel arrive on scene.

Jones was transported and treated at a hospital before being flown out by helicopter to a trauma center in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds.

Jones’ public criminal history includes two previous felony convictions for fleeing police in a motor vehicle and third-degree arson, in 2017 and 2021 respectively. Both offenses occurred in Kandiyohi County.

His most recent conviction was for a gross misdemeanor assault in December of 2022, also within Kandiyohi County. He was ordered to serve 365 days in jail but had received credit for 114 days served while the remaining time was stayed for two years of probation.

In an amended sentencing order filed March 29, 2023, Jones was ordered to serve 365 days in jail with credit for 156 days already served.

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UPDATE: One of two pedestrians struck Jan. 22 in Willmar died

Staff reports — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 01:28:40 GMT

WILLMAR, Minn. — One of two pedestrians struck by a car in Willmar the night of Jan. 22 died two days later from his injuries.

A 41-year-old New London man — now identified as Elvis Gonzalez — died on Jan. 24, according to a news release issued Wednesday evening by Willmar Police Chief Jim Felt.

Gonzalez had been airlifted to CentraCare — St. Cloud Hospital with serious injuries.

According to the initial news release from Felt, Willmar police arrived at the crash scene in southeast Willmar to find an off-duty Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad member providing first aid to two individuals lying on the road.

Felt said in that Jan. 23 news release that a preliminary investigation showed the two pedestrians were walking along the edge of the roadway around 10:30 p.m. Jan. 22 on 19th Avenue Southeast and crossed in front of a westbound 2014 Ford Fusion that was in the turning lane to go south on Ninth Street Southeast.

The driver was identified as a 19-year-old male from Willmar. He did not suffer any injuries, and cooperated with the investigation.

The other pedestrian, a 37-year-old female from Willmar, was transported by ambulance to CentraCare — Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar with moderate injuries, according to the news release at the time. She has not been named.

Gonzalez was also transported by CentraCare Ambulance to the hospital in Willmar before he was airlifted to St. Cloud.

At the scene, Willmar police were assisted by the Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad, Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office, Willmar Fire Department and the Minnesota State Patrol.

Felt said Wednesday that the crash remains under investigation.

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Victim ID'd in fatal hit-and-run in Willmar; suspect turns himself in

Staff reports — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 17:17:14 GMT

WILLMAR, Minn. — The male pedestrian who died Tuesday night after being hit by a vehicle at a Willmar intersection has been identified.

Jason Daniel Jarvis, 52, of Cokato, was the victim in the hit-and-run crash at the intersection of First Street and Willmar Avenue.

According to Willmar Police Chief Jim Felt, Jarvis was crossing First Street South at Willmar Avenue when he was struck by a vehicle that left the scene. His injuries were extensive, and he was pronounced dead at CentraCare — Rice Memorial Hospital.

In an updated news release issued Thursday, Felt said police were able to identify a suspect and suspect vehicle thanks to multiple statements from witnesses, tips submitted through Minnesota CrimeStoppers and video evidence from nearby businesses.

As a result, police began efforts to locate both the suspect and suspect vehicle.

Felt said a 33-year-old male from Willmar turned himself in to police on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Felt, the male was cooperative, provided a statement and gave information on the location of the vehicle.

A 2012 black Volkswagen Passat with out-of-state license plates was recovered by police and seized as evidence. Felt said the vehicle was being processed at the Law Enforcement Center in Willmar.

The investigation remains ongoing, including potential charges against the 33-year-old male driver.

"Willmar Police would like to thank the many people who shared the request for assistance on social media, those who provided tips and local businesses who provided video evidence. We also thank our law enforcement and emergency service partners in the response and follow-up to this tragic incident," Felt said in the news release.

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Willmar begins process to terminate school resource officer contract

Jennifer Kotila — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 18:29:55 GMT

WILLMAR — Willmar City Council in a split 7-1 vote Tuesday approved beginning the process to terminate the Willmar Police Department school resource officer agreement with Willmar Public ��s. Councilor Audrey Nelsen voted against the termination of the contract.

Police Chief Jim Felt assured the council that the Police Department will continue to provide officers to the schools to keep students and staff safe as long as the school allows it, but that the department can no longer contract with and be paid by the school without being considered an “agent of the district.”

A new law passed during the 2023 Minnesota legislative session designates school resource officers working under contract with schools as “agents of the district” when the school is reimbursing the department for the service provided, according to Felt.

As “agents of the district,” school resource officers are limited by the new legislation from performing certain common physical control techniques that, according to Felt's explanation to the council, have all been time-tested, medically tested and tactically accepted as control techniques when performed as instructed and under policy.

“The results of the legislation is creating a second standard for our SROs when functioning in the schools, with students or even school events when being paid through a school district contract,” he said. “Now an officer as ‘agent of the school’ would need to try to quickly sort those issues out in potentially high-stress and rapidly changing and dynamic scenarios.”

Felt and Capt. Mike Anderson met with Superintendent Jeff Holm and Assistant Superintendent Bill Adams to discuss a mutual contract suspension, offering a solution that was backed by City Administrator Leslie Valiant and City Attorney Robert Scott — that the school not reimburse the city for the school resource officer services, thus removing the “agent of the district” designation and allowing these officers to retain their full law enforcement authority.

“It was fully explained that we would not leave the schools unprotected, would not discontinue many support and educational programs, and the visibility of the SRO program would largely go unnoticed,” Felt said. “We left that meeting believing we had a mutual agreement and that the city and school attorney would be drafting that agreement.”

However, the following day, the Police Department was notified that the school district would not allow that type of agreement and expected the city to follow through on the current contract, which extends to the end of the 2023-24 school year, according to Felt.

“Additional discussions were unsuccessful and, regretfully, I bring before you tonight the recommendation to start the process of contract termination,” he said. “We feel that in the absence of an immediate contract suspension, it is necessary to do so to provide the best services and safety we can to the public, and best protect our officers.”

The current contract states that either party can terminate the contract with a 90-day notification. Terminating the contract “ensures that SROs will retain their full police authorities and abilities and provide the best services and safety to the students,” according to Felt.

“We intend to keep our SROs in the schools as long as the school will allow; however, there may be some modifications that will be very strategic, measured and communicated fully to the school with safety at the forefront,” he said. “We remain fully committed to the safety of all students, faculty and staff throughout the process.”

During the 90 days in which the contract continues to be in place, school resource officers have been given new procedures under which to operate in order to prevent them from violating the new laws, which means they are operating under different procedures than their fellow officers, according to Felt.

The new procedures dictate what types of interactions they can have with students. If any type of physical interaction is needed for an unruly student, a patrol officer is to be called to the school, Felt explained.

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