NEWS
--A 38-year-old from Onamia has been charged in Morrison County District Court in connection to an incident in which six male inmates at the Morrison County Jail overdosed. Daniel Wayne Maclean was charged Wednesday with one gross misdemeanor count of introducing contraband of drugs or liquor into a jail or prison. That charge is in addition to a felony drug charge stemming from an incident back on February 7th which resulted in his initial arrest. Last Saturday, the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an unresponsive male subject in one of the cell blocks inside the jail. Several law enforcement officers responded to the incident and located the subject laying unresponsive on the floor. Officers administered Narcan to the inmate. While providing care to him, other inmates in the same cell block began to show signs of overdose. In total, six inmates showed signs of overdose, five of them needing Narcan to revive them. They were later brought to the hospital for further medical attention. They were monitored and eventually released back to the jail. The Sheriff’s Office began an investigation to locate the source of the controlled substance causing the overdoses. According to the criminal complaint, surveillance video shows that Maclean was in the cell block prior to the overdoses occurring. He was in the process of bailing out of jail and was packing up to leave. The report states that Maclean could be seen on surveillance video handing a book to another inmate. That inmate paged through the book and grabbed an item from inside. He then could be seen tapping another inmate. The two inmates then went into the bathroom, the report states. A short time later, they exit and eventually one of them starts to “lean forward and pass out.” Following the incident, the Motley Police Department, which made the initial arrest and transported Maclean to the jail, reviewed squad car video of his arrest. The squad video allegedly shows that, while in the back seat of the vehicle, he begins to “play around with his belt” and digs up underneath himself. The report notes that he repeats this movement multiple times. During the course of the investigation, a sergeant from the Sheriff’s Office located a piece of paper just inside the main door of the jail. He took possession of the paper and noted that it was a court document. The file number belonged to the case for which Maclean was charged with possession of a controlled substance earlier in the week. Inside the piece of paper, he allegedly found a controlled substance. It eventually field-tested positive for cocaine, which can also be positive for fentanyl.
--A national note from the story following the drug overdoses. The panel of Food and Drug Administration experts voted unanimously in favor of working out a way for untrained users to be able to purchase safely and effectively a Narcan nasal spray to assist those who are experiencing an overdose. The positive vote, which is not binding, came despite concerns from some panel members about the drug’s instructions and packaging, which caused confusion among some people in a company study.. Narcan, is the leading version of the drug in the U.S., which is also available as an injection. If FDA approves, Narcan would be the first opioid treatment to make the regulatory switch to a non-prescription drug. The potential move represents the latest government effort to increase use of a medication that has been a key tool in the battle against the U.S. overdose epidemic that kills more than 100,000 people annually. Narcan is already available without a prescription in all 50 states. But not all states carry it or you have to ask for it behind their counter.
--Monday is President's Day. The third Monday in February is a federal holiday meaning that government agencies like courthouses, city halls, libraries, post offices and banks are likely to be closed on Monday with no regular mail delivery. Check ahead to see who will be open on Monday for the federal holiday. Some schools are off whiles are in session and in cases like Little Falls public schools are using this Monday as a makeup day for a snow day earlier this year.
--A Stearns County jury has found 28-year-old Daquan Ledbetter guilty on all counts related to a south St. Cloud shooting this past summer. Ledbetter was found guilty on four counts of aiding and abetting 2nd degree assault, four counts of attempted aiding and abetting 1st degree murder and one count of being a felon in possession of a gun. According to the criminal complaint, Ledbetter and two other suspects, 26-year old Bryant Garth II and 20-year old Jamarcus Morris, pulled up to a group of people near the intersection of 11th Avenue South and 6th Street South and fired multiple gunshots into the crowd. In all, 33-shots were fired in the incident, and three men, between 19-21-years-old, and a 15-year-old boy were taken to the hospital. A sentencing date for Ledbetter has not been set. Charges against Garth II and Morris are currently still yet to be set.
--The Snowshoe Hike this weekend on Sunday at Lindbergh State Park in Little Falls had to be canceled due to conditions. The snowshoe hike in March is still on as scheduled.
--The Royalton FFA has a breakfast this Sunday from 9-12 at the Royalton High School. The event is a free will offering to start the upcoming FFA Week. Listen to Little Falls Radio next week to hear from students and sponsors supporting the FFA programs at our area schools like Royalton, also Upsala, Pierz and Little Falls. The Little Falls FFA will host a breakfast next Sunday, February 26th at the Little Falls VFW 8:30am-12:30pm again the breakfast is a free will offering.
--The Little Falls Lindy Dance Team Taco Challenge Night is set for March 16th at the Falls Ballroom from 5:30-7pm and then a raffle scheduled at 7:30pm. Tacos from areas businesses, silent auction, cash raffle and more to help support the team. This year there are VIP seating where you can purchase a table for 10 at $250 where you don't have to stand in line, the food is brought right to you at the table. If you want VIP seats for your business or family, send your info to james@fallsradio.com by March 1st to sign up for this.
DEATH NOTICE
--Mary M. Konen, age 98 of Little Falls
WEATHER
TODAY= mostly sunny, breezy, high 26.
TONIGHT= cloudy skies, breezy in evening, low 17.
SATURDAY= partly sunny, less wind, high 35, low near 16.
SUNDAY= cloudy, PM snow showers, high 32, low near 7.
MONDAY= snow showers and breezy, colder, high 19, low -3.
SPORTS
WRE= Little Falls in section wrestling tonight 5pm on Q92 WYRQ.
WRE= Pierz won last night, semi's tonight 5pm on 94ROCKS.
SKI= Little Falls Boys Nordic Ski finished in 10th place as a team at the State Tournament with 288 points. Duluth East took 1st place and Brainerd placed 4th overall, Mora finished in 14th. In the girls Nordic Ski Meet again Duluth East claimed the championship while Brainerd placed 10th and Sartell/St. Cloud Cathedral placed 15th.
RACING= The Daytona 500 Auto Race gets ran on Sunday.