AITKIN COUNTY

Third-term exit: A look at former Minnesota Sen. Justin Eichorn's time in office

Mary Murphy — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 18:23:47 GMT

ST. PAUL — Minnesota Sen. Justin Eichorn served roughly eight years in the Minnesota Senate before resigning Thursday as he faces a felony charge of soliciting sex from a minor.

Eichorn, a Grand Rapids Republican serving District 6, was charged Wednesday for soliciting a minor following his reported arrest in a sting operation on Monday, March 17. Eichorn resigned from the Senate in a letter to Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday.

Until his resignation, Eichorn represented parts of Itasca, Cass, and Crow Wing Counties, where he first pursued a spot in the Minnesota Legislature just over a decade ago.

Failed first run before victory

Eichorn first entered the public office sphere when he unsuccessfully ran in 2014 for House District 5B, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Pegged against incumbent Rep. Tom Anzelc, Eichorn took 43% of the vote against the DFLer's 56.5%.

The 32-year-old Eichorn made another run for the Legislature in 2016, this time for Senate District 5, which covered a large swath of Itasca County along with parts of Beltrami, Cass and Hubbard counties. Eichorn secured a victory in the 2014 Republican primary, besting Lavern "Pedie" Pederson, who died in 2018, to earn a spot on the November ballot

Eichorn faced off against DFL Incumbent Tom Saxhaug, a veteran legislator seeking his fifth term. Campaigning on job development and local opportunities for young people in the area, Eichorn won the 2016 election, taking 50% of the vote to Saxhaug's 49%.

First-term policy, pushback

In his first term in the Senate, Eichorn authored three bills that were signed into law. One narrowed the scope of Taconite Economic Development funding to more specifically benefit

aconite-centered companies and projects.

The second bill created a penalty for misrepresentation of a service animal, according to Legislative records. It became law in August of 2018.

During the 2020 Legislative session, Eichorn authored a bill to allow surplus funds from local libraries in his district to be reallocated to their respective county, according to Legislative records. It was signed by the governor in May of 2020.

In 2018, Eichorn was one of five lawmakers who wrote to Gov. Tim Walz in support of permitting a PolyMet mine near Hoyt Lakes and Babbitt. DFL lawmakers, responding to public concern over potential environmental impact and reported "procedural irregularities," had written to the governor calling for the project's permits to be suspended.

In May of 2020, Eichorn faced public backlash for a video he posted to Twitter, now X, of a homeless encampment. In the later-deleted Tweet, posted weeks after the coronavirus pandemic hit Minnesota, Eichorn called on Walz to open up campgrounds amid COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.

"We have a nice little tent city set up here. Unfortunately, in Greater Minnesota, Gov. Walz has campgrounds shut down," Eichorn said in the video. "If you're OK with this, we should certainly be OK with our resorts and campgrounds being open. We can do it safely."

Bemidji Mayor Rita Albrecht, Eichorn's opponent for the 2020 election, publicly criticized Eichorn for using the "homeless as a prop for a political video."

First and second reelection

In 2020’s general election, District 5 campaigns focused heavily on response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eichorn authored a bill in 2020 to support re-opening small businesses, but the bill didn't pass in the House.

Albrecht, Eichorn's opponent on the ballot, encouraged adhering to state COVID-19 guidelines that restricted operations. In the end, incumbent Eichorn won District 5 with 55% of the vote against Albrecht's 37%.

In 2021, Eichorn authored a bill to make the murder of an unborn child a felony punishable by a minimum 30-year sentence. The bill did not pass the Senate or House, according to the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus.

Eichorn ran for office again in 2022, this time in District 6 following statewide redistricting. The change put Eichorn against Republican Sen. Carrie Ruud, R-Breezy Point, a longtime lawmaker who had been in the Senate since 2013. After Eichorn received the GOP endorsement, Ruud announced in May of 2022 that she wouldn't seek another term.

Riding on the GOP endorsement and the public backing of law enforcement, Eichorn secured his third term in the 2022 general election. Eichorn won 65% of the vote over DFL candidate Steve Samuelson and was sworn into office on Jan. 3, 2023.

Recent work and leadership roles

Eichorn was elected assistant minority leader for the Senate Republican caucus in November of 2022.

During 2023’s DFL trifecta, Eichorn wrote an op-ed to the Bemidji Pioneer outlining his concerns with the DFL’s gun control and energy agenda.

In the 2023 session, Eichorn secured funding in a larger infrastructure for Grand Rapids and Brainerd water treatment facilities, as well as funding for Central Lakes College, according to the Senate Republican Caucus

In March of 2023, Eichorn was elected to serve as vice-chair of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation board, an Minnesota economic development agency that reinvests local taconite production taxes back into northeastern Minnesota,” according to the IRRR website. Eichorn has served on the board since taking office in 2017.

Eichorn was unanimously elected as chair to the IRRR board in February 2025.

For the duration of the Senate's 33-33 tie in 2025, Eichorn served as co-chair of the Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy Committee under the chamber's power-sharing agreement. He also served on committees for education policy, finance, rules and state government.

Eichorn was a co-author of a bill introduced Monday to classify “Trump Derangement Syndrome” as a mental illness in Minnesota. The bill has not received a hearing.

Eichorn also recently chief-authored a bill to speed up Minnesota’s environmental permitting process, but the legislation has not received a hearing in the Senate.

Eichorn sent a letter of resignation to Gov. Tim Walz Thursday morning just minutes before Senate Republicans allegedly planned to push a motion to expel him.

"I am resigning my seat in the Minnesota Senate for District 6 effective immediately," Eichorn said in the letter, sent three days after his Monday arrest. "I must focus on personal matters at this time. It has been an honor to serve in the Minnesota Senate."

His departure will call for the third special election in Minnesota’s Legislature this year.

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Bemidji woman seriously injured in Aitkin County crash

Dispatch staff report — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 22:42:04 GMT

AITKIN — A 53-year-old Bemidji woman was injured Tuesday, Jan. 14, after her vehicle struck a tree on Highway 200 in Aitkin County.

The Minnesota State Patrol responded to the crash at 3:17 p.m. in Northwest Aitkin Unorganized Territory, east of Hill City. According to the report, a 2012 Honda CRV was westbound on the highway near 680th Lane when it lost control on the icy road, went off the road to the left and hit a tree.

The driver, Twila Jean Pesola, suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center Duluth.

The Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office and the Hill City police and fire departments assisted at the scene.

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Family navigates grief after Grand Rapids teen lost in 1992

Brielle Bredsten — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 13:00:00 GMT

JACOBSON, Minn. — Just five days after his 18th birthday, James “Jamie” Tennison, of Grand Rapids, entered the Savannah State Forest, never to be seen or heard from again.

It was a warm, overcast afternoon Oct. 15, 1992, when Jamie and his father, James “Jim” Tennison, and friend, Jeff Wohlrabe, set out to hunt grouse.

“I grew up in the Jacobson area and went to high school at McGregor, so that was a familiar area,” Jim said. “We were both fairly familiar with that area that we were hunting, which was about 3 miles south and 6 miles in on the Hedbom Forest Road.”

Furthering Jamie’s confidence in the woods was the training he received during a three-day survival course and Minnesota Deer Hunters Association Forkhorn Camp, and he frequently camped in the woods alone, Jim said.

“He was supposed to be meeting up with a girl in Grand Rapids to go out that evening,” Jim recalled. “He reminded me of that, and we parted ways.”

The hunting party agreed to meet back at the truck at 4 p.m. before Jim and his friend headed south on the reserve line while Jamie went north.

Dressed in ripstop camouflage pants, a lightweight green camouflage jacket with a vest, a red-and-blue flannel shirt and a Los Angeles Kings ball cap, Jamie walked alone with his brand-new Remington 870 Express 12-gauge shotgun in hand.

A billfold containing money and Jamie’s ID and a new pistol his father had given him for his birthday were left behind at the family hunting shack, Jim said.

When 4 p.m. rolled around, Jamie didn’t show. The temperature dropped, and by 6 p.m., cold rain turned into wind and snow. A large fire was built. Shouts and shots were fired, but no reply.

Jim would later discover Jamie’s compass was still lying in the ammo box back at the shack.

“We did hear some shots, so he probably shot some grouse. He got off the trail, off the road, and he got confused,” Jim presumed. “Without a compass in the woods on a cloudy day, you could get really disorientated as far as sense of direction, and I think that he was lost.”

Excursions into the woods showed no sign of Jamie, and the sheriff’s office was notified at around 10:45 p.m.

”I think he looked around, and he found someplace he could hunker down and get as much shelter as he could," Jim suggested, "whether it be an upturned tree or something like that. He dug himself in, and he covered himself up with leaves, and he went to sleep and never woke up.”

According to a deputy’s report on file at the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office, the responding officer stated: “I went out to where they last saw him, sat near that area with my siren going at intervals of 15-20 minutes, at which time, I would shut it off and listen. I did this for approximately 1 1/2 hours.”

Meanwhile, Jim and Wohlrabe stoked the fire 1 mile away, yet reportedly could not hear the siren due to the heavy snowfall.

“Aitkin County basically did not run any kind of search and rescue,” Jim claimed. “They never set foot in the woods at all, didn't do any organizing. It was all done by friends of mine, or volunteers or Minnesota Power.”

The sheriff’s office called off its search for Jamie on the morning of Oct. 20, 1992, according to an article in the Aitkin Independent Age newspaper.

Over the next 10 days, the Tennison family, friends and co-workers conducted extensive searches in the thick, swampy brush and timber-filled woods with floating bogs and numerous predators. Volunteers used dogs, horses and helicopters to comb the area in a grid-style search, Jim said.

“People that suffer from hypothermia, what they do is they run, they start shedding items,” Jim said. “Caps, vests, guns, whatever. We never found anything. So wherever Jamie ended up, all his stuff ended up with him.”

According to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's missing-person poster, Jamie is described as a 5-foot, 9-inch white male weighing 120 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

The 12-gauge Remington shotgun (with serial number A442608M) that Jamie was carrying at the time of his disappearance was registered with authorities.

The family also enlisted the help of a well-known psychic, Greta Alexander.

“She had a premonition on a well site on an island that was kind of down in that area,” Jim said. “This was probably a month or month and a half after. We flew over there and checked that island out, and I made trips back there. My brother actually hunted back in that area for several years, and I made several trips down there, too, but I don't do that anymore.”

That winter, the family called off private search efforts for Jamie.

The hunting shack property south of Jacobson was eventually sold. While Jim no longer hunts in that area, he and his daughter, Gina, have an annual tradition of sitting in a deer stand together during each season’s opening weekend.

“We drink coffee and eat treats and tell stories as much as we hunt,” Jim said. “Gina has struggled with losing her big brother that she looked up to, but she's turned out to be a very beautiful young woman with a huge circle of supportive friends and a good job.”

Because of Jamie’s past, Jim said there was speculation among some people that his son may have run away, but the thought never entered his mind.

“He was just a fun, adventurous little guy. Loved to try just about anything. He was an outdoors kid. You know — hunting, fishing, camping,” Jim said. “We had no difficulties with Jamie until he got into middle school, and he had trouble with the administration.”

According to a supplemental report by an Aitkin County deputy on the day Jamie was reported missing, his mother stated that when he was 14, he ran away and was found a few miles away in a teepee-type arrangement and seemed quite comfortable.

“My son was a very bright person who liked to press boundaries,” Jim said. “Like any parent-child, when you have a kid that's acting out, you have difficulties. But I would say it was a pretty healthy relationship between the two of us.”

Jamie had been placed at Northwest Juvenile Training Center in Bemidji.

After returning to the family home on Pokegama Lake in Grand Rapids, the plan was to have Jamie finish the last few months of high school and graduate with his class.

“But that didn’t happen,” Jim said.

In an Aitkin County Sheriff Investigation Report dated Nov. 1, 1992, an officer had contacted Jamie’s then-girlfriend at the center, who said she had not heard him talking of running away, and she hadn’t heard from him since he disappeared.

Jim firmly believes his son succumbed to the elements, also leaving behind a younger sister, Gina, who was 14 at the time, and mother, Mary Tennison.

“I know a lot of people have been through like circumstances," Jim said, struggling to find the words as he choked up, "and a lot of times it leads to separation and divorce of the parents, and conflicts. In our situation, it didn't do that because my wife never blamed me."

A year following Jamie’s disappearance, a memorial service was held at United Methodist Church. For over a decade, loved ones gathered at the “point last seen” to pay tribute to Jamie.

Now, only Jamie’s immediate family gathers each October for a bonfire at their home in Grand Rapids in remembrance of him.

“We still think about him a lot,” Jim said. “You don't come through something like that unscarred, that's for sure.”

While Jamie’s body was never located, a bronze plaque honoring his memory can be found at the family’s plot at Wildwood Cemetery in Cohasset.

To prevent similar tragedies, Jim partnered with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to help establish the Jamie Tennison Memorial Compass Fund through the Grand Rapids Area Community Foundation in 1994.

The program receives support from various community partners, including the Itasca County Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. Jim estimates at least 60,000 compasses have been distributed in Itasca County since the program’s inception at a cost of over $100,000, though those numbers are outdated.

In addition to adding survival and orienteering training to firearms safety instruction for youth in Itasca County, students are provided with a compass and brochure of Jamie’s story. Instructors are free to structure the program into their course as they see fit.

“I've had multiple people stop me and thank me and say, ‘You have no idea how many lives this could have potentially saved by all these kids having a compass,'" Jim said.

Anyone with information about Jamie Tennison is asked to call the Aitkin County Sheriff's Office at 218-927-7435.

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Minnesota facility to provide a handicap-friendly shooting range, retreat for veterans

Theresa Bourke — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 22:01:00 GMT

McGREGOR — Toward the end of his life, Chuck Evancevich began feeling like a burden on society.

Brenda Evancevich saw her husband’s struggles as an Air Force veteran confined to a wheelchair due to primary progressive multiple sclerosis and neurologic Lyme disease. Once a great athlete recruited by professional sports teams, Chuck eventually had to deal with a life of limits that meant some of his favorite pastimes — like range shooting — became inaccessible.

“He always felt like he was kind of a burden on society,” Brenda Evancevich said Saturday, June 15. “And he always felt like he was just watching life pass him by.”

Chuck died in 2020, but his legacy lives on at Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat.

His story is one of the backbones of a new handicap-accessible outdoor shooting range, campground, veterans center and community center in McGregor. Still in the construction phase, Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat plans to help disabled veterans and others take part in activities that might not otherwise be feasible. It’s also a way to ensure those who dedicated their lives to serving their country are not forgotten.

Bret Sample, an Army veteran and close friend of the Evanceviches, made it his mission to create such a place for veterans and handicapped outdoor enthusiasts alike. Sample is now the executive director/president of Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat, while Brenda Evancevich serves as operations director, vice president and secretary.

Vehicles lined the road out to the facility June 15 to celebrate the work that had been done thus far and raise a special American flag. Congressman Pete Stauber presented a flag flown over the United States Capitol on D-Day. The same banner now waves above Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat.

“It is such an honor to be here with all of you, celebrating the men and women who have given it all — the disabled men and women who have fought for this country, their families, their friends,” Stauber said. “This is what America’s all about — the passion.”

He thanked Sample and all the volunteers who continue to work on the project and make the facility a reality.

“This will be a place for marksmanship and mentorship,” Stauber said. “Our veterans are going to have a safe place — a safe and secure place — to share their stories, to shoot their bow and arrow, to shoot their firearms, for enjoyment. A facility that was specifically built for them — our heroes — that served this nation with honor and integrity. This is going to be a lasting range long after many of us are gone.”

Representatives from the offices of U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith shared words on behalf of the senators. Rachel Loeffler-Kemp, regional outreach director with Klobuchar’s office, read a letter from the senator, praising the nation’s veterans.

“Our service members deserve our consistent, unwavering support,” Loeffler-Kemp read. “There’s no expiration to the benefits that they’ve earned, no limits to the honor they are due and no time when we are not indebted to them.”Klobuchar’s letter thanked everyone in attendance for honoring veterans and service members with their work.

“You’re all part of a proud tradition of men and women in our state who have served with honor, bravery, dignity and humility,” the letter read.

Orion DiFranco represented Smith’s office, thanking the volunteers and those who donated to the project for their blood, sweat and tears over the past several years.

“This is an incredible project,” DiFranco said. “This is what it’s all about. It’s Americans working together to try and do something that’s going to benefit men and women who have served our country and — more broadly — community members who, because of disability or whatever the case might be, have not been able to get out and recreate outdoors and exercise their Second Amendment rights the way that they used to or the way that they’d like to.”

He said Forgotten Heroes has an honorable mission and congratulated those gathered, on behalf of Smith, for the milestone flag-raising and all that is sure to come in the future.

A facility for all

The land on which the range and retreat is to be constructed was once an illegal dump. When cleaning up the property, Sample said volunteers removed 250 appliances, 15.5 tons of scrap metal and 12 dumpsters worth of garbage. They racked up over 13,000 volunteer hours, a fact Sample got choked up about during his speech, thinking about all the help he’s received along the way.

Dan Guida is the construction director on the project and a senior master sergeant with the 934th Airlift Wing, the only Air Force Reserve unit in Minnesota. Known in the military community as the “Global Vikings,” Guida’s unit has been involved in the construction on the property thus far, using the area for training purposes. The military’s Innovative Readiness Training program provides real-world training opportunities for service members, preparing them for war-time missions while helping out communities that wouldn’t otherwise have the resources to complete projects on their own.

Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat is a perfect example, and its proximity to the unit’s base at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport is a big perk.

“It’s huge for us to be able to get training in a manner that we don’t have to take 14 days out of a busy schedule, or seven days out of a busy schedule,” Guida said.

He pointed to the large hydroseeding berms, built up around the gun range for added safety measures, which members of the Airlift Wing built. They’re the same things that would be built to hide a tank behind in a desert combat zone. And the tree removal for the project is the same process that would have to happen in a jungle environment.

“So all these tasks, almost every single one of them, is exactly what we need,” Guida said.

The timeline for completion of Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat is unknown at this point, dependent on funding, as the group is a nonprofit. Once built, there will be a veterans center open to area veterans, alongside a community center open to all. A campground will feature paths, ponds and a fire pit area for campers. Rifle, pistol and archery ranges will cap it all off.

And everything will be completely handicap accessible and free to use for not only disabled veterans but any disabled individuals along with their caretakers, families, law enforcement and first responders. Guida said the team worked with wheelchair users to determine the type of amenities needed for their comfort and accessibility.

Bret Sample, executive director of Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat, shakes hands Saturday, June 15, 2024, with U.S. Air Force Reserves Col. Christopher Mazzey.

Congressman Pete Stauber talks Saturday, June 15, 2024, at a flag-raising ceremony at Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat in McGregor.

People attend the flag raising ceremony Saturday, June 15, 2024, at Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat near McGregor.

Bret Sample talks with Congressman Pete Stauber Saturday, June 15, 2024, at a flag-raising ceremony at Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat in McGregor.

People attend the flag raising ceremony Saturday, June 15, 2024, at Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat near McGregor.

Down the road, Brenda Evancevich said there are plans for handicap-accessible hunting, which was another of her husband’s passions.

Billed as a facility “in memory of one, in honor of all,” Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat will serve as a memorial to Chuck Evancevich and a place of outdoor recreation for all, especially those who gave their all in service.

Keeping in mind the high suicide rate among veterans, Brenda Evancevich said Forgotten Heroes hopes also to put efforts toward veteran suicide prevention.

“If we can help one person, then that makes it all worth it,” she said.

Joining the cause

More information on Forgotten Heroes is available at forgottenheroesmn.org. The website allows for online donations and provides a printable donation form for those who would like to donate via check. Checks should be made payable to Forgotten Heroes Ranges and Retreat and can be mailed to: Forgotten Heroes Ranges & Retreat, P. O. Box 405, McGregor, MN 55760. All donations are tax deductible.

Those interested in volunteering with the nonprofit can call or text 218-851-0969.

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Paul Bunyan Communications to expand GigaZone to Aitkin, Itasca and St. Louis County areas

Pioneer Staff Report — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 15:19:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — Paul Bunyan Communications plans to expand its GigaZone internet service to over 1,500 locations in Aitkin, Itasca and St. Louis counties this year.

The GigaZone refers to Paul Bunyan Communications' initiative to provide broadband Internet speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps, or a gigabit.

"We are committed to our effort to bring gigabit broadband Internet to those currently without reliable Internet access in our region," Paul Bunyan Communications CEO and General Manager Gary Johnson said in a release.

The Itasca County expansion will include over 180 locations in the city of Taconite, over 500 locations in the city of Keewatin and 45 locations in an area of the Greenway Township east of the city of Calumet.

The St. Louis County expansion will include over 530 locations in the city of Buhl and over 240 locations in the Forbes area southwest of Eveleth.

The Aitkin County expansion will include over 70 locations in areas of Aitkin Township and an unorganized township northwest of the city of Aitkin.

Construction will take place over the summer with services expected to be available by winter. Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network should sign up for service now, the release said.

Interested community members can sign up online, over the phone or in person at Paul Bunyan Communications' Grand Rapids Customer Service and Technology Center or Cooperative Headquarters in Bemidji.

"When we started expanding in 1999, high-speed Internet service was just beginning," Johnson explained in the release. "Today, Internet access is no longer a luxury, it is a vital component of everyday life and our cooperative continues to bring this essential access to more homes and businesses right here in northern Minnesota every year."

To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area and learn more about the construction process, visit www.gigazone.com.

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Family, neighbors remember Duluth-to-Fargo road visionary

Jimmy Lovrien — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 13:30:00 GMT

WRIGHT, Minn. — Every morning, Brent Bushnell and his siblings walked a mile and a quarter along Highway D to catch the school bus.

The highway north of Tamarack and Wright didn’t appear on any official map, and except for their grandfather’s truck or tractor, they didn’t have to worry about traffic.

But if their grandfather, Gordon Bushnell, had his way, his self-built highway would have been a main artery cutting straight across northern Minnesota, linking Duluth and Fargo.

Gordon, a single-term state senator representing Carlton and Aiktin counties from 1947-1951, tried to pass legislation that would have established the so-called Highway D. But without political support, he set out to build it himself with just a wheelbarrow, a shovel and a tractor.

He’d also recruit some of his grandchildren to help, like having them ride on the grader to keep the pitch of blades in line, said Brent, 60, who now lives in Florida.

“Several of his grandchildren had the opportunity — some would say torture — to ride behind the tractor on the grader,” Brent said.

Gordon worked on it every morning for decades, completing 12 miles by the time he died in 1982 at age 81, a year after a stroke left him unable to continue his work.

His story of perseverance gained national attention in 1978 when CBS featured him during "On the Road with Charles Kuralt" and a few years later on NBC’s “Real People.”

Last month, the News Tribune looked back on Gordon’s project and asked for relatives or friends who knew Gordon to reach out. Several of Gordon’s many grandchildren and great-grandchildren called and emailed with stories about Gordon and Highway D.

So, too, did former neighbors and others who knew Gordon personally and had walked Highway D. The story also jogged the memory of one former University of Minnesota Duluth student now living in England who remembered the story but couldn’t recall the details until reading it in the News Tribune.

Earlier on, Gordon wasn’t alone in pushing for Highway D, but eventually, Minnesota Highway 210 and U.S. Highway 2 would come to handle the cross-state traffic, and the groups fizzled out.

Still, when he wasn’t building the road, Gordon would advocate for Highway D, carrying an informational pamphlet in his pocket everywhere he went. It heralded the highway as a post-World War II development that would save drivers 75 miles as they cut across the state and could connect loggers and farmers in Minnesota and North Dakota to the yet-to-be-completed St. Lawrence Seaway linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

He had hoped that the state would see the need, and finish road construction where he left off.

While Gordon’s dream of building a straight-line highway across Minnesota never came to fruition, the Bushnell family, who own some of Highway D, still use the old road as a private recreational trail, linking a network of snowmobile trails on their land.

“We have our own private playground,” said Tim Bushnell, 70, of Proctor, one of Gordon’s grandchildren and Brent’s cousin.

When he was little, he liked to imagine the family property becoming a truck stop along Highway D. That, of course, never happened, but he still called Highway D “a gift.”

To build his road, Gordon would buy 40 acres along his planned route, build the road and then sell the 40 acres with a right of way for the road.

“And when he got to state land … he just took off across that until he got to someplace where he had to buy private land again,” Tim said.

In an email, Lowell Larson said he figures he and his father, John, met Gordon and walked a section of the road in 1978 or 1979, when Lowell was 7 or 8 years old.

"I remember that he talked about coming up on a place where there was some land that he couldn't buy or get an easement through. I didn't know what an easement was, but figured it out based on context," Larson said. "He was frustrated but had decided that he was just going to have to go around it.

"This meant more work for him, but the bigger concern was that it conflicted with his goal of creating the shortest, straightest possible route to Fargo," Larson said. "He decided that was better than giving up. I think maybe there's a useful life metaphor in there for those who wish to see it that way."

Gordon was a hard worker, after all.

While he occasionally recruited help from his grandchildren, Gordon largely insisted he build the road himself.

Clarence Badger, 83, of Cloquet, remembers delivering Gordon loads of gravel with his father-in-law.

But Gordon wouldn’t let them help spread it.

“We had all the equipment to do it, but he said, ‘No, I just want the gravel,’ ” Badger said. “I don’t know how he moved it with his tractor, but he moved it.”

Badger, who also bought property along the Tamarack River from Gordon, remembers him as a talkative hard worker.

“When he set his mind to do something, he was one that would take it and try to accomplish it,” Badger said.

Tim said the work ethic and problem-solving Gordon displayed in his road’s construction instilled those values in his family.

He used the example of Gordon trying to cross a bog near Horseshoe Lake. From one end of the marsh, Gordon laid logs down perpendicular to the direction of the road — called corduroy. Then he came at it from the other side.

“To me, that symbolizes his whole life, when he met an issue, he would attack it from both sides,” Tim said.

Gordon’s efforts were known by locals but rose in notoriety after Charles Kuralt’s visit, and he is forever linked to the legendary broadcaster. Kuralt wrote about Gordon in his book, and many newspaper obituaries written about Kuralt mentioned Gordon.

Gordon and his road embodied the type of story Kuralt liked to tell, and the two remained in touch after that segment.

If Kuralt was in the area, he’d swing by and meet with Gordon, Tim said.

Brent met Kuralt once when flying from Newark, New Jersey, to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Brent said he noticed Kuralt walk from the first-class section to the restroom in the back of the plane.

“So I made a point of getting out of the plane as quickly as I could, and just after we got off the jetway I said, ‘Hi, Mr. Kuralt, my name is Brent Bushnell, I’m Gordon Bushnell’s grandson,” Brent said.

Kuralt knew exactly who Brent was talking about, and the two spoke for 10 or 15 minutes as they walked through the terminal.

“He said he was really sad to hear that my grandfather had the stroke,” Brent said. “But it was just a great conversation … I can’t say enough about (Kuralt).”

He also learned that Kuralt, who lived in Connecticut, would send Gordon information about the Bushnell family, which had a history in the state dating back to the 1600s.

A few years after the “On the Road” segment, NBC’s “Real People” paid Gordon a visit, too.

After watching his grandfather Gordon and grandmother Clara speak in the “Real People” clip on a computer from his Proctor home, Tim choked up.

“It’s a cross between sad and really proud,” Tim said.

Separately, Tim’s son, Aron Badger, 47, of Duluth, told the New Tribune that he doesn’t remember a lot about his great-grandfather. But seeing Gordon driving his old truck in the “Real People” clip brought back memories of riding on its flatbed from Highway D back to Gordon’s house.

Echoing his relatives, Aron said he sees Gordon’s stubbornness and work ethic live on.

“I think that tends to run in the family a little bit,” Aron said.

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Homebase Housing Services, Inc. tackling ‘the invisible crisis’

Robin Fish — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 17:20:00 GMT

“The goal of the program is to help those who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, find and maintain housing,” said Ryan Menzel of Brainerd, owner and CEO of Homebase Housing Services, Inc. (HHS).

With offices in Brainerd and Park Rapids and a third location starting up in Fergus Falls, the company is a housing stabilization provider licensed through the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS).

Menzel said their main office in Brainerd was licensed and started serving clients in 2021. The Park Rapids office opened soon afterward with the help of a provider capacity grant from the DHS. The office employs three housing coordinators, with Menzel himself also carrying a case load.

“Nobody escapes being a front-line worker,” he said. “I got this going to make something happen, so everybody gets to do something.”

Companywide, they mainly serve Aitkin, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Todd, Wadena, Becker and Otter Tail counties, employing five housing coordinators in Brainerd, three in Park Rapids and one in Fergus Falls, and planning to hire a few more.

According to Menzel, HHS' program offers:

Housing consultation – developing a “housing-focused, person-centered plan” based on the barriers and needs of each client. Transition – helping clients find housing by searching for available resources, reaching out to property managers on their behalf, coaching clients on how to be a good tenant, helping them apply for vouchers and coordinating with other providers like MAHUBE-OTWA. Sustaining – helping clients maintain where they live, educating them about lease compliance, finding energy assistance and navigating other resources. “A lot of skill building,” said Menzel. “A lot of building that relationship with the property manager.” Defining 'homelessness'

Homelessness and housing instability are a broader issue than most people think, Menzel said. It isn’t just about people living on the street.

“We have many people that we serve who are couch surfing,” he said. “They’re living with a relative or a friend, and they stay there for a week or two, and then they go to somebody else’s, and then somebody else’s.

“That’s housing instability, included in the definition of being homeless. Essentially, they’re not on a lease. It’s not guaranteed where they’re going to stay the night.”

Menzel said there has to be a documented disability to receive housing stablization services.

“It’s a Medical Assistance-funded program,” he said. “So, they have to be on Medical Assistance, over the age of 18; there has to be a physical disability, a mental health or substance use disorder, and then have some sort of either homelessness or housing instability.”

Some of HHS' clients, he said, are trying to rebuild their lives after drug or alcohol issues – a background that makes it hard to get a lease.

“We can come in and advocate for them,” he said. “Beyond Backgrounds is a program specifically for those with challenging backgrounds, dealing with those who have been evicted before makes it a challenge to find new housing.”

Some of their clients come on services with an active eviction notice, Menzel said. HHS can then call the property manager to ask what can be done to change the situation. It can be as simple as catching up on their rent.

“We don’t have the vouchers,” he clarified. “We don’t have direct funding to provide rent assistance. Our job is to go find what other resources that person may qualify for and help them apply for that, help them through the process.”

Greatest challenge: lack of affordable housing

He likened their job to case management, only applied to housing.

“Part of it is just explaining to people that a lease is a legal document,” he said, where both the tenant and the property manager have rights and responsibilities; explaining what it means to be lease-compliant and coaching tenants about the issues that led to their eviction.

“We’ve been successful in working with property managers,” said Menzel. That includes building relationships and being open with them about setbacks that could cause tenants to fall behind on their rent.

“One of the greatest challenges is the lack of affordable housing,” he said. “That’s one of the things that we’re doing constantly – finding out what’s available.”

Especially in rural areas, limited supply can create housing wait lists of six months to a year or more to get into a unit or a voucher program.

“The biggest thing that keeps me up at night is the frustration when someone is homeless, or they’re facing that instability,” he said, “not being able to find a spot for them immediately.”

HHS' program works toward long-term housing, but the interim from when a client faces homelessness can be difficult. Shelters fill up, Menzel said.

‘Be a part of the solution’

Asked what drew him from sales and marketing and business development to the social services world, Menzel said, “I’m a veteran, and I’ve had some challenges in my life. I looked at, how can I help others who are struggling?

“Then I found out about housing stabilization services. I had realized early on the importance of stable housing, whether someone was dealing with mental health or substance use recovery. Having stable housing was the bedrock of being able to build off that. If you don’t know where you’re going to spend the night, or if you’re waiting for your cousin or your brother-in-law to boot you out of the house, it’s really hard to focus on recovery or mental health.”

Once he started working in the field, Menzel said, he saw that the need was even greater than he had realized.

“I was really drawn to this, and I figured I could use my skill set to be part of the solution,” said Menzel. “Our tagline is, ‘Where there is a need, be a part of the solution.’ We can’t solve all of the issues. Our part is helping guide people in searching for housing, or maintaining. So, we can be a part of the overall solution.”

An invisible crisis

Another big challenge, he said, is that people don’t realize how big the need is. It isn’t as visible in the local area as in bigger cities, where the media show images of homeless people living on the streets.

“Some of the people that are on services are staying in the attic of a garage (where) there’s no heat or water, and that’s the only place for them,” said Menzel. “They’re not physically on a corner, sleeping on the street, panhandling. But they’re staying in a place that’s not habitable. They’re homeless, but because it’s not visible, you can kind of not realize that there’s an issue.

“I would encourage the community to start asking questions and trying to find how they can be a part of this.”

He stressed that HHS is one of multiple housing stabilization providers in the areas they serve, including MAHUBE-OTWA, and that people have a right to choose their provider,” he said.

Menzel added that they also partner with county human services case management, local churches and mental health providers.

‘Mission accomplished’?

Asked what “mission accomplished” will look like, Menzel said it’s on an individual, case-by-case basis – “if we can help not just find housing for them, but if the person is able to sustain that and, ideally, not need services,” he said. “Our piece is to get them stable in their housing.”

Bigger-picture, he said, he is looking at ways to bring more affordable housing into the area, because the need is greater than the supply.

“It’s heartbreaking when somebody comes in and they’re desperate for help, and I don’t have that quick solution,” he said. “We can find them a resource. Salvation Army, some of the other providers; a hotel voucher, to at least spend a night or two and get out of the cold and get a shower.

“‘Mission accomplished’ would be if someone came on services, and within a matter of days I could get them housed. As that period of time lessens, I would say it’s moving in the right direction.

“Ultimately, the goal would be to eradicate homelessness. That’s a tall order. It doesn’t mean we’re not going to try.”

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The man who tried to single-handedly build a Duluth-Fargo highway

Jimmy Lovrien — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 16:30:00 GMT

WRIGHT — Google Maps offers three suggested routes between downtown Duluth and downtown Fargo — all ranging between 242 and 257 miles long.

But maybe having to swing south and drive through Brainerd is too far out of the way. Or taking the route through Walker just feels like a detour.

If only there were a highway that followed a straight line between Duluth and Fargo, you could save some mileage because, as the crow flies, it’s just shy of 222 miles.

That was Gordon Bushnell’s dream. As a state senator from Tamarack, Minnesota, representing Aitkin and Carlton counties from 1947-1951, he tried to pass legislation that would have established so-called Highway D.

That didn’t work, so he took matters into his own hands.

He bought up 40 acres of land along the proposed route north of Wright, Minnesota, and used a shovel, wheelbarrow and tractor to clear a path for a road through the woods and swamps. He had experience working in road construction from 1918 to 1927, according to the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.

He managed to build 12 miles of road by the time died in 1982 at age 81, a year after a stroke left him unable to continue his work, according to an obituary that led the News Tribune’s front page June 30, 1982.

“He spent his lifetime building a highway that never was to be built,” State Rep. Douglas Carlson, of Standstone, Minnesota, told the News Tribune at the time.

Bushnell’s efforts gained national attention in 1978 when CBS Evening News featured him during "On The Road with Charles Kuralt." When Kuralt died in 1997, two years after purchasing the WELY radio station in Ely, Minnesota, obituaries for him in newspapers across the country noted his interview with Bushnell.

Kuralt recalled meeting Bushnell in his 1985 book, “On the Road with Charles Kuralt,” according to an excerpt published in the Chicago Tribune.

“Bushnell kept hoping the state would see the wisdom of a straight road across Minnesota and take over the job from him, but the state never did,” Kuralt wrote.

NBC’s “Real People” visited Bushnell later, too.

Bushnell recalled experiencing side pain when he started his road project.

“I went to the doctor, and he said I needed to have my gallbladder out,” Bushnell said in the “Real People” segment. “Well, I wanted to dig that ditch up there, so I thought, ‘Well, if I have my gallbladder out, I can’t dig the ditch.’ So I thought, ‘Well, I’ll dig the ditch first.’ So I started digging and the more I dug, the better I felt.”

Lawmakers never took up finishing this straight-line highway between Duluth and Fargo. Minnesota Highway 210 and U.S. Highway 2 could handle the traffic, the News Tribune reported in 1982.

There was also an effort to turn it into the “Bushnell Recreational Trail,” but that also appears to have never materialized.

Asked by “Real People” if he was wasting his time building the road, Bushnell responded, “I don’t know. Maybe I am, but I enjoy doing it, so what’s the difference?”

Did you know Gordon Bushnell? Do you know where segments of his road are? Let News Tribune reporter Jimmy Lovrien know at 218-723-5332 or jlovrien@duluthnews.com.

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'They're not talking' -- Investigators seek answers from duo in mystery of missing Minnesota trucker

Brielle Bredsten — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 13:31:00 GMT

AITKIN, Minn. — Veteran Matthew Boyd arrived home from deployment, anticipating his father might be on the road trucking for some time. Then, the bills began piling up. Friends became concerned, and law enforcement came knocking.

Fifteen years have gone by, and there are still no answers. Where is Leroy Keith Boyd?

Life in Aitkin

Born March 21, 1941, Leroy spent most of his life in the small town of Aitkin. After his father was killed while serving in World War II, Leroy was adopted by his mother Dorothy Woodrow's new husband, Glenn Boyd. There was quite an age gap between Leroy and his younger half-siblings: Tuffy Boyd, Mick Boyd, Nancy Burgwald, Edee Connor and Ruth Moore.

Leroy went on to serve in the Army as a military police officer. His civilian background was in excavating and construction, and he owned the Aitkin Lanes bowling alley for a while.

He was divorced with two children, Matthew Boyd and Amanda (Boyd) Hop, and several grandchildren — some of whom he never met.

"He was caring in his own way," Matthew said. "He did a lot for a lot of people. Was always there when I needed him. Sometimes, I got the tough love, but he was always there in one way or another. I looked up to him in a lot of ways, so in the end, I hope I turn out to be half as good as he was."

Trucking business

Following in his father's footsteps, Matthew Boyd joined the military after high school. From the Marine Corps, he transferred to the National Guard before being activated into the Army. He then returned to the National Guard and volunteered for another tour.

Having served as a 92 Fox fueler for aircraft and ground equipment, Matthew is now medically retired from the Army. He works occasionally for Cuyuna Regional Medical Center and helps out with his wife's home dog-grooming business, Alpha Dog.

"Before I deployed, my father got the idea to start a small trucking company. He was going to name it 'Ol' Buzzard Trucking,' so he bought a Dodge 1-ton truck and ended up with a trailer and was going to start hauling people's toys — motorcycles, cars, whatever — just to Sturgis," Matthew Boyd said.

According to a news release from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Leroy previously traveled extensively across the Midwest and East Coast.

Matthew Boyd said his dad, 67, was going to do a run down to Florida, but something came up, so his business partner, Matthew Hop, was sent instead. Matthew Hop was the boyfriend of Leroy's daughter, Amanda Boyd.

"I was informed when his truck broke down by my father," Matthew Boyd said, adding that apparently, Matthew Hop told Leroy he hit an empty box in the road. Investigators told a different story.

"Somebody burned the engine up in it," former Aitkin County investigator Steve Cook said. "They wrecked the engine by running it hot. It ran out of coolant. That person kept on driving it and they sealed it up. The dealership said, 'Pure stupidity.' It's like if your vehicle's antifreeze line breaks and sprays antifreeze all around, and you just keep driving it."

Cook was assigned to Leroy's missing person case in 2009 after its original investigator, John Drahota, became undersheriff. In 2022, Cook retired after 24 years with the sheriff's office and still works occasionally. He confirmed that Leroy's 2005 Dodge pickup truck and trailer were found at a dealership in Florida, and its repairs were never paid.

"Matt told my father that the insurance company was contacting him about it because he was the one that did the initial paperwork down there. He told him that he'd handle that part of it because it broke while he was driving it," Matthew Boyd said. "Dad found out that he was spending all of this money and he wasn't getting any of it back."

Based on Matthew Boyd's conversations with his father, he believes Leroy planned to confront Matthew Hop about the discrepancies.

Matthew Boyd said he last spoke to his father around May or June 2008, when he called Leroy to let him know he was returning home from deployment and needed a place to stay for a while.

"He said, 'By all means,'" according to Matthew.

In early August 2008, he flew from Kuwait to Wisconsin, where he spent one week before arriving in Aitkin.

"When I came home, he wasn't here, but when I talked to him in Kuwait he said he might be on the road. He might be here, he might not be here, but make myself at home," Matthew said. "So when I came home, I did. And everything kind of erupted from there."

Reported missing

According to a release from the BCA, Leroy was last contacted May 25, 2008. He was last seen alive at an insurance business office in Aitkin around early June 2008 by then-employee Jenni Cline.

Cook described Leroy as a quiet loner who stuck to himself, living alone in his home. His daughter, Amanda Boyd, also lived in Aitkin during this period.

"His daughter was his life. When she was in high school, because he got divorced, she was his sparkle in his eye," according to Cook.

However, Leroy was initially reported missing by an out-of-state friend Aug. 15, 2008, according to an article in the Aitkin Independent Age.

"The call was from a friend of his in Oklahoma for the welfare search," Matthew said.

According to Cook, Leroy occasionally stayed with some friends, who became worried after receiving some strange correspondence.

"When they started trying to get in touch with him, they were suspicious about the messages. They didn't believe it was his vocabulary and how he would write a message. Not that he didn't send messages, because he did. They were just not usually the way he writes or answers," Cook said.

Matthew also grew concerned when overdue payment notices began arriving in the mail.

"Dad would go places and be gone for a while, but he never didn't pay his bills. That was really ultimately when I started questioning everything," Matthew said.

Things weren't adding up

Over the following two weeks, the BCA became involved in the case, assisting the Aitkin County Sheriff's Office to gather additional information about Leroy's whereabouts and activities before the lies came to light, Cook said.

"We interview people to verify stories in multiple different directions," said Aitkin County Sheriff Dan Guida. "The suspects are built on conflicting information."

Guida joined the sheriff's office in 1994 and has been involved with Leroy's case from the beginning. In 2020, Guida took over for former Sheriff Scott Turner, who did not respond to a request for an interview from the Duluth News Tribune.

The Aitkin County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at Leroy's property and he was officially declared missing by authorities Aug. 29, 2008.

According to Cook, phone records indicated Leroy's phone was active until early June 2008, and became inactive until August — when a few calls were made after Leroy had already been reported as missing. However, the phone was never located, Cook said.

"Every phone number that he called from that phone, they went and interviewed," Guida said.

Although details were not available due to the sensitivity of the pending case, Guida said there were many red flags raised while looking into Leroy's business and personal finances, phone records and statements.

A news release from the sheriff's office in late September 2008 stated investigators believed foul play was involved in Leroy's disappearance and that persons of interest were identified.

Searching for closure

In August 2010, Matthew and Jessica Boyd attended Matthew Hop and Amanda Boyd's small wedding ceremony in Duluth, expecting that Leroy would show up.

"I was told that he'd be there. I was told that he would be at the birth of their child. He wasn't there. I was told a lot of stuff," Matthew Boyd said.

Leroy was declared dead around 2011 so Matthew and Jessica Boyd could obtain a quiet title to transfer the property into their name, saving it from foreclosure and enabling them to fix the failing septic system.

"When I did it, I was hesitant, but it's what I needed to do at the time. It is well apparent that he is (dead)," Matthew Boyd said. "I've gone from the search-and-rescue mindset to the recovery so we can bury him, so there can be the closure — not only for me, but the entire family."

Lack of participation draws suspicion

Initially treated as a suspect, law enforcement said Matthew Boyd was soon cleared because his military status proved he was out of the country when his father disappeared. Cook also confirmed there are no suspicions of Leroy's half-siblings, who have been fully cooperative in the investigation.

"When I got back, Matt (Hop) always tried to talk to me and be civil, but every time I told him that law enforcement was trying to talk to him and stuff he would say, 'Yeah, I'll go talk to them,'" Matthew Boyd said. "He was telling me one thing, but wasn't doing it."

As of Oct. 24, 2023, Cook confirmed there are no interviews on file at the Aitkin County Sheriff's Office with either Amanda Hop or Matthew Hop, although several attempts have been made to speak with them regarding the case. Amanda Hop did not respond to the Duluth News Tribune's request for an interview.

Our hope is that someday, somebody's conscience comes true and that they're willing to come in and tell us the truth. They know that we need to hear the truth.

Since Leroy went missing, Matthew Boyd said his sister hasn't stepped foot on the property of their childhood home. His last contact with his brother-in-law was in 2015, when all of Amanda's belongings that were saved after remodeling Leroy's former home were dropped off at the residence of Duane Hop, her late father-in-law.

"I was called by Matt (Hop) when I left and told that I couldn't go down that street anymore in Aitkin, and if I did he was going to file a restraining order on me," Matthew Boyd said.

The Hops left Minnesota after the investigation began. Records indicate Amanda Hop has also resided in Iowa, Wisconsin and Florida and that Matthew Hop has also lived in Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

Both Amanda and Matthew Hop have open misdemeanor cases for fraud/theft in Wisconsin courts, and Matthew Hop was convicted of felony fraud in Minnesota in 2012. Aitkin County has an active warrant for Matthew Hop from 2015. He was placed on probation for five years in 2012 and violated his probation. The warrant was issued after he failed in appear in court.

According to a Pensacola News Journal article published Dec. 20, 2016, "When dad Matthew, mom Amanda, and the four kids — Bryce, 8; Elijah, 5; Fiona, 3; and Ezekiel, 8 months — fled their North Carolina home in the days before Hurricane Matthew battered the East Coast in October, they left everything. Without a home or belongings, the family settled in Pensacola in the hopes of finding temporary housing and employment."

Records show that June 16, 2021, Matthew Hop and Amanda Hop purchased a property in Pensacola, Florida, where they currently reside, according to the Escambia County website.

No body, no crime

"There's two people that need to talk and they're not talking," Guida said. "Everyone else is talking. The two people that need to talk, who everybody will point the finger at, because the evidence points the finger at, except for that we don't have a body, right?"

The term, "No body, no crime," stems from a Western law principle known as corpus delicti, which means the existence of a crime must be proved before charging someone with the crime.

According to Cook, Leroy is believed to be dead. However, searches for his remains have yielded no body fluids, no bones and no body.

There is a concern for the release of sensitive information that could compromise the case, Cook said.

"We'd love to get the person/persons convicted, because we think we believe who was involved, but we can't prove anything that happened," he said. "Nothing was found."

According to Guida, the case garnered more subpoenas and search warrants than any other case taken on by the BCA at that time. The BCA did not respond to the Duluth News Tribune's request for comment.

It is estimated that thousands of hours have been spent on the case, in addition to hundreds of interviews conducted, extending into multiple states.

Yet, disappointment was expressed by Leroy's daughter-in-law, Jessica Boyd, who believes Aitkin County "dropped the ball" on several occasions throughout the investigation.

Jessica and Matthew Boyd also said the crawl space beneath their home wasn't searched until over six years following Leroy's disappearance. "So how thorough of a search could have happened if they didn't even look in the crawl space that you can only access from in the house?" Jessica asked.

The case goes cold

It's been five years without any new pieces of evidence, Guida said, adding that the sheriff's office does not have the right to surveillance suspects without new evidence. "We did a full revisit of this case two to three years ago. We've gone through this cold-case type analysis as well. We've met with the family just about every other year," he said.

Although Leroy's disappearance has been reviewed a few times, Guida said the sheriff's office doesn't have anyone actively working on the case.

"It's exhausted," he said. "We've put every resource we've had toward it, and every time we renew it, we go through it again."

"We've interviewed everybody involved in this case," Guida continued. "We try to turn over every stone. We're not going to forget about it. Our hope is that someday, somebody's conscience comes true and that they're willing to come in and tell us the truth. They know that we need to hear the truth. They know how to get a hold of us. When I say 'they,' I can guess you know who I'm talking about."

Anyone with information regarding Leroy Boyd should contact the Aitkin County Sheriff's Office at 218-927-7435.

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2 arrested in connection to Aitkin overdose death

Tim Speier — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:47:49 GMT

AITKIN, Minn. — Two people were charged with murder on Sept. 20 following a monthslong investigation of a fentanyl overdose death in Aitkin County.

Kristina Marie Krone, 42, of Hinckley, and Stephen Michael Bochniak, 32, of Mora, are charged with third-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years and/or a $40,000 fine.

The Aitkin County Sheriff's Office responded to a medical call of an unresponsive male, reported at 9:02 p.m. June 18 to the 28000 block of 303rd Place in Malmo Township, southeast of Aitkin.

According to the news release and court documents, deputies, first responders and North Memorial Health Ambulance personnel responded to the scene and attempted lifesaving measures including CPR and Narcan administration. Those lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene around 9:40 p.m.

The victim’s girlfriend stated she bought a pizza after work and came home, noticing the main door of the garage was open with the light on. She reportedly found the victim in a kneeling position, bent over at the waist with his head against the ground and a beer in his hand. There was foil containing a burned substance near him.

Deputies arrived to find the victim lying on the ground with his back partially against a John Deere lawn tractor. Aitkin first responders arrived on scene and took over CPR.

Deputies observed a small empty bottle of Narcan on the ground, two hypodermic needles — one on the ground and one on an end table in the garage — and two pieces of foil on the end table next to the hypodermic needle. One piece of foil contained a black substance, and the other piece of foil contained a small white powder substance, believed to be fentanyl.

Due to evidence at the scene, it was believed the victim died of a controlled substance overdose, and the Aitkin-Itasca-Mille Lacs Violent Crimes Enforcement Team started an investigation.

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner later determined the cause of death was fentanyl toxicity.

On June 25, investigators met with the girlfriend for an interview and learned she was introduced to Krone in the winter of 2023 by a relative.

She stated she had purchased fentanyl on six separate occasions over the last several months with Krone’s help. She stated she would purchase half a gram of fentanyl for $100, and Krone would keep half of the product for facilitating the purchase. She stated a majority of the purchases were done in public areas and involved a third party.

The girlfriend said on June 14, between 10 and 11 a.m., she contacted Krone to pick her up in Sandstone. They went to Dollar General, where she gave Krone $100 to purchase fentanyl. Krone entered into a white van in the parking lot to purchase a half-gram of fentanyl. When Krone came out of the van, Krone handed her the fentanyl. After traveling a short distance to another parking lot, she and Krone got into the van and smoked fentanyl.

Then on June 15, she stated the victim gave her $100 to purchase more fentanyl and she put in another $100. She then contacted the defendant to purchase more fentanyl. She was picked up by Krone in Hinckley behind Dollar General. Krone and the girlfriend traveled to an address on Commercial Avenue in Sandstone and met with Bochniak. She gave Bochniak $200 for one gram of fentanyl, which was wrapped in foil. The girlfriend said she smoked some fentanyl and then went back home and gave the majority of the fentanyl to the victim.

On June 25, investigators looked at a Facebook GoFundMe post made by Bochniak, who was requesting assistance raising money to get his vehicle back from Pine County. Investigators contacted East Central Minnesota VCET and learned Bochniak was stopped in Pine County, and a K-9 was utilized to conduct a sniff search of the vehicle. Fentanyl was located in Bochniak’s vehicle.

In Minnesota, Violent Crime Enforcement Teams were created to increase the identification and arrest of serious law violators and enhance the amount of law enforcement expertise available statewide for complex investigations that cross jurisdictional boundaries.

The Aitkin County Attorney’s Office issued a statement of probable cause on Sept. 20, and arrest warrants were issued.

Aitkin-Itasca-Mille Lacs Violent Crimes Enforcement Team Commander Greg Payment stated in a news release he wanted to inform the public fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine and any amount of fentanyl is considered deadly.

Overdoses across the country continue to rise. For more information or assistance with opioid addictions, visit knowthedangers.com.

Krone posted bond with conditions on Tuesday and is no longer in custody in the Aitkin County Jail. She is due in court on Oct. 5. As of Wednesday evening, Bochniak was in custody in the Aitkin County Jail and is due in court Thursday, Sept. 28.

Assisting on the investigation were the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the East Central MN Drug Task Force.

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