NEWS
--There will be no jury trial for 25-year old Tyler Allan Cronquist of Brainerd. Cronquist pleaded guity Monday to felony second-degree murder with intent and attempted second-degree murder with intent. All other charges were dismissed. Cronquist was charged in the January 4th, 2015 double shooting at an apartment on Juniper Street in Brainerd. Jury selection was expected to begin Monday for Cronquist in Crow Wing County District Court. Instead a plea agreement was reached. Cronquist shot and killed Joseph Kroll and shot and injured Chelsey Crawford, both of Brainerd. Cronquist was the second suspect to go to court for the shootings. 26-year old Nathan David Becker of Brainerd, was charged in the case with aiding and abetting Cronquist with the shootings, but was found not guilty in May by a Crow Wing County jury.
--St. Cloud police are asking for the public's help in finding two suspects in an armed robbery Sunday night at a St. Cloud hotel. Police were called to the America's Best Value Inn and Suites on U.S. Highway 10 South in St. Cloud at about 11:40pm. A suspect had entered the business and confronted an employee, pointed a handgun at him and demanded money. The suspect took an undisclosed amount of cash and left. The victim was not injured, and no other employees or guests were in the area. Video surveillance footage shows a second suspect entering the store just before the robbery and propping open a back door where the suspect with the gun entered. Police searched but were not able to find the suspects. The suspect with the gun was described as a black man in his mid-20's to mid-30's, about 6 feet tall, weighing 180 pounds and wearing a dark gray hooded sweatshirt, dark baggie jeans, black shoes and a black bandanna covering his face. The second suspect was described as a white man in his mid-20's wearing jeans, a black T-shirt and a black cap. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the St. Cloud Police Department or Tri-County Crime Stoppers.
--Area law enforcement officers arrested a suspect who they say intentionally rammed a Waite Park police car earlier Sunday morning and led officers on a chase. Waite Park police officers were called to an address at Graniteview Road after a complainant told officers Kyle 33-year old James Whalen came to a residence looking for a gun, broke the back of a car window and put a rag into the gas tank of vehicle. Whalen left the scene before officers arrived. An hour later, a Waite Park officer saw Whalen's vehicle on Stearns County Road 6 near Stearns County Road 74. As the officer followed the suspect, Whalen made a sudden U-turn and accelerated rapidly, ramming the officer's squad car. The squad car was disabled, but no one was injured. Whalen was later spotted by Stearns County deputies, who he led on a pursuit through St. Cloud. Whalen drove back to Graniteview Road area, where he exited his vehicle and fled into a wooded area. K-9 officers were able to successfully apprehend Whalen near Stearns County Road 137. Whalen was taken to St. Cloud Hospital for evaluation, and is expected to be booked in the Stearns County Jail. At this time Whalen has not been charged.
--Two people were injured Saturday in a rear-end collision east of Freeport on Interstate Highway 94. At 10:23pm 30-year old Amanda Cervantes of Sauk Centre rear ended a vehicle driven by Julie Wickham, of St. Cloud. The collision caused both vehicles to go into the ditch. Both drivers were taken to St. Cloud Hospital for non life threatening injuries.
--Congratulations to the Homecoming Royalty for 2016 for Little Falls Community High School, crowned last night were Queen Melissa Geisenhoff and King Brandon Yorek. Others announced last night as part of the royal troupe are 9th Graders Melissa Czajkowski and Cormac Shanoff, 10th-graders Mackenna Hanson and Ben Peterson and 11th graders Grace Schulte and Michael Gross. The homecoming game is Friday night 7:00pm on AM960 KLTF. Before the game take in the tailgate party 5-7pm in the middle school parking lot, get a hot dog or brat, or piece of pizza with pop for $3. All proceeds go to Little Falls Flyers Athletics.
--A St. Cloud man has been found competent to stand trial on charges of sex trafficking in Stearns County. 26-year old Elijah Ahmad Milsap is charged with four counts of felony sex trafficking. Milsap was arrested and charged along with 37-year old Jade Myanne Orcena who faces the same trafficking charges as Milsap. He also was charged recently with three counts of fourth-degree assault, accused of spitting on correctional officers at the Stearns County Jail, and nine counts that accuse him of exposing himself to and masturbating in front of correctional officers.
--Crow Wing County Sheriff's deputies pursued a suspect who fled on foot at about 9:40am Sunday from a residence on 5 Mile Road east of Brainerd. The 31-year-old male suspect, who had an outstanding warrant for contempt of court, ran into a nearby swamp. He was apprehended after roughly an hour with the help of a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter that was in the area for an unrelated call when the pursuit began.
--Motorists who travel Crow Wing County Road 107 in Pequot Lakes will encounter delays as the road closes at the northern Highway 371/County Road 107 junction after 10:00am on Friday. The northern Highway 371/County Road 107 intersection will open by November 2016. A signed detour will direct motorists about two miles south to the Highway 371/County Road 107/Wilderness Road intersection. The closure is needed while crews construct the future Highway 371/County Road 107 Reduced Conflict Intersection (RCI). The new RCI will reduce the risk of severe right-angle crashes, also known as T-bone crashes, at the future four-lane Highway 371/County Road 107 intersection. The closure and Reduced Conflict Intersection are part of the Highway 371 four-lane expansion project in Nisswa, Pequot Lakes and Jenkins.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS
–Donald and Jennifer Selvaag of Motley had twin girls September 23rd
--Richard and Pollyanna Taylor, boy on September 19th
DEATH NOTICE
--Joyce Eileen Dvorak, age 86 of Staples
WEATHER
TODAY= partly sunny, isolated showers, very windy, high 55.
TONIGHT= scattered showers, cool, low near 40.
WEDNESDAY= sunny skies, less windy, high 62, clear skies low 42.
THURSDAY= sunny skies, high 65, clear night low 44.
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins at Kansas City tonight 5:30pm pregame on Q92.
WNBA= Lynx host Phoenix in WNBA playoffs Wednesday 7pm.