Tuesday, September 2, 2025

It is BACK TO SCHOOL for many students today around central Minnesota. A reminder to watch for the school buses out this morning. Also there are thunderstorms around the state with some lightning and thunder also a reminder to watch for buses and the weather on this Tuesday morning. 

The former owner of Baby’s on Broadway in St. Cloud and Little Falls has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for masterminding a $9 million fraud scheme. Prosecutors say the Sartell woman operated the store, selling baby products and toys. The 41-year-old submitted false claims for reimbursement to the U.S. Department of Defense’s healthcare program, TRICARE, which initially paid out the claims. When TRICARE began rejecting her claims, Starin created a fictitious company called Sunshine Medical LLC. She falsely represented to two lenders, Liquid Capital Enterprises Corp. and Slope Tech Inc., saying she needed financing to buy supplies for her store from a place called Sunshine Medical, which was a shell company. To collect the cash, Starin created fake invoices from Sunshine Medical and sent them via interstate wire transfers. In December, Adelle Starin pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud. In addition to the prison sentence, she must also serve three years of supervised release and pay $2.35 million in restitution.

One person was injured Monday around 6:35am on Highway 71 in Stowe Prairie Township of Todd County. 43-year-old Joshua Marty of Burtrum missed a curve went into the ditch and struck a utility pole. Marty was treated at a hospital with non life threatening injuries. A two-vehicle accident happened Friday in Princeton Township of Mille Lacs County. Around 10:50am Karen Vanderpoel of Milaca was on 55th Street and attempted to cross Highway 169 colliding with a driver from Prior Lake. The Prior Lake man had one adult passenger and four children ages 9, 5, 3 and an infant in the vehicle. Vanderpoel was taken to Princeton hospital with injuries while the family in the other vehicle were all checked out at the scene, the adult passenger and two younger children were treated for what the State Patrol called non serious injuries. That was just a few of many accidents this past weekend on Minnesota roadways including 3 people hurt in an accident in Onamia, three accidents that injured seven people occurred in Sherburne County. The Department of Public Safety reminds motorists to slow down. 

The suspect in the Sunday morning stabbing in St. Cloud has been identified. The St. Cloud Police Department says they are looking for 42-year-old George Harris of St. Cloud in connection with the stabbing in the 400 block of 19th 1/2 Avenue North.  Harris is a black man, about 5'11" tall, around 200 lbs, and has a tattoo of lettering on the front of his neck. Police say people should not approach Harris, and anyone with any information on Harris is asked to call 911. The St. Cloud Police Department has released details about their presence in North St. Cloud. The St. Cloud Police Department says they responded to a call at about 9:40 a.m. to the 400 block of 19th 1/2 Avenue North for a woman who had been stabbed. Once on the scene, officers found a woman with a stab wound and provided medical assistance. The victim was taken to the St. Cloud Hospital and is in critical condition. St. Cloud Police say the suspect has not been located, and the Stearns County Sheriff's Office assisted with a K9 officer to search the area for the suspect. Police say the victim and suspect knew each other.

40-year-old Cass Lake man was shot Thursday in his residence in Cass County. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident at 2:14 a.m. at the Prescott Housing area in Wilkinson Township, rural Cass Lake. According to a news release, deputies and first responders arrived at the residence and learned that an unknown man had entered the residence and shot an occupant of the residence before fleeing the scene. Deputies immediately rendered medical aid to the man and he was transported to Sanford Bemidji Medical Center with serious injuries. The incident remains under investigation with the assistance of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk said there is no threat to public safety at this time, as they believe the two individuals were known to each other. The Leech Lake Tribal Police Department and the Cass Lake Ambulance assisted at the scene.

The 59-year-old Cass Lake woman who died last Tuesday after her boat crashed into the shore on Leech Lake has been identified as Theresa Kay Cechini. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office news release Thursday stated the autopsy by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office indicated Cechini suffered a medical emergency prior to the crash. On Tuesday, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash at 1:25 p.m. on the south shore of Leech Lake, near the Walker City Park. According to the report, deputies and responders arrived and found a 2016 Regency Tri-toon crashed on the shore. Cechini was located unresponsive in the watercraft. She was removed from the watercraft and medical aid was immediately rendered. Lifesaving efforts continued while being transported to the Walker airport, where she was pronounced deceased.Cechini was the only person on board the watercraft at the time of the incident.