CROSBY

101 cats removed from Crosby home following reports of cruelty, neglect

Dispatch staff report — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:27:34 GMT

CROSBY — An investigation into animal cruelty, neglect and hoarding led to more than 100 cats being removed Thursday, April 11, from a Crosby home.

In a news release posted Friday morning on its Facebook page, the Crosby Police Department reported about 12:15 p.m. Thursday police officers along with the assistance of the Minnesota Federated Humane Society conducted an administrative search warrant at a residence in Crosby in regard to reports of animal cruelty, animal hoarding and unsafe living conditions at the residence.

Once inside, 101 cats were located and removed from the residence. The cats were transported to the Tri-County Humane Society in St. Cloud. Anyone missing cats in the area is asked to contact the Tri-County Humane Society at tricountyhumanesociety.org or 320-252-0896.

“Special thanks to Tri-County Humane Society and the Minnesota Federated Humane Society for their assistance,” the Crosby Police Department reported.

Tri-County Humane Society reported its animal care team worked for more than five hours to intake, care for and process the cats.

“It will take a bit to answer a lot of questions, but one was microchipped — and we were able to reunite with their home after seven years last night!” Tri-County Humane Society reported in an email release.

Also assisting in the investigation was the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Department, Crow Wing County Social Services, a Crosby building inspector and Lakes Area Wildlife Control Officer.

This is a developing story. Check back at brainerddispatch.com for updates.

https://www.facebook.com/CrosbyPDMN/posts/pfbid0hyRXH6cRvm7ZedSJMCqr5L2FkdgwqcQ7n2sudh7oDAQxAZKg8hc8rL8GZrjni2Sol

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100 years later, Minnesota remembers the Milford Mine disaster

Renee Richardson — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 22:59:02 GMT

CROSBY — Clinton Harris must have known he was doomed.

Seven survivors passed him on their way to the lifesaving ladder out of the Milford Mine. Behind them, Foley Lake was rushing with water and mud entombing miners as they ran for safety.

Harris, the skip tender, was posted near the shaft controlling the skip that took miners up and down as well as the ore being removed from the mine. Harris wasn’t supposed to be working that day shift but was filling in for another miner.

When a second blast of air hit him and the electric lights went out in the mine, Harris pulled the rope to sound the warning whistle, alerting those below and above ground of danger. The miners who ran past him urged him to join them.

But Harris was concerned that men in the far reaches of the mine hadn’t heard the whistle. They likely couldn’t have imagined the speed of the disaster racing toward them.

Harris must have known he wasn’t going to make it out when he tied the rope of the whistle around his waist and the water rose swiftly on its way to fill the entire mine within minutes.

The Milford whistle inspired other mines and locomotives to sound their own whistles in response. People quickly gathered at the Milford mine shaft but there was nothing they could do as the black water rose nearly to the top of the shaft.

The exhausted survivors sprawled on the ground outside.

The Milford whistle continued to blow for four hours until someone cut the rope above ground. Months later, when Harris’ body was recovered, the rope was still tied around his waist.

Nine months after the mine flooded, the last body was found and removed from the mine. Over 4 million cubic feet of water was drained from the Milford Mine and Foley Lake with mud brought up by buckets.

The loss of the 41 miners, many young men with wives and children, that day in 1924 remains the state’s greatest mining tragedy and one of the worst in the nation.

Monday, Feb. 5, on the 100th anniversary of the Milford Mine disaster, people filled the Crosby-Ironton High �� auditorium to hear the stories of the miners who lost their lives that day. Songs written about the tragedy were played and each miner’s name read.

Stories of their lives, with many of them immigrants from Finland, Austria and Eastern Europe seeking a better life, were retold. Exhibits with photos, artifacts and a diagram of the mine were on display in the cafeteria where people gathered after the presentation by the Cuyuna Iron Range Heritage Network.

Mike Aulie, whose father Berger Aulie wrote the book the “Milford Mine Disaster: A Cuyuna Range Tragedy” and a volunteer with the Heritage Network, began the night by blowing a whistle and thanking people for coming.

“This turnout is fantastic and to see so many people interested in this part of our history and legacy in this area, it’s great to see,” Aulie said.

After the event, as people made their way to the cafeteria to continue to look through documents and talk with each other and Heritage Network representatives, Aulie said the turnout was what they hoped for but they weren’t sure how many would attend. He was told someone drove from Colorado to the event because they had a relative who died in the mine.

Aulie said estimates are about 400 people attended, more than they ever expected. They printed 200 programs and ran out before the program started. The presentation brought together those who were continuing to learn details about the event and relatives of those who perished in the mine.

“I thought it was great,” said Jeanine Nephew, Cuyuna, of the presentation. Nephew, who attended with her family and her daughters and had family members who perished in the mine, said she was impressed with the turnout. More than one person was affected by the disaster from both sides of their families.

“It was just beautiful, very emotional,” said Valene Perpich of Ironton. “It honored everybody that was involved, even, you know, the widows, the children.”

Perpich and Mary Ellen Wasson, whose grandfather, Peter Magdich, died in the mine, both praised the program. Perpich said her grandfather’s body was recovered from the mine about three weeks after her mom was born. One of the songs presented at the event was about her grandparents, including photos from their wedding.

It was a story they’ve kept alive in the family, but Perpich said she is glad it is finally being recognized by the general public. A presentation on the Milford Mine was hosted earlier Monday for Crosby-Ironton eighth graders. Perpich said for a long time, it seemed the Milford Mine was forgotten and lost to history. Wasson said she talked to a lot of people at the event who were learning things they didn’t know about the area.

Speakers at the presentation included Cuyuna Range Elementary �� student Abby Kayfes, Julie Bordwell Maus and Joan Stefano.

Stefano’s father worked in the Milford Mine. He was moved to another location in the mine as they put a railroad track overhead. That was in December of 1923. The new location left Stefano’s father feeling sick from fumes and the smoke. After a few days he went back to the captain and said he couldn’t eat or sleep and if he stayed in the Milford he would die.

“Little did he know that was prophetic,” Stefano said.

The captain asked for two more weeks. In the first week of January of 1924, her father quit.

“It was the sense of smell that saved his life.”

Bordwell Maus said she feels the tragedy could have been avoided. Her grandfather, an Italian immigrant, worked in the Milford Mine. Bordwell Maus said his job was a timberman in the mine who would secure the area for miners. Bordwell Maus said two weeks before the tragedy her grandfather saw seepage in the mine and went to the surface to immediately inform the foreman.

Bordwell Maus said her grandfather told her he didn’t think they listened to him because he was just a young immigrant.

“My grandfather quit that very day,” she said, noting he had a wife and six children to support. He continued to work in the mining industry into the 1950s. Bordwell Maus’ mother was born years after the Milford Mine disaster.

Crow Wing County commissioners Steve Barrows, Jon Lubke and Doug Houge attended the event. The County Board has made a priority of preserving the Milford Mine with a memorial park and continues to invest in the park. A presentation for the anniversary year and to unveil new additions to the park is expected in early summer.

Houge represents the Cuyuna Range.

“They did an excellent job,” Houge said of the presentation. He said people were emotional during the event and he said he learned things about the Milford Mine he never knew before. “It’s really neat that it’s not forgotten … I think it just shows the heritage of this area.”

Renee Richardson, managing editor, may be reached at 218-855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchBizBuzz.

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Fentanyl pills found at Crosby-Ironton High ��

Staff reports — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 20:01:07 GMT

CROSBY, Minn. — A student was removed from the Crosby-Ironton High �� on Thursday, Oct. 5, after meth and fentanyl pills were found, school officials reported.

In an emailed statement Friday to parents and families, Jennifer Strom, Crosby-Ironton High �� principal, said a student found a baggie in a classroom containing pills later confirmed by the police department to contain a combination of meth and fentanyl.

The student believed to have brought the drugs was removed from the school and the case has been turned over to the police department, Strom said.

“Please take some time to discuss with your children the importance of avoiding interacting with foreign substances and to contact school staff immediately if found,” she said. “Our students did a great job yesterday of reporting the drugs to a staff member and giving the school and police the information needed to identify who brought them.”

Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a Crow Wing County board meeting on Aug. 8, Chief Deputy Andy Bradley, with the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, talked to the Crow Wing County Board about the rise of fentanyl in the county and what the Lakes Area Drug Investigative Division has been working on to stem its flow into the county.

In August, the LAID conducted multiple search warrants in the city of Brainerd in reference to the sale and distribution of fentanyl in the Crow Wing County area. As a result of these search warrants, about 3.1 pounds (estimated between 13,000-15,000 individual pills) of suspected fentanyl (MBox 30), 204.8 grams of suspected cocaine and six firearms were seized.

Two suspects were arrested — a man from Brainerd and one from Detroit.

In July, three people were arrested north of Garrison in Aitkin County after a 2-year-old overdosed after fentanyl exposure. In September, two men were arrested for fentanyl possession during a traffic stop north of Little Falls by the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office.

“Fentanyl is the main drug of choice right now,” Bradley said. “... The problem with fentanyl is it’s killing people and the amount of overdoses we are having is off the chart … So where are we going from here, I don’t know, but obviously, fentanyl is a huge problem. … And it’s one that could kill you, you just don’t know which pill is going to do it.”

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Minnesota hospital combines horses with health care

Sara Guymon — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 10:41:00 GMT

CROSBY — Most people have never heard the sentence, “There’s a horse at the hospital today,” but those at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby are very familiar with it.

Cuyuna Regional Medical Center hosts a “bring your pet to work day” every week for its Care Center patients. The Care Center works to schedule pet visits with cats, dogs, goats and even horses to interact with the residents. The event has been part of CRMC’s programming for about 10 years and Wednesday, Sept. 7, was not the first time a horse came to visit.

Care Center residents were surprised Wednesday with a visit from Vegas, a once wild and now tamed mustang. Ashlin Schneider, a certified nursing assistant at the CRMC-Care Center, brought in Vegas as part of the program.

Vegas seemed excited to visit the long-term care residents who gathered outside the Care Center to see him. Vegas wasn’t the only excited one, though.

“The residents really love seeing animals, it perks them up and kind of brings them back,” said Rachel Weidell, the Care Center’s activities director. “It's good reminiscing and it's good for their spirits, too. It’s nice to bring them in (and) let them see all sorts of critters.”

The residents enjoyed the nice weather while petting and feeding Vegas treats. Benita Harrison, a Care Center resident, said she didn’t want to go inside before Vegas left.

Weidell used to bring in her two horses for the residents, but she will be moving soon. Before Weidell, another employee brought in her horses. The tradition is poised to continue with Schneider and her horses in the future.

Vegas is an 8-year-old mustang gelding who’s spent six years with Schneider. Schneider competed in the Mustang Heritage Foundation’s Extreme Mustang Makeover contest as a teenager and got Vegas then.

“I was 13 and there’s an event called the Extreme Mustang Makeover,” Schneider, 20, said. “So you have like 100 days to take a wild horse and for the youth, you just train them to lead and back and you can do freestyle events.”

Schneider begged her parents to do it and they first said no, but eventually changed their minds.

Vegas was a wild horse native to Nevada, but Schneider went to Nashville to get him. She trained him and after 110 days, Vegas and Schneider made the trip from Minnesota to Virginia to compete.

Schneider was a 4-H participant throughout all of high school and still competes in barrel racing when she can. Now she balances her time between working at the Care Center and attending nursing school. She said she has a passion for horses and health care, and CRMC gives her an opportunity to combine both for their long-term residents.

SARA GUYMON may be reached at 218-855-5851 or at sara.guymon@brainerddispatch.com. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/SaraGuymon.

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Brainerd diver sinks to carve pumpkin, surfaces with prize

Frank Lee — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 05:30:00 GMT

BRAINERD, Minn. — Carving a pumpkin can be hard.

Carving one underwater? Brainerd, Minn., resident Paula Persons said that can be even harder, especially if one doesn’t know what they’re doing — and especially if it’s conjoined pumpkins.

“The bigger the pumpkin is, the more buoyant it is. And it wants to go to the surface, so you have to hold it down. ... We put weights inside the pumpkins and then your hands start to get cold and you don’t have the dexterity you normally would, so it’s very challenging,” she said.

Persons competed on Halloween in the Minnesota �� of Diving Inc.’s annual underwater pumpkin-carving contest at Louise Mine Lake in near Crosby, Minn., and received a prize for her bug-like creation made from a conjoined pumpkin.

“This water isn’t exactly warm. And what happens when you get down there, the pumpkins start to get brittle because they get cold, so you have to be real careful. And you use a dive knife, which doesn’t have a pointed end,” she said.

Conjoined pumpkins

Persons said she has obtained her pumpkins from Mike Koering of Brainerd for about the past decade. The 66-year-old pumpkin grower sells them in the parking lot at Essentia Health Sports Center in Brainerd.

“I always show up and I say, ‘Do you have a really unique pumpkin for me? Because I’m going to dive and carve it underwater,’” Persons recalled. “And this year, he says, ‘Boy, do I have the pumpkin for you!’”

Koering said he harvested conjoined pumpkins four times in the last two decades that the retired Brainerd Public Utilities worker has been growing pumpkins. He agreed to let Persons have the conjoined pumpkins in exchange for photos of Persons carving the pumpkins.

“He didn’t want to give it away to me right away,” Persons said. “But then I told him, ‘I don’t need it until Halloween, so you can have it ‘til Halloween.’ Well, he gave it to me a little in advance, and so I got to carve the conjoined pumpkins, and I came out with the ‘Most Creative’ pumpkin.”

RELATED: Conjoined pumpkins, ears of corn by local growers turn heads
Carving contest

More than a dozen divers competed, with awards for “Most Spookiest” pumpkin and other categories, but the Halloween contest is intended to be fun and encourage interest in diving.

“We gut the pumpkins out because the fish like to come in, and they like to eat the pumpkin seeds and stuff, so then here we are — we’re arguing with the fish … we’re mixing up the water, so it’s starting to get cloudy and you can’t see what you’re doing,” she said of the challenges.

Persons said her underwater pumpkin-carving creation was inspired by the classic children’s Hasbro game Cootie, a bug-building game for those ages 3 and older.

“We made a couple antenna and I made a couple of wings. And I thought ‘This will work,’ and it turned out pretty good. … It’s challenging — there’s no doubt about it — but it is so much fun,” she said of her prize-winner creation.

Mine pits

The Minnesota �� of Diving Inc. offers local scuba diving excursions to the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area mine pit lakes; and dive travel — domestic and worldwide.

“I dive basically in the pits at least twice a week from the first of May until ice freeze-up. I think I’ll go again this weekend but will then probably call it quits for the year,” Persons said. “It is close to Brainerd. We have some of the clearest mine pits in the state of Minnesota.

“They quit mining it, so they quit pumping the water out of the mine pits and then it filled up with water naturally,” she said of the lake. “The fish aren’t afraid of you when you dive. They’ll come right up to you and peck on your mask. It’s just cool to see them in their own environment.”

Besides regularly diving at the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area near Crosby, she dives once a month during the winter months in the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth.

“We feed the fish. We ham it up for the kids. I interact with the children outside and then we clean the inside of the tanks,” Persons said of her volunteer work.

Persons’ dive on Halloween for the underwater pumpkin-carving contest at Louise Mine Lake was her 865th overall, a total she added to days later on Thursday, Nov. 5 at the aquarium in Duluth.

Underwater

Trout, walleye and Northern pikes can be found in the mine pit lakes, according to Persons, but also old mining equipment, railroad track and mine shafts.

“It’s so intriguing when you get down there and you can forget everything that’s going on up above,” she said. “You’re focusing on staying alive, on breathing. I get to see things that other people do not … and we get to see such a wide variety of fish.”

Persons received her diving certification from the Minnesota �� of Diving Inc., which includes locations in Brainerd and St. Cloud. The certified diver has been diving for more than two decades and is one of the few contestants who have participated every year in the contest.

“They started the contest the year I was certified, which was 22 years ago … so I got certified, they handed me a knife and a pumpkin, and they told me to go underwater and carve it, and I did,” she said laughing. “And I thought, ‘Are you nuts?’”

Persons won a Minnesota �� of Diving beanie hat — and bragging rights — this year for her carved pumpkin, she said.

“Some people just leave their pumpkins there (by the lake) for the deer to eat. I choose to bring mine home because then I put them out for the neighbor kids. … You can tell somebody, ‘I carved my pumpkin 30 feet underwater,’” Persons said.

Brainerd diver sinks to carve pumpkin, surfaces with prize

SCUBA diver Paul Persons displays her conjoined pumpkin after carving it underwater during the Minnesota �� of Diving Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest Saturday, Oct. 31, in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. Persons reserved the pumpkin from Mike Koering who operates a pumpkin patch. This year Koering entrusted the conjoined pumpkin to Persons for the creative challenge. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Contestants in the annual Minnesota �� of Diving annual underwater pumpkin diving contest wait for the results from the judges Saturday, Oct. 31, in the Louise mine lake. The event marks the end of the school's fun dives for the season. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Paula Persons, a Brainerd certified diver, displays her bug-like underwater pumpkin-carving creation while another diver in the annual Minnesota �� of Diving Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest displays his likeness of Mike Wazowski from the Disney Pixar's movie "Monsters, Inc." Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Brainerd diver sinks to carve pumpkin, surfaces with prize

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Minnesota rape victim speaks out after dating app nightmare at her home

Jennifer Kraus / Forum News Service — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 14:39:07 GMT

CROSBY, Minn. — It’s not easy.

A Crosby woman who endured a horrible, terrifying experience has turned her tragedy into something she hopes will help women everywhere.

Kaitlyn Chase was raped. She couldn’t believe what happened to her inside her own home in the small town of Crosby. The 27-year-old single woman was busy making a living, raising her young son, while trying to find that special someone in her life.

Chase never imagined one of her dates — back in June 2017 — would result in her being sexually assaulted. Looking back at that horrific night, Chase said she should have been more careful, and inviting the rapist come to her home for their first date was not the smartest thing to do. But at the same time, she knows she is not to blame. She is not at fault. She didn’t deserve to be sexually assaulted.

Chase — like several of her friends, as well as singles across the nation — meets people through online dating sites and apps. And there are a lot of them, including free and paid apps such as Plenty Of Fish, Hinge, Tinder, Mingle2, Bumble, OkCupid, eharmony and MeetMe.

Chase used MeetMe. She said meeting someone on a first date at home or a private place is something “people do all the time” and everything — usually —turns out fine. Chase has invited first dates to her home three times, and it was always after chatting with them for a few weeks or so.

“The first guy I chatted with for a couple of months before I met him,” Chase said. “You think you know them, but people can be whoever they want to be online. They can pretend for a long time online before meeting them in person and then the real person starts to come out.”

The third man Chase invited to her home for a first date was a 39-year-old Brainerd man, who she talked to for about three to four weeks — not nearly enough time, she said.

“I thought he seemed like a nice, Christian guy,” Chase said. “I’m a single mom and don’t really have any help, so going on a date is not easy as I have no babysitters. My 4-year-old son was almost 2 at the time. He was asleep in bed and we were just going to watch a movie and hang out.

“I know it was stupid and I hear it all the time that it was stupid to have him here (without knowing him) with my son. I am aware of that mistake. And the reason why I am here is to prevent other people from making this same mistake. ... This happens way more often than people think.”

Chase said people might not think there would be a rapist in a small town like Crosby or Brainerd. When she thinks of a rapist, she thinks of the larger metro cities.

“There was no pressure or any signs that he was that guy,” Chase said of her impression before he came over. “I consider myself slightly picky and there are a lot of people out for sex or hooking up, and I made it clear I wasn’t.”

Chase met the Brainerd man through MeetMe, and he told her he was 26. When he came to her doorstep on June 15, 2017, he looked like his MeetMe profile photo, but he appeared older. When she asked him, he admitted to being 37.

“We started the movie right away and it wasn’t too long after he got here that he started to make a move,” Chase said. “From there it escalated quickly and when I denied him the second time, that’s when it became kind of rough. It escalated to the point where I felt threatened and unsafe and he is significantly bigger than me. I am a big girl, but I am not a strong girl. I’m a chunky girl. He is 6 foot, 2 inches and massive. So when he threatened me physically, it was scary and I backed down.

“You read about this, you don’t want to fight. My son is in the other room and I’m not going to fight because I’m not going to die tonight. I will make it out alive to see my son in the morning. ... That was the hardest part, that I didn’t fight back. I let it happen. I did say no and I made it clear that is not what I wanted but … he is significantly bigger than me and he could have killed me if he wanted to. I didn’t know him well enough and that is the problem, letting people you don’t know into your home. … He choked me, so as far as I know he is capable of killing me and he might if I fight back. So I didn’t. That is why I think victims feel shame and they shouldn’t. They are keeping themselves safe.”

According to the criminal complaint filed against the man, he started kissing her. She told him no, and he grabbed her by the throat but then backed off for a while before grabbing her by the arm. He then led her into the bedroom by her arm. He then sexually assaulted her, using both hands to strangle her around her throat to the point where she could not breathe, the complaint stated.

Chase contacted the Crosby Police Department a day later to report the sexual assault. She told the officer he sent her a text after he left and she responded back with something to the effect of, "I told you I didn't want to have sex ... I wanted to sleep ... Please leave me alone." He didn't text back after that.

Chase went to Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby and completed a sexual assault evidence kit, which was later submitted to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for testing for possible DNA identification. The DNA from the kit matched the man’s DNA swab taken by officers.

Chase said from the time of the sexual assault to the time she contacted police she had not showered or even changed her clothes. She said as silly as it sounds, she watches a lot of “Law and Order” so knew she shouldn’t. And at the same time, she said she just sat on her couch, processing what had happened to her.

“Was this my fault?” she said she asked herself. “I invited this man into my home. For a year, I blamed myself. I put myself into this situation, this is my fault. It took a long time with therapy and using Sexual Assault Services to really realize it isn’t ever the victim’s fault. You never put yourself in a situation to be raped. You never do and don’t ever let anyone tell you that you do, because you don’t. It doesn’t matter how you dress, or if you’ve been drinking. It doesn’t matter if you let them into your home, but please don’t. It doesn’t matter what you look like or say or what you do, if you say no -- no means no. I know a few friends who have been victimized at some point in their life and they feel like it is their fault. ... Some people won’t talk to anyone about it and those are the victims who struggle the most because they are silent about it and they don’t have to be.

“This is a huge reason why I am here today. There are a lot of victims who are scared to speak out. If I can help just one person, that is my goal, from getting raped.”

Chase said it was a two-year process for her to see her rapist go to prison. After reporting the crime, officers made several attempts to contact the man by telephone — Chase did not know where he lived or his last name — but were unable to find him. Nearly a year later, on May 5, 2018, police learned the possible location of his residence in Brainerd. When police made contact with him he initially seemed unsure about knowing Chase, but after viewing a photo he recalled the night in question. He stated he had consensual sexual intercourse that night, according to the complaint. He said the woman became weird after sex and mentioned something about him choking her. Chase said the officers never brought up the choking incident to the man.

There was a jury trial and Chase testified. Chase said sexual assault advocates helped her along the way and gave her the courage to face her attacker. When she testified in court, she focused on her advocates to stay strong. After he was convicted, she wrote a victim impact statement.

The man — Isaiah S. Schuety — was found guilty June 6 by a Crow Wing County jury and then sentenced July 26 to 12 years in a Minnesota Correctional Facility and 10 years of conditional release after prison for three felonies -- first-degree criminal sexual conduct using penetration and great bodily harm, third-degree criminal sexual conduct using force and third-degree stalking. He was also convicted of misdemeanor fifth-degree assault.

Chase said the sexual assault changed her and she had to find a way to get through her days. She was paranoid before her attacker was in prison, that he could be lurking outside her residence, or his family or friends could be watching her.

“I still have a habit of looking out my window before I go out,” Chase said. “I’m always more cautious and always looking around. ... I double, triple check my locks, I didn’t feel safe in my home.”

Chase moved forward with charges, but she didn’t think she had enough evidence.

“It was a he-said, she-said case,” Chase said, “And he admitted, too, that it was consensual, but the jury sided with me.”

Chase only sat in court when she testified. She believes what helped her case was Schuety mentioning choking to the officer, without the officer telling him about that detail.

“I think that helped the jury know I was not lying,” she said. “It was super scary waiting for the jury to come back with a decision.”

With her attacker behind bars, Chase now wants to help sexual assault victims.

“I think about what he did almost daily, I run through the, ‘Maybe I should have,’ or the, ‘If only I would have,’ but I know that what he did, he chose to do, he is responsible for his actions,” Chase said. “I have learned that it is not my fault -- that is never the fault of the victim for being sexually assaulted. I asked for friendship, I asked for a date. I did not ask to be violently sexually assaulted in my home.

Dating tips from Chase
Don’t give out a full name right away. Searching someone’s full name online generally leads to some personal information. Social media profiles sometimes have addresses and phone numbers.

Do not give out a real phone number right away. Get a Google Voice number for free or download a texting app and get an alternate number to use. These numbers can be deactivated or changed until it feels safe to give out a real number.

Don’t reveal place of employment until certain about trusting the person; double check the settings on social media pages to see what information is being shared with the public, and what information only those on friends lists can see.

When going on a date with someone new, make sure to always meet in a public place. Do not meet at home, alone in a park, etc.

Always make sure to drive or find a trusted friend/family member to give a ride to and from a date. Do not allow someone unknown to pick up or drop off.

It is OK to have a drink but make sure to keep an eye on that drink at all times. Never leave a drink unattended and limit consumption to remain able to make smart, safe decisions.

When using online dating, do not use profile pictures from social media accounts. A person can reverse Google Images search and find social media profiles easily.

When going out on a date with someone new make sure to tell someone the plans and details of the date: Where, when expected to be back and any other details. Sometimes, a double date may be helpful.

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Central Minnesota man sentenced for sexually assaulting 2 girls

Jennifer Kraus / Forum News Service — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 00:46:12 GMT

BRAINERD, Minn. — A 73-year-old man who sexually assaulted two girls at his home will spend 90 days in jail, be on supervised probation for the next 25 years and must complete ongoing extensive psychotherapy/counseling treatment.

David Homer South, formerly of Crosby and now living in Henning, appeared Wednesday, Aug. 21, in Crow Wing County District Court in Brainerd for sentencing. South pleaded guilty in May to two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving victims who were younger than age 16 at the time of the crime.

South was initially charged in September 2018 with 10 felony counts of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. The charges accused him of using force, using his position of authority, causing the victims bodily harm and engaging in multiple acts of sexual misconduct.

Crow Wing County Assistant Attorney Janine Lepage said there were previous allegations of criminal sexual misconduct against South, but he was acquitted by a jury of his peers in Crow Wing County.

Since South wanted to take accountability for the crimes and seek help, the state — with guidance from the family — agreed to depart from the sentencing guidelines, as long as South stays active in his therapy and makes progress.

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Remaining charges against former Crosby mayor dismissed

Jennifer Kraus / Forum News Service — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 00:57:56 GMT

BRAINERD, Minn. -- Former Crosby Mayor James Hunter has now been vindicated on all criminal charges filed against him -- but the saga may not be over yet.

In a 2-year-old legal battle Hunter’s attorney described as emotionally and financially taxing for his client, the last two pending criminal charges were dismissed Friday, April 19, in Crow Wing County District Court in Brainerd. But Crow Wing County Attorney Don Ryan said Monday he is considering re-charging Hunter with a misdemeanor for falsely reporting a crime.

“I may have inappropriately dismissed this one,” Ryan wrote in an email.

Hunter initially was charged in March 2017 with four felonies of second-degree assault, theft by swindle, receiving stolen property and unlawful gambling, and a gross misdemeanor for selling vehicle financing without a license. He then was charged in August 2017 for falsely reporting a crime in a separate case.

Friday’s dismissals join prior acquittals through jury trials, for now ending the cases Attorney Ed Shaw said were politically motivated by false accusations against his client.

Hunter was accused of swindling $90,000 from a man who bought one of Hunter’s businesses, domestic assault involving the son of the man who accused him of swindle and engaging in the business of a sales finance company in the state without a license.

Hunter’s charges were tried separately, with each charge being addressed individually, resulting in the following outcomes:

Theft by swindle: Acquitted June 27, 2018, by a Crow Wing County jury. Second-degree assault: Acquitted Aug. 30, 2018, by a Crow Wing County jury. Receiving stolen property, a firearm: Dismissed Nov. 19, 2018. Unlawful gambling: Acquitted March 22. Before the jury trial, the charge was lessened from a felony to a gross misdemeanor. Gambling on premises: Acquitted March 22. This misdemeanor charge was added before the jury trial by the prosecution. Selling vehicle financing without a license: Dismissed Friday. Falsely reporting a crime: Dismissed Friday.

In dismissing the charge of selling vehicle financing without a license, Ryan said sanctions by the Minnesota Department of Commerce sufficiently addressed the issue in his view.

The commerce department fined Hunter $30,000 in September 2017. Most of the fine -- $25,000 -- was stayed so long as he complied with the cease and desist order telling him to stop the illegal activity. The illegal activity in particular that drew the ire of the state involved Hunter’s car sales business, CI Auto, charging money to set up car payment plans on the vehicles it sold. The trouble was, in Minnesota, one needs to have a separate, specific license to operate as a vehicle sales finance company, which CI Auto did not have.

‘Flat out lies’

Having the last of the charges dismissed was a huge relief for Hunter, Shaw said Monday during a phone interview. Shaw said the case strained Hunter’s reputation since his arrest in March of 2017. Shaw said the accusations in the criminal complaint happened well before his arrest, and the arrest shouldn’t have happened at all.

“He was arrested, his mug shots were splashed all over the place by the city and the media and … the accusations in the complaint and supporting documents written by the Crosby Police Department and the county attorney’s office are ... flat out lies,” Shaw said. “There are a lot of misstatements about distortions that made him seem like he was … (drug lord) El Chapo or who knows what. People stopped doing business with him, his accountant cut us loose, his bank canceled his line of credit. People jump to conclusions, and it’s hard not to. People think he is a criminal and didn’t want to deal with him.

“To live your whole life being law abiding, not getting into trouble and are in your late 60s and suddenly you are labeled all over a small community that you do business in … it was extremely hard for him. The last two years, at times, were a living hell for him. We’re very glad it is over, but it never should have happened.”

Shaw reiterated his stance -- and has done so since the start of the case -- the Crosby Police Department should not have investigated their own mayor. When authorities arrested Hunter in 2017, he was the mayor of Crosby. He was elected in November 2016 for a two-year term as Crosby mayor. After his arrest, he continued serving as the mayor until he resigned in August 2017. Hunter ran for mayor again, but lost his bid in the Nov. 6, 2018, election.

Shaw said when Hunter became mayor he asked some questions on how the police department should be run, and he had a lot of concerns about how they were conducting business. Months later he was arrested.

“Why police did this is baffling to me,” Shaw said. “At this point, what we would like to see is accountability with the police department. The case is over, but we need to know why this happened.”

After talking with Forum News Service, Shaw also emailed the following statement: “In the interests of transparency and accountability, we are asking that the files concerning the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Hunter be opened to the public. The citizens of Crosby, and Crow Wing County deserve to know how much money was spent by the Crosby Police Department, and the Crow Wing County Attorney's Office, and who was responsible for deciding to investigate and prosecute Mr. Hunter.

“It is our hope that full disclosure will prevent the legal process from being used for political purposes again.”

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Minnesota man pleads not guilty by mental illness in fatal stabbing of sister

Forum News Service — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 23:03:40 GMT

BRAINERD, Minn. — A 38-year-old Cambridge man charged in the 2018 stabbing death of his sister pleaded not guilty Friday, March 8, by reason of mental illness and said he didn’t know what he was doing at the time of the crime.

David Michael Otey was indicted last February by a Crow Wing County District Court grand jury in Brainerd on first-degree murder with premeditation, which carries a penalty of life in prison. He also was indicted on second-degree intentional murder, which has a 40-year prison sentence. Otey was initially charged Jan. 16, 2018 — three days after the incident — with felony second-degree intentional murder without premeditation in the death of his sister, Danyele Marie Johnson, of Ironton.

According to the criminal complaint:

Otey left Cambridge on Jan. 13, 2018, to travel to the Heartwood Senior Living Community in Crosby to meet with his sister, who worked in the kitchen there. Otey told police he drove throughout the state the previous night thinking about killing his sister.

When Otey arrived, he assisted his sister preparing food for 30 minutes before taking a knife and stabbing her, the complaint stated.

Johnson was declared dead at the scene.

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From e-commerce to child custody exchanges, officials offer tips to make it safer

Chelsey Perkins / Forum News Service — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 23:55:44 GMT

BRAINERD, Minn. -- E-commerce exchange zones -- typically well-lit, surveilled areas intended to encourage safe transactions among online buyers and sellers -- have grown in numbers in the past few years.

Locally, the city of Crosby recently joined a lengthening list of places around the country establishing these zones. Crosby Police Officer Alan Booth pursued the idea after learning about the Big Lake Police Department’s exchange zone.

“With the big influx of Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, all the different apps people have for selling and trading stuff, it became a real big thing, especially in some of the larger population areas, and then more rural as time went on,” Booth said. “People would get assaulted and stolen from or they’d just get ripped off when they’d go and meet up with these folks to do this. … So we wanted to have an area where it’s safe, it’s under surveillance, and it’s often patrolled and it’s public, to exchange goods through this e-commerce stuff.”

But while the areas may offer peace of mind for those engaging in online garage sales and other marketplace sites, leaders from Brainerd’s child safety center are warning against using them for child custody exchanges.

“Communities have kind of identified safe places for those exchanges to take place, and people are taking it to the next level where they’re thinking that exchanging their children, that that’s an appropriate place or safe place to do that as well,” said Shannon Wussow, executive director of the Alex and Brandon Child Safety Center in Brainerd.

Safety centers best option, leaders say

Wussow noted those who fear for their safety during custody exchanges with exes might be lulled into a false sense of security by these sites, often located at or near police stations. But in volatile domestic situations, security cameras might not be enough to prevent violence, she said.

That was the case Christmas Day in Hamilton, Ala., when two young children witnessed the shooting death of their father by their mother’s new boyfriend in the parking lot of the city’s police department. Hamilton Police Chief Ronny Vickery told television station WBRC of Birmingham, Ala., divorced couples often use the parking lot for child custody exchanges because it’s considered safe to do so.

Wussow said centers like the Alex and Brandon Child Safety Center -- the first of its kind in the state in 2000 -- were established to prevent these types of tragedies. The center’s mission is to provide supervised parenting time and safe custody exchanges, with a focus on security, neutrality and the children’s best interests.

“In a situation where domestic violence is present in a relationship, we have set up our building to be able to facilitate those to be safe and to have the least negative impact on the kids that we are providing the services for,” Wussow said. “For instance, we have two separate entrances we use. Therefore, there’s no contact between the custodial parent and the noncustodial parent, so there would be no opportunity for conflict to arise in the presence of the children while they’re exchanging them or dropping them off for visits.”

The center also requires parents to arrive 15 minutes apart, reducing the risk of stalking behavior.

The organization was born in the wake of the deaths of 5-year-old Alex and 4-year-old Brandon Frank, murdered by their father, Kurt Frank, in 1996. The brothers’ throats were slashed with a butcher knife during an unsupervised visit at Kurt Frank’s Cold Spring home. Frank and the boys’ mother, Angie Plantenberg, were in the midst of a bitter custody dispute at the time.

The boys were known to those at the Brainerd women’s shelter, Mid-Minnesota Women’s Center -- the founding organization of the child safety center -- through attendance at a weekly support group with their mother.

“The shelter was in place at that time, and Louise Seliski, the founding mother, had vowed nothing like that was ever going to happen again if she was able to prevent it,” Wussow said. “She lobbied for funds from the state to build the safety center here in Brainerd, which was the first center in the state to provide the services specifically that we do.”

The services are often recommended through the courts as part of custody disputes, although people may also pay a fee on a sliding scale to use the center. Victims with an active order for protection against the other parent are not charged for the service.

Wussow said the organization has facilitated visits and exchanges from people as far away as the opposite ends of the country, along with people from around the five-county area and across the state. She said safety centers are the best option for people in need of safe places to exchange custody, although she acknowledged it can be difficult for those without a center nearby. Funding challenges in recent years have led to a number of closures of centers in the state, she said.

“The best way to do it would be to contact the closest safety center they have. That’s by far the best way,” Wussow said. “But obviously transportation, and time restrictions, work restrictions, that sort of thing, might get in the way of that. What I would recommend that they do is to go back to the person or people who have either recommended or court ordered the supervised visitations take place and ask what their recommendations are.”

Exchange zones and personal safety

As Crosby Police Chief Kim Coughlin spoke on the phone last week, she said she was gazing out the police department window, watching the exchange zone in Crosby Memorial Park. The area was chosen, Coughlin said, due to its 24-hour lighting, proximity to the department and the fact people were using the park for the purpose already.

Coughlin said the department has not received any complaints of bad experiences at the site -- in fact, she recently heard from two people who said they felt very comfortable, knowing there was a camera.

“We wanted it well lit all the time,” Coughlin said. “It gets dark early in the winter, so by the time they get over here after work, it’s going to be 5 p.m. We didn’t want to put them anywhere it was dark for a certain time.”

Booth said although the area is passed often by police and is subject to other safety measures, it’s important people take charge of their own personal safety, no matter the situation.

“Your personal safety is always the big one we want to emphasize with pretty much anything we teach with the public,” Booth said. “Personal safety is your responsibility, not just the police’s, and if you set yourself up for success, you’ll never have to deal with us.”

Booth offered these tips:

Insist on meeting in a public place,

Don’t meet in a secluded area or invite a person to one’s home,

Be especially careful buying and selling high-value items, and consider making a high-value exchange at a local police station by contacting them to set up an exchange time,

Tell a friend or family member about the exchange,

Take a cell phone along,

Considering taking a friend along for the exchange, and

Always trust instincts.

“A couple pairs of jeans are not worth your life,” Coughlin said.

From e-commerce to child custody exchanges, officials offer tips to make it safer

Vicki Flor (left) and Shannon Wussow of the Alex and Brandon Child Safety Center discuss their recommendations for improving safety of child custody exchanges. Steve Kohls / Forum News Service

The Alex and Brandon Child Safety Center in Brainerd. Steve Kohls / Forum News Service

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