NEWS
--22-year-old woman pleaded guilty Thursday to her role in helping her boyfriend move human remains in central Minnesota last March. Alexis Elling pleaded guilty to one count of aiding an offender after the fact, according to court documents. Per a plea agreement, Elling will need to testify against her boyfriend, Bradley Weyaus, and complete inpatient treatment. Weyaus is charged with second-degree murder, fleeing a peace officer and two counts of interference with a dead body or scene of death. Weyaus was arrested last March after authorities found a tote of human remains on the shoreline of Mille Lacs Lake. The victim was identified as 25-year-old Rodney Pendegayosh Jr., whose family had reported him missing the day before his remains were found. A driver in a vehicle connected to Weyaus fled a traffic stop shortly after the remains were found, according to a criminal complaint. The vehicle was found at a rural property in Mille Lacs County. In the car, investigators found a spent shotgun shell, which matched Pendegayosh's wounds. When they searched the property, they found Pendegayosh's ID cut into pieces and bloodstained carpet pieces in the trash, the complaint states. Investigators found Weyaus hiding on the property and arrested him. Elling told investigators she did not help Weyaus put Pendegayosh in the tote, but she did know his body was inside it when she helped Weyaus move it. Elling's sentencing will wait until Weyaus' case is resolved. She is not likely to get prison time, but probation time.
--Three people were hurt in a head-on crash near Cold Spring Thursday evening. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office along with Cold Spring Police responded to the 16000 block of County Road 49 just after 5:30pm. Officers arrived to find a car and a small SUV had collided head-on. The driver of the car, 38-year-old Caitlin McDaniel of Litchfield, and her passenger were both taken by ambulance to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the SUV, 52-year-old Lori Utsch of Richmond, went to the hospital via private party for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The sheriff's office says the preliminary investigation shows McDaniel was eastbound on County Road 49 when she crossed the centerline on a curve and the two vehicles collided.
--A North Carolina woman wanted on a St. Cloud stabbing charge from six years ago has been found and extradited to Stearns County. Thirty-year-old Kathilina Garcia is charged with 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon which caused substantial bodily harm. The incident happened at a residence in the 1500 block of Northway Drive in January 2018. According to the criminal complaint, police responded to the scene and found a man with a stab wound to his ribcage area with a portion of his intestine protruding from the wound. The man said Garcia was at the residence and was extremely drunk. When the victim told Garcia she had to leave, she allegedly became enraged and began threatening him with a butterfly knife. Court records allege Garcia slapped and hit the man and swung the knife at him several times before stabbing him. The injury was determined to be life-threatening and emergency surgery was performed on the victim. Records show, that when police tried to arrest Garcia, she was out of control, yelling, physically resisting officers, and tried to hit her head against objects. Multiple officers were required to get her into custody.
--The Pierz City Council meets tonight at 7pm at Pierz City Hall.
--A 20-year-old Brainerd man was injured Friday morning on Highway 10 of Villard Township of Todd County. Patrick Fetters was westbound on Highway 10 when he left the roadway and rolled into the ditch. Fetters was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries.
--A school bus collided with a vehicle around 8am Friday in Cass County on Highway 210 near Pillager in Sylvan Township. The bus driven by 73-year-old John Peterson of Cushing was slowing for a turn on 37th Avenue onto Cass County Road 1 when it made contact with a vehicle pulling a trailer just before 8am. The school bus did have 34 students on the bus at the time. Both drivers sustained non life threatening injuries, Peterson and 45-year-old Jeremy Trebesch of Pillager. Three of the students were treated at the scene but were not hospitalized in the accident on Friday morning.
--The Avon Police Department is asking for the public’s help to find three men wanted for questioning in connection to a theft by swindle case. The department gave few details about the incident, only showing them at a local store on February 6th. One was wearing a black hoodie with a design that appeared to be a full moon with trees in shadow, a shorter black puffed jacket, light grey pants, and black shoes with dreadlocked hair. Another is wearing a black hoodie with a tan and red design; darker grey ripped jeans with black shoes, and dreads. The other is wearing a navy blue Canada Goose puffer jacket with short light gray hair, a ballcap, a black Stussy shirt, black pants, and black and white shoes. Investigators say if anyone knows who these three people are contact the Avon Police Department detailed pictures are on the Avon Police Department Facebook page.
--St. James in Randall want to congratulates the top prize winners of their raffle on Friday night. The $10,000 top prize went to Bill and LuAnn Kuesel, $3,000 2nd prize to Dennis Schweisthal, 3rd prize was for $2,000 to Don and Sherry Fiege. 4Th and 5th prize of $1,000 each went to Patty Kava and Kari Magee. There will other prize winners also at the raffle and event last Friday night in Randall.
DEATH NOTICES
--Robert “Bob” Verkuilen, age 89 of Little Falls.
WEATHER
TODAY= partly sunny skies, high 36.
TONIGHT= cloudy skies, low near 20.
TUESDAY= mostly cloudy skies, high 34, light snow late, low 25.
WEDNESDAY= light snow early, then cloudy, breezy, high 34.
SPORTS
NFL= The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl Champions once again after beating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime last night at Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas 25-22. The games was one of the longest (not only Super Bowls) NFL games in history at over 4 hours from kickoff. Patrick Mahomes win his 3rd Super Bowl MVP trophy last night.
HS BHK= St. Cloud Cathedral at Little Falls Tuesday in the regular season finale, puck drop at 7:15pm on Q92 WYRQ.
GHK= Roseau beat Brainerd/Little Falls 3-2 Saturday in girls playoffs.
HOLD= Congrats to Holdingford Dance Team heading back to state.
SKI= Good luck to Eddie Sobiech and Elliot Oberton of the Little Falls Boys Nordic Ski Team. The two will compete at the State Nordic Ski meet Wednesday in Biwabik. The event starts at 10am.