Crime and Law

Apple Valley police stumble upon largest heroin bust in Dakota County history

Last spring, law enforcement officials in Hennepin, Anoka, and Ramsey counties went public with concerns about a dramatic uptick in heroin use in the Twin Cities. It turns out a good portion of the metro area's supply may have been riding around in the car Apple Valley police found Warren Comeaux in ... More >>

Cheryel Mack faces felony for allegedly throwing used tampon at jail guard

A drunk and belligerent young woman named Cheryel Mack was ordered to subject herself to a strip search at Blue Earth County Jail. In protest, she allegedly took out her tampon and threw it at a jail guard.SEE ALSO: Mankato: Cops crack down on nudist bean bag game by confiscating clothesMack, 21, no ... More >>

St. Paul man named President Pimpin allegedly whipped infant son in genitals with AV cord

President Pimpin Austin Sr., 21, has been charged with felony domestic assault, violating an order of protection, and felony malicious punishment of a child for allegedly beating his then one-year-old son and the boy's mom.SEE ALSO: Robin Hood busted stealing computers from St. Louis Park tech store ... More >>

Woman shot, killed at Jimmy John's in Cottage Grove

Police called to a Jimmy John's in Cottage Grove found a woman shot dead inside the restaurant and a wounded man in the parking lot who had apparently shot himself, according to news reports Thursday night. The unidentified man was taken to Regions Hospital, where his condition is unknown. An em ... More >>

William Nickaboine's killers both sentenced to prison

The two men charged in the vicious murder of William Nickaboine, a young Ojibwe man living on the Mille Lacs reservation, have both been sentenced to prison. Two years after the murder, Joshua Boyd was sentenced to 13 years Thursday for one count of felony murder, reports the Mille Lacs Messenger. ... More >>

San Francisco Dems want DOJ to investigate CeCe McDonald case

Nearly three weeks since the end of the trial, San Francisco Democrats are entering the debate over Chrishaun "CeCe" McDonald, a transgender woman from Minneapolis who pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. The city's Democratic Party passed a resolution last week calling McDonald's treatme ... More >>

Police did indeed give Occupiers free pot, new evidence suggests; DRE program suspended

Last Thursday, we told you about explosive allegations made by a new video report -- that state patrol officers and county deputies have been giving drugs to young people hanging out near Peavey Plaza as part of the State Patrol's Drug Recognition Expert program.Later that day, Eric Roeske, State P ... More >>

James Stevenson arrested after trying to rob undercover Eagan cop with pellet gun

James Stevenson's one-man crime spree came to an end after he picked the wrong victim to mess with.A little after 9 p.m. last Thursday, police set up a perimeter around the 3300 block of Coachman Road in Eagan following reports of two robberies in the area. No sooner had a plainclothes detective arr ... More >>

Lawrence Wajda charged with meth possession in Mpls fire house

Lawrence Anthony Wajda Jr., a veteran Minneapolis firefighter, was charged with possession of methamphetamine Wednesday after police found .5 grams of the drug with him at work. Wadja, who has worked at the department for more than 20 years, faces felony fifth-degree drug possession. "It's unfortu ... More >>

Keith Dodson ordered to pay $65,000 for invading privacy of live-in nannies

Flickr, Eriwst. The lawsuit alleged Keith Dodson masturbated with the nannies' underwear.​In an unusual invasion of privacy case, a Prior Lake man was ordered to pay $65,000 last month for intruding on two women living in his house. Keith Dodson entered the rooms of two live-in nannies hired ... More >>

Tony Sutton, Baja Sol being sued by ex-landlord

Tony Sutton: In court for breach of contract.​Tony Sutton sold out of Baja Sol last February but the business' financial struggles continue to follow him. Last November, Sutton, the chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, was hit with an eviction suit from his landlord, Blackburn Blaine, who ... More >>

Minneapolis police seek help in finding shotgun-wielding robber

Richard BergThe Dinkytown Jimmy John's was among the suspect's targets.​The Minneapolis Police Department is asking for the public's help on finding a repeat-offender armed robber who seems to have a thing for shotguns, crime and food shops.A lone man is the main suspect in at least four armed rob ... More >>

Tony Webster alleges security flaw in Minnesota DVS

Tony Webster says the online crash database violates Minnesota data laws. ​Last week the Minnesota Department of Public Safety disabled a database following an allegation that a security flaw left private information of Minnesota drivers "vulnerable" to public access. Tony Webster, a web develope ... More >>

Katherine Gordon, California resident, identified as woman in fatal I-394 police shooting

Fox 9The details of the incident are still under wraps.​Katherine Gordon, a 58-year-old woman from California who'd recently moved to Minnesota, has been identified as the woman shot and killed by a Golden Valley Police officer after she was pulled over on I-394. Gordon's identity was released by ... More >>

Michael Swanson smiles at murder conviction

Swanson, not smiling during his mug shot, now faces life in prison.​Michael Swanson laughed for the cameras when he was arraigned after a grisly double homicide in Iowa last fall, and the 18-year-old from St. Louis Park smiled today in court when he was convicted of killing Sheila Myers, one o ... More >>

Bill Pulkrabek girlfriend assault update: Decision on charges expected today

Bill Pulkrabek posed for a mugshot, but so far he has yet to explain the alleged domestic assault​The Ramsey County Attorney's office tells City Pages it will make a decision today on whether to bring charges against Bill Pulkrabek, the Washington County Commissioner arrested Monday for allegedly ... More >>

Minneapolis stabbing victim dies: Homicide No. 5 for 2011

​Early Saturday morning, at about 5 a.m., Minneapolis cops responded to a 911 call about a stabbing at 2427 18th Avenue South, just south of East Philips Park and west of Cedar Avenue. Officers arrived, then medics, and the victim was rushed to HCMC. He died this morning. The Hennepin Count ... More >>

TCF Bank robber strikes fourth time

FBIA robber with a preference for TCF Bank.​There's a robber out there with a preference for TCF Bank. For the fourth time since January, and the third time in a week, the same lone gunman has walked into a metro area TCF Bank branch, brandished a gun and made off with a pile of cash. Each ... More >>

TCF Bank robbery in St. Paul caught on camera

FBISeen this guy? Give the FBI a call.​Another TCF Bank branch has been robbed, this time in St. Paul. Like the Uptown robbery we told you about yesterday, this heist was caught by security cameras. Unlike that robbery, however, no one was injured. The pictures have just been released by the ... More >>

Michael Swanson claims insanity in Iowa double homicide

Swanson claims he was insane.​Seventeen-year-old Michael Swanson, famous for smiling and laughing after being charged in November with murdering two Iowa gas station workers in two separate shootings, plans to claim insanity as a defense when his trials start this summer.

Nyron Sheldon Hackett faces trial as an adult in Powderhorn Park sex assault case

Nyron Sheldon Hackett will face the music as an adult.​Sixteen-year-old Nyron Sheldon Hackett is accused of using a gun while leading a robbery and sexual assault on a woman in Powderhorn Park last Thanksgiving Eve -- as the woman's children watched in horror. From there, police say he and h ... More >>

Jeffrey Anderson opens U.K. office to fight pedophile priests

Father Francis Markey from his arrest in early 2010​Jeffrey Anderson, the St. Paul attorney who's made a career (and a mint) suing the Catholic church, has opened up a new practice in London to pursue the pedophile priest cases popping up across the pond. They've already got their sights on Rev. ... More >>

Ryan Eugene Loyd sentenced in 16-year-old Anthony Titus's murder

Ryan Eugene Loyd​Anthony Titus had just turned 16 years old when he was shot dead on the night of the Fourth of July in a backyard on the 2900 block of Fremont Avenue North. Family and friends said they were sure the boy wasn't in a gang, and that the shooting wasn't gang-related. As Minneapol ... More >>

Pawlenty on sex criminal daycare pardon: "I am very troubled"

Maybe if Governor Tim Pawlenty doesn't talk about Jeremy Giefer it will all just go away. But we doubt it.​Tim Pawlenty is in full ostrich mode.Tuesday we learned that Jeremy Giefer, the sex offender Pawlenty voted to pardon in 2008, has been allegedly raping his own daughter for the past nine yea ... More >>

16-year-old Anthony Titus shot dead

​The Sunday night bulletin from Minneapolis police was bare bones: "At 8:50 p.m. patrol officers in the Fourth Precinct responded to a report of a male down in a backyard in the 2900 block of Fremont Av N. When officers and EMS arrived they found the body of a male thought to be in his later ... More >>

Wisconsin parolees impersonate dead soldiers to cash checks

Honoring the war dead shouldn't include check forgery​One suspects that when American troops die in battle to protect truth, justice and the American way, they don't include check fraud as a value worth fighting for. Not that that bothered three Wisconsin parolees caught trying to cash checks ... More >>

Lake Calhoun homicide pushes Minneapolis past 2009 mark

​West Lake Calhoun Parkway, better known for its stately old homes and views of one of the most popular lakes in Minneapolis, became the scene of the city's 19th homicide last night after police found the body of a man shot dead there in a park. The death means that Minneapolis has now record ... More >>

Anton Warren and Romaze Stevens confirmed 17th, 18th homicides

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner confirmed this morning that housemates Anton Warren, 31, and Romaze Stevens, 30, both of Minneapolis, were the two men shot to death on Friday in the 3300 block of Russell Avenue N. Their deaths mean that the 2010 Minneapolis homicide count has already passed las ... More >>

Peter Rickmyer, Minneapolis pedophile, slapped as frivolous litigant

Peter Rickmyer, the Level 3 sex offender who has plagued his Jordan neighbors with an avalanche of legal filings, is not allowed to sue anymore, a judge ruled this week.

Jeff Anderson targets St. John's, monk in latest sex abuse lawsuit

Photo: romana kleeIt can't hurt​Jeff Anderson, the St. Paul attorney who has cut a wide swath of controversy as he files lawsuits against alleged sexually abusive priests in the Catholic Church all over the world, has now trained his sites on the monks of St. John's Abbey in Collegeville. On ... More >>

Alisha Neeley's death leads to girl gang truce

The Ladiis and the Baddest squash their beef

Shakopee cops shoot fatal-stabbing suspect dead after carjacking

Photo: wetwebworki​A deadly suburban crime spree ended with gunfire this morning in a Shakopee highway ditch after police shot and killed an as-yet unidentified 34-year-old male suspected of a convenience store robbery, a carjacking and a fatal stabbing. The Shakopee Valley News is reporting ... More >>

Trace Maxwell linked by Glock to triple homicide

​Investigators still aren't sure why Trace Maxwell went on a deadly shooting spree early Thursday morning before killing himself, but they've tied him to the three homicides by way of a Glock pistol. The Glock was found in Maxwell's SUV where it crashed on Lake Street after he shot himself to ... More >>

Ming Sen Shiue planned to kill Stauffers

The revelation came yesterday during a hearing on whether convicted murderer, kidnapper, and rapist Ming Sen Shiue should be civilly committed or released.

Timothy Carson, former Minneapolis cop, pleads guilty to bank robbery

Carson still faces charges for other robberies and attempted robberies in Hennepin and Dakota counties.

State senate bill would ban data on Minnesota gangs; Metro Gang Strike Force blowback

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher is none too happy about the proposal. (Surprise!)

Al Jefferson's blood alcohol content was .12 the night he was arrested

Jefferson was suspended for two games, apologized to his teammates and swore he'd never drink and drive again.

Yelp lawsuit widens: Plaintiffs across the country charge extortion

Businesses from L.A. to Washington, D.C., accuse the customer-review site of offering to remove bad reviews in exchange for ads.

Denny Hecker faces 18 new federal counts in alleged conspiracy and fraud

A federal grand jury makes life even more complicated for the fallen auto sales magnate.

Timothy Carson, ex cop, pleads not guilty in Apple Valley bank robbery

Prosecutors say he robbed a Wells Fargo bank in Apple Valley on Jan. 6. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Mary Stauffer stalked by former math student Ming Shiue

Mother survives 53 days trapped in closet with her daughter

Tom Petters, Ponzi schemer, likely to face life sentence next month

The convicted swindler could easily receive a life sentence for the Ponzi scheme.

New law could make fathers' rights come smoother

Dad tells of spending $30,000 to win time with his kids

Minneapolis Somali community facing dark web of murders

They came to escape civil war, so why are they killing each other in the streets?

Jodi Picoult

Judge and wife allege harassment by Minneapolis police

James and Lois Cannon seek apology from cops

The Case of the Disappearing Sex Crimes Unit

With Rapes on the Rise, There's a Shortage of Resources in the Department Dedicated to Solving Them

Number 26

Fifteen-year-old Gary Parker was the 26th of Minneapolis's 49 homicides last year—and one of the 54 percent of black male victims whose killings went unsolved.

A Friend in Need

Stephen Rondestvedt was more than an attorney in the eyes of his clients. He was a friend, and often their only advocate. Which made it pretty easy to rob them blind.

Drinking Games

Two high-profile convictions rekindle a debate over what to do when drunk drivers kill