GOODHUE COUNTY

Man accused of stealing French bulldogs in Goodhue County shot, killed in Minneapolis

Sydney Mook — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 00:14:31 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — A man accused of stealing five French bulldogs from a Goodhue County home and holding them for ransom was shot and killed in Minneapolis earlier this week.

Mikiyel D. Patton, 37, was charged with felony theft with the intent to restore only for a reward earlier this month. He was accused of taking the dogs from a home in Cannon Falls.

Patton was shot multiple times on Tuesday evening, Dec. 19, on the 900 block of Newton Avenue North in Minneapolis, according to a press release from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office.

No arrests have been made in the shooting, as of Thursday, Dec. 21.

Investigators believed the suspects were hiding in a nearby abandoned house, according to the Minneapolis Police Department. MPD SWAT searched the abandoned residence and found it to be empty.

MPD spokesperson Aaron Rose said on Thursday that police did not believe the shooting is connected with the puppies. MPD was not aware of the whereabouts of the dogs.

The criminal complaint claims Patton put the puppies in a backpack on the morning of Dec. 2 and left the owner's residence. Patton had agreed to take care of the dogs while he stayed at the owner's house. The dogs are valued at $15,000 each.

The owner contacted the department the next day to report that Patton had posted a picture of the puppies on Facebook, the complaint says. Patton also told the owner's brother that he would only return the dogs if the owner paid him $20,000 that he was owed, the owner told police.

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SE Minn. town soon to be without a police force after resignations

Brian Todd — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 22:23:29 GMT

GOODHUE, Minn. — By Aug. 24, the City of Goodhue will be without any police officers on staff.

On Monday, Aug. 14, the City Council accepted the resignations of Police Chief Josh Smith and full-time Officer Anthony Brecht. Five part-time officers also resigned, leaving the town of 1,250 without any officers.

"We no longer have a police force," said Goodhue Mayor Ellen Anderson Buck.

Buck said all current investigations being conducted by the city's police department would be handed over to the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office.

"Josh is working with (Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy) John Huneke," the mayor said. "All current cases will be handed over to Goodhue County."

Buck said she wanted to assure the City Council and the residents of Goodhue that the city would continue to receive police coverage, mainly from the Sheriff's Office, on an interim basis.

She added that she has a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with Goodhue County Sheriff Marty Kelly and Huneke to talk about the Sheriff's Office providing coverage.

While the situation may seem unprecedented, Buck said Goodhue was not the first small town to lose its police force, and it would likely not be the last. The city has reached out to the League of Minnesota Cities to get help with rebuilding its police force.

There are currently 202 job openings in Minnesota for peace officers in law enforcement jobs, Buck said.

Not all cities have their own police department. For example, the City of Stewartville contracts with Olmsted County for law enforcement coverage in its town. Stewartville pays the county annually to staff deputies whose main job is to patrol the city. The city also gets coverage from the county because county law enforcement will respond to a call even if that call happens outside any time period of contracted coverage.

In Goodhue County, the City of Wanamingo contracts with the Sheriff's Office for coverage around seven hours a day, said Goodhue City Council Member Joe Benda. Goodhue would be looking for 16 hours of coverage per day from the Sheriff's Office to make up for the coverage lost by the resignations.

City Council Member Chris Schmit said 112 hours a week of Sheriff's Office coverage multiplied by the going rate of $55.83 per hour would come to a little more than $325,000 annually.

One of the reasons for the resignations — and an item on Monday's special session agenda that was pushed back — is pay. Recruitment of new officers was another, according to Buck and Schmit.

During a July 26 meeting, Smith said the current rate of pay for officers in Goodhue was $22 per hour, adding the rate is not competitive compared to other cities in the region.

He also said the Goodhue department has been having issues with recruitment, as young officers are getting hired to work in larger cities.

"There's zero incentive to come out here to a small town," he said during the meeting. "Low pay, being on call, affecting your free time and everything else."

The city had three police officers, but one quit in June, Schmit said. That officer has not been replaced.

"The small-town policing that they did, we want that back," he said.

Council member Patrice O’Reilly agreed.

Buck said the city is going to have to work hard to bring the pay up to a level that will attract officers to Goodhue.

"This is a great place to live and work, and I think we'll get them back here," she said. "It's just going to take some time to rebuild."

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Swimmers who died in Vermillion River near Red Wing identified

Staff reports — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 16:43:34 GMT

RED WING, Minn. — The three people who died while swimming in the Vermillion River were identified on Thursday, July 6.

The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office identified them as 22-year-old Miguel Juan-Jose, 17-year-old Petrona Juan-Jose and 41-year-old Ke Drer.

Three people — Miguel Juan-Jose, Petrona Juan-Jose and a woman who was not identified by law enforcement — were swimming in the Vermillion River near Red Wing.

Drer, who was related to the woman, was fishing and part of a group gathered on the north side of Diamond Island when three swimmers started struggling in the water, according to the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office. Drer went into the water to help them. He was able to rescue an adult female, his daughter, the Sheriff’s Office said.

He entered the water to help the remaining two swimmers when all three of them went under the water and did not resurface. The Sheriff’s Office said 10 to 15 minutes passed before the 911 call was made.

In a news conference held late Tuesday afternoon, Maj. Mike Johnson said Drer was not related to the other two individuals who also drowned, but the families live together in Oakdale.

The area where they were swimming was 3 feet deep and dropped sharply to a depth of 8 to 9 feet. The people were inexperienced swimmers and did not have life vests on, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff's Office said two bodies were located around 6:53 a.m. and the third was located at 7:05 a.m. Wednesday, July 5.

Over the two-day search, the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office Water Patrol, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Red Wing Fire Department participated in search and recovery efforts.

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Southeast Minnesota resident: Water 'should at least be drinkable'

Brian Todd — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:01:00 GMT

BELLECHESTER, Minn. — Sharon Kerr won't drink her tap water.

There's good reason.

When she would drink the water — something she stopped doing a few years ago — she would break out in hives.

Wash her clothes? Hives. Bathe? Hives.

An allergy test at Mayo Clinic showed she can't tolerate metals. But there are metals in the water. So even if she doesn't drink the water any longer — "I drink bottled water," she said — the contaminates are in her clothes or they get on her when she showers.

Last summer, some maintenance on the water lines cleared things up somewhat, but still the problem continues, even if to a lesser degree.

"It's not as bad, except when I use hot water," she said, adding that her water heater is still filled with the contaminates even if the city water is somewhat cleaner.

She's on medication to clear up the problems on her skin and reduce the inflammation when it begins to itch, and despite the improvements, she doesn't believe it's safe enough for her to consume. In fact, she still gets blisters from washing herself or her clothes.

What's in the water?

Kyle McKeown, the public works employee for Bellechester in southeast Minnesota, said the city regularly tests for everything from fluoride and chloride to sodium and sulfates. The city's water test results show no violations of the federal standard for drinking water for those substances and others.

That said, McKeown added that "Bellechester's water has been rusty forever."

Eliminating the rust, he said, would likely cost much more than the city could afford.

To alleviate the problem, the city routinely flushes hydrants, which clears its water lines, twice a year — spring and fall.

For individuals who still have problems, McKeown said the solution is to let the water run for a few minutes to wash the sediment through the lines. This is especially true for homes at the end of a water line.

That, he said, is the problem faced by some residents who live in the city's mobile home court neighborhood. That, and while the city water lines go directly to most homes in town, the city's lines go to the trailer court itself. The water lines to each home are a separate system not owned by the city.

Who is to blame?

"It's always been this bad," said Keith Blattner, who has lived in the mobile home court for about 20 years.

Blattner, who is Kerr's son, said he can recall his wife complaining about the rusty water about two decades ago.

"Our tanks are full of rust," Blattner said. "Our water heaters. I think the city should replace our water heaters. We didn't fill it up with rust, the pump house did that."

To combat the problem, Blattner said he's connected a water filter to where the water comes into the house. But the system, which costs nearly $100 to install, goes through a filter every three months, and when the filter is changed, "it comes out orange."

"That's why I put in a filter," he said. "I don't care how much it costs me."

Kerr added her frustration.

"Every time we complain, they say 'Flush it out. Flush it out,'" she said. "I'm losing appliances right and left, and I can't afford that."

Small town, big projects

It's not that the city hasn't heard the complaints. McKeown said he's been sent photos and videos of water that has rust, but to fix the issue for the whole city would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and not everyone in the city has a complaint.

Mayor Jody Gordon, who has been in her position for less than a year, said she has a business in town and lives in town, and she drinks the water, cooks with it, washes with it, and has no problems.

The city is planning for a sewer project that will cost $1.3 million to deal with infiltration into the sewer lines. But that's the water leaving the houses, not going to them.

Furthermore, it's hard to justify the cost when the city's water quality report shows no violations with regard to EPA standards.

Still, as the city's water rates increase, Kerr finds it troubling that she's asked to pay more for a utility she cannot use as others do.

"When I pay for water, it should at least be drinkable water," Kerr said.

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1 killed, 2 injured in southeast Minnesota crash

Nora Eckert — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 18:08:54 GMT

GOODHUE COUNTY, Minn. — One person died and two were injured after a single-vehicle crash in Goodhue County at 3:37 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 25.

Passenger Ashley Gomez, 29, died after the Jeep she traveled in rolled off of Highway 57 while traveling southbound. Gomez wasn't wearing a seat belt.

Driver Maria Ramirez, 33, and passenger Ciriaco Bautista, 32, were transferred to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys Campus with injuries that weren't life-threatening. Both were wearing a seat belt.

The driver and passengers were from Texas, according to the Minnesota State Patrol crash report.

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Facebook account helps Minnesota sheriff's office share tales from patrol

Brian Todd — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 15:30:00 GMT

RED WING, Minn. — Each day brings something new for law enforcement.

If you don't believe that, check out the weekly incident blotter from the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office Facebook page. The weekly update of incident reports has everything from news of bank robberies to unrequited love.

"I love what I do," said Deputy Jen Hofschulte. "I live in Lakeville, and they have a blotter there, but it's on a more serious note. When I started doing this here, it turned humorous on its own."

In a Tuesday entry, Hofschulte relayed a story about a TV remote control that was stolen along with some tax documents — "I picture someone standing outside the window changing this person's channels," she said — and another story about a DWI.

On its surface, the DWI is not a funny story, Hofschulte said, but she included it in her weekly update to make a point.

"That one came in through a driving complaint," she said. "A truck driver saw someone driving erratically. We want people to know — if you see someone all over the road, we want you to call us because we can’t be everywhere."

The blotter, really just a few sentences on each case, is full of items like those two: either funny anecdotes or instances where a lesson can be shared. But there are also items that illustrate just how different each encounter can be when deputies interact with the public.

Example? Well, here are a couple of recent entries.

In Pine Island, a young man was seen in a vehicle slamming his head around and honking the horn. The problem? It seems his relationship with his girlfriend was on the rocks. After hearing the young man's tale of woe, and talking to the boy and his mother, who was also in the car, the deputy asked the pair to move along.

The week before, a young man was riding a motorized scooter down a street in Wanamingo after dark while wearing all dark clothes and headphones over his ears. The deputy stopped the young man — who initially did not pull over because he didn't hear the police car behind him — and "encouraged (him) to make better decisions regarding his safety."

"It’s getting darker earlier," Hofschulte noted. "This person probably didn’t realize he's not going to be visible."

In addition to deputies helping people make smart fashion choices at night and playing relationship counselor, the blotter also includes updates on speeders caught, thefts, robberies, fraud cases, illegal campers, domestic disturbances and general disagreements between people in which the sheriff's office gets involved.

A man bought a used car from another person in Holden Township, and the car broke down as the buyer was driving home. The buyer called the sheriff's office, but deputies, after some discussion, advised the parties to work it out together.

"The humorous ones bring more eyes, they bring more shares," Hofschulte said. "That helps us push out our serious messages as well."

She said she monitors other departments and government agencies to find public safety messages that are timely, and she listens to the community to talk about things — like taking care around farm equipment — that the public has concerns about.

Of course, there are taboo topics. Anything dealing with children, especially in domestic abuse cases, is off-limits. And she takes pains to ensure victims of crimes are not identifiable.

Hofschulte spends about 20 hours a week working on community engagement and communications — everything from administering the Facebook page to setting up community meetings like the Coffee with a Deputy program — and the rest of her time is spent on patrol like the other deputies. And she posts much more than the weekly blotter.

While on patrol a few weeks ago, Hofschulte responded to a crash where a Ford F-150 pickup rear-ended a farm truck when, according to the driver's statement, "My phone rang and I only looked down for a second to see who was calling."

Hofschulte took photos of the crash, which show the cab of the pickup smashed down to dashboard level. And while the pickup's driver walked away, the post on Facebook serves as a valuable lesson about keeping your eyes on the road.

"I couldn’t think of a better way to get that message out to a wide variety of people," Hofschulte said, referring to the power of social media. "You’ve got parents showing that to their kids. The pictures are impactful."

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Applications for large feedlots down in Minnesota

Brian Todd — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 11:00:00 GMT

GOODHUE, Minn. — Dave Buck spent the better part of his morning on Wednesday, Sept. 8, sorting cows.

Pregnant ones went one way, ones that had recently given birth went another. Then there was the one that gave birth just a few minutes before.

Looking at the cows in his heifer barn, he explained that what he thought might take two hours was, well, going to keep him busy until the cows came home.

"You end up doing it cow by cow," he said.

But his dairy farm is growing. It has to grow. Buck and his wife, Ann, have two sons who have returned to the farm just west of the city of Goodhue, right in the middle of Goodhue County, and in order to supply an income for everyone, the family farm needed to grow.

So, in 2019, with an eye toward the next generation of Bucks running the farm, he began the process of applying for a permit through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to expand his dairy herd from less than 1,000 animal units – 714 cows or fewer – to roughly 1,700 animal units, or roughly a little more than 1,200 cows.

While the dairy is still adding cows to get to its optimal level, Buck said the goal right now is to eventually milk 950 cows and keep another 150 dry cows, or about 1,540 animal units.

Fewer big feedlots

In 2020, only one feedlot was issued a permit for more than 1,000 animal units in the MPCA's 11-county southeast Minnesota district. So far in 2021, only two such feedlots have been permitted in Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha and Winona counties. Statewide, those numbers were 15 feedlots in 2020, and nine thus far in 2021. That's down from 23 feedlots in both 2017 and 2019, and 35 feedlots in 2018.

Cathy Malakowsky, a MPCA spokeswoman, said the numbers do not include sites that were permitted previously and applying for continued coverage, modifications to existing coverage or any other change to coverage. Rather, the numbers represent sites that exceed 1,000 animal units and that were new for general permit or individual permit coverage.

Still, said Lucas Sjostrom, executive director with the Minnesota Milk Producers, the numbers for large feedlots are down, and the reasons have as much to do with the hassle of building a feedlot for more than 1,000 AU than it does for the economics or agricultural reasons. After all, an environmental assessment worksheet might cost a farmer $60,000, and if a more stringent environmental impact statement is required, a farmer is looking at about $1 million.

"I think there’s two things going on," Sjostrom said. "When you make arbitrary limits like this, a lot of people are building below these limits rather than dealing with the mental firestorm that comes with that limit."

Applying for a CAFO permit comes with a public environmental worksheet process, and farmers often find themselves thrust into a public relations mess for simply wanting to expand their business.

"The other thing, certain counties have caps," Sjostrom said, pointing to Winona County's 1,500 AU cap, or caps in various townships, "where it wouldn’t make any economic sense to expand your farm."

Ratios: A better way

Sjostrom said rather than caps or animal unit limits that trigger environmental review processes, the state should look at the ratio of land to animals. If there's enough land for a certain amount of manure to be used as fertilizer, a farm should be able to expand accordingly.

"If you’re a successful dairy farmer, you run into this wall at about 714 cows (1,000 AUs)," Sjostrom said. "No one builds for 715 cows, because they need to optimize for the headaches for this limit."

He argues that there's no scientific reason behind a limit of 1,000 AU other than "it has three zeros and people picked that number." If the state went to a system of simply saying how many cows or pigs do you want, how many acres can you fertilize, and then finding a ratio that is sustainable, no one would need to work around these arbitrary numbers.

Sjostrom believes that under the state's current rules, the MPCA is basically fair to farmers.

Buck agreed. Maybe 15 years ago, he said, the MPCA had a different attitude, and was more concerned with enforcement to the detriment of working with farmers. But about 15 years ago – he pointed to the work of long-time MPCA Commissioner John Linc-Stine – the agency began working with farmers to find solutions.

"The PCA needs level-headed people at the top to make and enforce rules evenly," Buck said. "I'm not opposed to regulations, but they have to be regulations that make common sense."

Still, the MPCA is not the reason for fewer CAFO applications, he said.

First, he said, there are fewer dairy farms these days, and that means fewer farmers to who want to grow their farms. Particularly, he said, he sees fewer farms in the mid-size range where their next step would be to go from say, 600 AU to 1,200 or 1,300 AU.

Second, the dairy economy – in fact, all feedlot sectors – have suffered economically over the past couple of years, meaning farmers don't have the financial capital to grow.

"We wouldn't have done this if (two sons) didn't want to stay in the dairy industry," Buck said.

Applications for large feedlots down in Minnesota

A newly born calf rests alongside its mother at Dave and Ann Buck's dairy farm near Goodhue on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. Brian Todd / Post Bulletin

Dairy farmer Dave Buck talks about his herd Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021, at his farm near Goodhue. In 2019 and 2020, Buck went through the process of getting his farm permitted as a CAFO – concentrated animal feeding operation – of more than 1,000 animal units. The number of farmers applying for feedlots of that size has decreased in the last two years in Minnesota. Brian Todd / Post Bulletin

Applications for large feedlots down in Minnesota

A newly born calf rests alongside its mother at Dave and Ann Buck's dairy farm near Goodhue on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. Brian Todd / Post Bulletin

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Minnesota musician remembered after fatal crash Wednesday

John Molseed — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 17:30:00 GMT

ZUMBROTA, Minn. — Friends are mourning the loss of a southeast Minnesota musician who was killed in a car crash Wednesday afternoon, July 28.

Tat Erredge, 33, of Zumbrota, Minnesota, was killed when the vehicle he was driving collided with a semi truck driven by William Kuntze, 73, of Faribault, at an intersection in Roscoe Township in Goodhue County.

“We’re just heartbroken, just devastated,” said Steve Dunn, co-owner of Taco JED, a venue Erredge would play.

“He was such a good musician and had an incredible voice,” Dunn said. “People would come up and talk to him after he played and he loved talking about music.”

The crash happened shortly after 2 p.m. Erredge was heading north on 150th Avenue when his vehicle was struck by the truck Kuntze was driving eastbound, according to the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office.

Mayo air ambulance responded to the area but Erredge was pronounced dead on the scene. Erredge had taken over the family farm in Goodhue County after his father died in 2019.

“He worked hard and was an all-around good person and talented person,” Dunn said.

Sean Dyrdahl, who runs the taco truck at Taco JED, said he had a drink with Erredge a week ago in Zumbrota and suggested Erredge come to Rochester and play again soon.

“He was a good musician and even better person,” Dyrdahl said.

Erredge played occasional solo shows and open mics in and around Rochester including at the Zumbrota Covered Bridge Festival. He would also collaborate with other musicians.

The crash remains under investigation. The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office said alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash. The Minnesota State Patrol, Zumbrota Police Department and Zumbrota Fire Department and Ambulance assisted on the scene.

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A break in the case of three dead babies found in Mississippi River?

Matthew Stolle — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 14:01:00 GMT

RED WING, Minn. -- The deaths of three unidentified babies found in the backwaters of the Mississippi River has confounded investigators from the days their remains were found from 1999 to 2007, but within the last six months or so, DNA analysis has generated new leads in at least one of the cases, giving hope of finding more answers about their tragic ends, according to a retired Goodhue, Minn., investigator.

Using methods and techniques similar to those of ancestry.com, Goodhue County investigators have followed the new leads and found people to interview, said Glen Barringer, a retired investigator with the sheriff's office.

"We did get some leads that (the department) has been following up on. It kind of goes from one lead to another," Barringer said. "It's very time-consuming for (the lead investigator) when he has a chance to work on it. But for the '99 case, we did get some names."

The dramatic developments come almost a year after authorities made a public appeal for donations to fund DNA analyses of the 2003 and 2007 cases. At the time, the sheriff's office had secured funding for the first case and was working with Parabon NanoLabs, a company in suburban Washington that probes public genealogy databases for clues.

Goodhue authorities turned to the public for financial help because of the expense associated with DNA work. Each DNA sample sent for analysis to Parabon cost $5,000. Barringer said the department was able to collect the $10,000 for the other two cases within 10 days.

Barringer said he continued to work the case until his retirement earlier this year after 39 years with the department. The case has been taken over by investigator Jon Huneke.

The developments, especially in the first case, constitute the biggest breakthroughs since the babies' remains were found over an eight-year period.

"We were miles ahead, but we have miles to go," said Barringer, who remains in contact with the cases' lead investigator as a resource.

Calls seeking comment from Huneke were not returned, but Capt. Collins Voxland, who oversees the office, declined to specifically confirm the new revelations, calling it an active investigation.

"Working with Parabon has created new avenues to follow up on, what those avenues are -- we're going to keep that close to our work product," Voxland said.

He also said that as an active investigation, keeping the investigation under wraps allows investigators to maintain an "element of surprise."

"At the end of the day, this information could be off-base and we're still back at ground zero, or this information could help solve it," he added.

The first newborn, a Caucasian girl, was found wrapped in a towel by a fisherman in November 1999. She was located near Red Wing. Authorities believe "Jamie" had been in the water near Bay Point Park a week or two after being born alive.

Four years later, in December 2003, a Caucasian boy washed ashore on a Lake Pepin beach and was found by four teenage girls. Investigators suspect that "Cory" lived four to five days.

In March 2007, a newborn girl was found in a marina slip by two workers from Treasure Island Resort and Casino near Red Wing. The ethnicity of "Abby" was either American Indian or Hispanic. Authorities estimate she had been in the water for up to six months.

Barringer said blood DNA samples were taken by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension after they were found. He said he focused on the 1999 case first as lead investigator out of concern that the DNA taken from the remains of the first baby was degrading.

Barringer said he was uncertain that a family tree was generated in the 2003 case. He sent off DNA samples to Parabon a month before he retired, and was aware that investigators were "working on some things." Little useful information so far has emerged from the DNA analysis in the third case, he said. If the child was of Hispanic descent, it could be harder to trace.

The latter half of Barringer's career encompassed the period in which the babies' remains were found, and he believes it is critical to solve the cases if it is possible. He said he would have delayed retirement if he felt the cases were on the verge of being solved. But he recognized that solving the cases would take time, possibly years.

"We had a family that donated three grave sites for these babies," Barringer said. "All cops have cases that haunt them."

But now he sees more hope for finding answers and possibly solving at least one and maybe more of the cases that have been cold for so long.

"We're at 50 to 70% (chance of solving them). Before we were at 10%," Barringer said.

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Red Wing teen killed in head-on crash with garbage truck

Forum News Service — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 18:40:32 GMT

RED WING, Minn. — A Red Wing teen was killed in a car crash Thursday, June 17.

Samantha Kriese, 18, was driving a pick-up westbound on Flower Valley Road, 2 miles southeast of Red Wing, at 2:48 p.m. when the vehicle collided head-on with a Waste Management garbage truck driven eastbound by Wade Dewall, 45, of Red Wing, according to the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office.

Kriese was pronounced dead at the scene. Dewall received treatment at the scene for minor injuries.

Kriese was a 2021 graduate of Red Wing High ��.

The crash remains under investigation, but alcohol doesn't appear to be a contributing factor.

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