[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Newsletter: Thursday, April 7th 2016[/title][fusion_text]
NEWS
–Court appearances for four men charged with soliciting prostitution in law enforcement stings have ended with guilty pleas, while four others will face Crow Wing County juries. The four men who pleaded guilty were Brainerd attorney 72-year old Richard Albert Ohlsen, 50-year old Kevin Ames Chase of Akeley, 32-year old Luke Daniel LaBorde of Crosby and 46-year old Thomas James Sullivan Jr. of Hibbing. The men responded to online advertisements for escort services and then engaged in conversations with undercover police officers, where they solicited sex in exchange for money. LaBorde and Sullivan were each placed on two years of supervised probation while Ohlsen and Chase received a sentence of two years of unsupervised probation for the gross misdemeanor charges. All were sentenced to one year in the Crow Wing County Jail with that sentence stayed for two years. As for the other four men arrested heading to jury trials in similar cases they include: 28-year old Kevin Michael Desmet Groseclose of Little Falls, 23-year old Tyler Clark Meech of Baxter, 42-year old Brent Michael Seivert of Breezy Point and 49-year old Kenneth Wayne Kirk formerly of Baxter and now of Clarksville, Tennessee. Meech and Desmet Groseclose are set to appear for their trials April 25th. Seivert and Kirk are scheduled to appear on July 18th.
–A Stearns County judge has ordered the Diocese of St. Cloud to turn over the files of all priests who have been accused of the sexual abuse of children. In a separate order, a different judge has denied the diocese’s request to dismiss a claim that it created a “public nuisance” by not telling the public about child-molesting priests with connections to the diocese. The orders, filed within the last week, mean that lawyers representing clergy sex abuse victims will have a chance to review those files and release portions to the public. In one other Minnesota diocese, the release of similar files led to criminal charges. Stearns County District Court Judge Kris Davick-Halfen ordered the diocese to turn over the priest files by April 25. She also ordered that the files be subject to a protective order that helps prevent potentially embarrassing information from becoming public.
–A Sartell man accused of kidnapping and assaulting his girlfriend last year was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison on Wednesday. 23-year old Darnell Lewis was sentenced to 153 months in prison. He was charged in September with criminal sexual conduct, felony domestic assault, and terroristic threats. According to a criminal complaint, he punched the woman several times and forced her into a car. Lewis then dragged the woman into a house and sexually assaulted her, threatening her life. The criminal sexual conduct charge was dismissed as part of negotiations when Lewis agreed to serve the time that would come from that charge but did not want to admit guilt to it.
–St. Cloud police closed 28th Avenue North between First and Second streets for just over an hour Tuesday in response to a 22-year-old man behaving erratically. Officers were called to the home just before 5:00pm due to the man’s behavior and the mention of possible weapons and that the man barricaded himself inside the house. Negotiators were able to talk the man into coming out of the home about 6:40pm where he was taken to the hospital for an evaluation and is not facing charges at this time. Several St. Cloud police and State Patrol squad cars were on the scene, as was a Humvee and the police department’s MRAP.
–Selected soldiers and noncommissioned officers of the Minnesota National Guard took part in the state level Best Warrior Competition April 1st – 3rd at Camp Ripley. The participants, selected by members of their units, were chosen to represent the Minnesota National Guard based on their tactical and technical abilities to include professionalism, physical and mental endurance, resiliency and leadership. Of the 13 competitors, only two will advance to the regional competition. For Minnesota, Sgt. 1st Class Adam Kelly of the Recruitment and Retention Battalion, earned Non Commissioned Officer of the Year; and Pvt. 1st Class Ryan Eiler of the 134th Brigade Support Battalion, earned Soldier of the Year. Congratulations to the Minnesota Army National Guard Best Warriors.
–The Minnesota Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a man convicted of aiding in a murder committed by his father on a Kandiyohi County farm. The justices ruled Wednesday the jury in Timothy Huber’s trial got erroneous instructions for determining if he was guilty of intentionally aiding his father in committing second-degree murder. The high court said the bad instructions let the jury convict Huber in 2013 for his mere presence near the killing of Albertville teacher Timothy Larson on the victim’s family farm near Belgrade in 2011, which came after years of animosity between the men. He was sentenced to 25½ years in prison. The defendant’s father, Delbert Huber, admitted shooting Larson. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He died in prison in 2014 at age 83.
–A St. Cloud man was injured after his vehicle rolled into a ditch in Albany Township of Stearns County. Deputies were called to a vehicle crash on Stearns County Road 10 around 2:00pm on Wednesday where deputies found a commercial vehicle in a ditch. The driver 29-year old Merrill Binnall said he was traveling south on County Road 10 when he felt the vehicle sway back and forth. Binnall lost control and rolled the vehicle into the ditch. Binnall was taken to the Centra Care Hospital in Melrose. The crash remains under investigation.
–Habitat for Humanity of Morrison County and the Britney Waytashek Family are holding a dedication ceremony at 5:30pm tonight at the site of the projects 16th home at 149 Prairie View Lane in Royalton. This was Habitat’s first home in Royalton. For more information call Habitat for Humanity of Morrison County at 616-2084.
–The Heartland Symphony Orchestra performs its last concerts with director Chun-Ming Chen this weekend. The concert, titled “Spring Rhapsody” will be Saturday at 7:30pm at Charles D. Martin Auditorium in Little Falls and Sunday at 2:30pm in Brainerd.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
–Country Singer Merle Haggard died yesterday on his 79th birthday. Haggard leaves behind a very rich legacy in country music.
WEATHER
TODAY= snow likely, mixing with rain, high 42 and breezy.
TONIGHT= rain early, then clearing, low 24.
FRIDAY= sunny and very windy, high 33, low 18, wind gusts 30mph
SATURDAY= sunny high near 40, light snow late, low 33.
SUNDAY= snow to rain early, then PM sun, warmer, high 51.
SPORTS
TWINS= Baltimore beat Twins 4-2 last night. Twins and Orioles wrap up their series tonight 5:30pm pregame on Q92 WYRQ.
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