"It's Horrific" - Daycare Worker Tries To Hang 1-Year-Old, Kill Self

Story out of Minneapolis, Minnesota:

A south Minneapolis woman is in custody after intentionally hanging a 1-year-old in her day care and then later triggering havoc on city streets as she hit and injured people with her car and then apparently tried to kill herself.

All those hurt, including the child, are expected to live. Another parent bringing a child to the day care rescued the 16-month-old boy.

The suspect, who has not yet been identified, is being evaluated at a local hospital. No motive is known at this time, Minneapolis Assistant Police Chief Kris Arneson told reporters.

"It's horrific," Arneson said. "We never want children to be injured. It is a horrific scene for officers to encounter but also the victims in this case have injuries based on her actions."

The toddler, she added was at a hospital and "doing fine, I'm told." Cont.

Story from - MPR News

Show And Shoot? First Grader Brings Gun To Class, Fires It

Jesus fecking Christ, what a country. The parents read about it on their "fun stuff page."

Story out of St. Paul, Minnesota:

A gun that a first-grader brought to a St. Paul elementary school fired one round in a class full of students Thursday morning, police and the School District said. No one was injured.

Some parents first learned of the incident at Crossroads Elementary when Council Member Amy Brendmoen wrote about it on the Como Neighbors Fun Stuff page.

Police spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster said his department was alerted at 8:40 a.m. that a 7-year-old student brought a handgun to the school, part of which is Montessori-based.

St. Paul School District spokeswoman Toya Stewart Downey said staff confiscated the weapon right away.

Downey added that no threats were directed at staff and students in connection with the gun being in the building. The principal e-mailed a letter to Crossroads families.

“Understandably, students were upset,” Celeste Carty wrote. “Our district crisis team and the police reassured the students that they were safe, that everything was OK and answered questions.”

Besides the e-mailed letter, Downey said the school put out a robocall informing all school families of the situation. The principal also called or talked to families of students who witnessed the gun going off. Cont.

Story from - Star Tribune

Pastor Arrested After Turning Photos He Took Of Children Into Pornography

Story out of Minneapolis, Minnesota:

A pastor at a Cottage Grove church who has been charged with possessing child pornography told investigators that he took innocent photos of children at the church and turned them into graphic images.

Facebook reported that the Minnesota user was 47-year-old William Helker of Pine City, whose occupation was listed as an Associate/Youth Pastor at All Saints Lutheran Church in Cottage Grove. He also went by the names Will Schank and Leonard Will on Instagram and Facebook, according to the criminal complaint.

Helker told investigators that he took pictures of children and then cropped them or zoomed the focus on the children’s buttocks, saying he “Photoshopped” the images. He also admitted to editing children’s heads onto adult porn.

Helker has been charged with six counts of child pornography possession. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison and $10,000 in fines on three of the charges and up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines on the other three charges. Cont.

Story from - KSTP

Firefighter Responds To Fatal Crash, Discovers Victim Is His Son

Story out of Ada, Minnesota:

A volunteer firefighter from northwestern Minnesota made a grim discovery at a car crash – his teenage son was the victim.

Randy Peterson, a firefighter in Ada, was called Sunday night to a two-vehicle crash in nearby Borup. Peterson had been unable to reach his 16-year-old son, Carter, as he raced to the scene. When he arrived, Peterson saw the car on fire and knew it was his son, who died at the scene.

Carter Peterson had dropped off his girlfriend that night and was headed home when he was broadsided by a pickup at an intersection. The other driver, a 20-year-old North Dakota man, was not seriously hurt. The State Patrol says alcohol was detected in the other driver’s system.

The community has rallied to support the Peterson family. Before Wednesday night’s football game against Cass Lake-Bena, the tribal school performed a drum chant, and each opposing player gave the Peterson family a hug and presented them with wild rice, a symbol of hope. Players from the Ada-Borup football team presented the family with flowers, photographs and his No. 63 jersey, which the school retired. Cont.

Story from - Global News

8-Month Old Shot Dead As Gang Kills Their Target

Story out of Minneapolis, Minnesota:

Police say two people are dead, including a baby, after a shooting in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon.

According to police, officers responded to a 911 call of shots fired near 26th Street East and 11th Avenue South around 1:30 p.m. Upon arrival, police found two gunshot victims in the backseat of a car. Police say a man died at the scene. The other victim, an 8-month-old boy, was rushed to Minneapolis Children's Hospital and died there.

Julia Johnson identified her 20-year-old brother, Gustav Christianson, as one of the victims. She said Christianson lived in north Minneapolis and would have turned 21 next month. Johnson mentioned her little brother used to be involved with the Native Mob gang but was recently released from prison and was in a treatment program.

Police believe Christianson was the intended target. They do not believe the public is in danger. Cont. (Video/Autoplay)

Story from - KARE

Minnesota Legislature Candidate Arrested After Assaulting Wife And Son Over Pizza

Story out of Burnsville, Minnesota:

A candidate for the Minnesota Legislature who was arrested and jailed over the weekend is charged with felony domestic assault after an altercation in which he allegedly shoved his wife to the floor and choked her son.

Bradly Gerten, the Republican candidate for House District 51A and a Hennepin County probation officer, was charged Tuesday with one count of domestic assault of strangulation, which is a felony, and one count of domestic assault, a misdemeanor. Gerten, of Burnsville, was arrested by Burnsville police late Saturday night and booked into the Dakota County jail early Sunday morning.

According to a complaint filed by the Dakota County attorney’s office, police were called to Gerten’s home after an incident that allegedly began when Gerten went to the kitchen looking for pizza. Gerten’s wife said her son was in the kitchen when her husband came in and asked if there was any pizza left. When the son told Gerten to look for the pizza himself, Gerten allegedly grabbed him — and when his wife protested, he pushed her to the floor. The son and Gerten then struggled, with Gerten allegedly choking him while the son was lying on his back on the couch.

The son told police that Gerten kept his hand on his neck for several seconds, during which he had a difficult time breathing and felt as if he might lose consciousness.

Gerten is running for the seat held by Rep. Sandra Masin, DFL-Eagan, who said Monday that her opponent’s arrest was troubling and that “domestic violence is a very serious issue.” Cont.

Story from - Star Tribune

Man Stabbed 8 At Minnesota Mall While Referencing Allah Before Being Shot

This doesn't seem to be directly related to middle eastern terrorism, but when new information is available, Allah get back to you.

Story out of St Cloud, Minnesota: 

A knife-wielding suspect dressed in a private security uniform made references to Allah while attacking at least nine people during a mass stabbing incident at a Minnesota shopping mall, authorities said. He was shot dead by an off-duty police officer.

At a news conference Sunday, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Rick Thornton said the attack was being investigated as a possible act of terrorism and that agents were still digging into the attacker's background and possible motives. Authorities were looking at social media accounts and the attacker's electronic devices and talking to his associates, Thornton said.

An Islamic State-run news agency, Rasd, claimed Sunday that the attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State" who had heeded the group's calls for attacks in countries that are part of a U.S.-led anti-IS coalition.

It was not immediately clear if the extremist group had planned the attack or even knew about it beforehand. IS has encouraged so-called "lone wolf" attacks. It has also claimed past attacks that are not believed to have been planned by its central leadership.

Authorities didn't identify the attacker, but the Star Tribune of Minneapolis said the man's father identified him as Dahir A. Adan, 22. Speaking to the newspaper through an interpreter, Ahmed Adan, whose family is Somali, said his son was born in Africa and had lived in the U.S. for 15 years.

Ahmed Adan said police told him around 9 p.m. Saturday that his son had died at the mall, and that police had raided the family's apartment, seizing photos and other materials. He said police said nothing to him about the mall attack, and that he had "no suspicion" that his son had been involved in terrorist activity, the newspaper reported. Cont.

Story from - CBC News/AP

Republican (Of Course) Apologizes After Facebook Sharing His Admiration For The Confederate Flag While Attacking Abraham Lincoln

Story out of Minnesota:

Nolan West, a GOP legislative aide who is now a candidate for an open House seat, apologized Tuesday for his Facebook posts that lauded the Confederacy and castigated President Abraham Lincoln.

“I apologize for posting insensitive material,” West said in an e-mail. “I’ve taken those posts down because they do not reflect who I am or what I believe.” (Yes they do, you posted them.)

On the day South Carolina removed the Confederate battle flag from its statehouse grounds in 2015, West reposted an advertisement for the flags on his Facebook page, continuing his history of publicly expressing admiration for the Confederacy and disdain for Lincoln.

West is currently on House GOP staff while running for the north Metro suburban seat vacated by retiring Rep. Tim Sanders, R-Blaine. Cont.

Story from - Star Tribune

Woman Arrested For Keeping Chinese Slave, Beating Her, Forcing Her To Eat Hair

Story out of Woodbury, Minnesota:

A Woodbury nanny from China was starved, paid a pittance and beaten relentlessly until a police officer found her wandering bruised and afraid in the middle of the night, according to charges filed Friday in Washington County.

The 58-year-old woman worked for Lili Huang, who was charged with five felonies including labor trafficking, false imprisonment and assault.

The nanny told a police detective that she finally fled the house when Huang threatened to kill her with a knife. An examination at United Hospital in St. Paul showed that the nanny, who is not named in the complaint, had numerous broken bones.

She had cellphone photos of cuts, scrapes and bruises to her body, head and face.

When officers found the nanny wandering in the street, she had blackened eyes.

Police from four cities and agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security searched Huang’s home and arrested her there, the complaint said.

A bag hidden under the nanny’s mattress contained a large amount of her hair, which the defendant allegedly ripped from the nanny’s head. The nanny had been hiding it, the complaint said, so Huang wouldn’t find it “and force her to eat it.”

The victim told police she had worked for a wealthy family in Shanghai as a nanny for their minor daughter. She said the defendant treated her well in China, and asked her to provide nanny services for the Woodbury family.

After she arrived in the U.S. on a visa in late March, the nanny was forced to work as many as 18 hours a day doing child care, cooking and cleaning, for which she was paid $890 a month. Police calculated her salary was about $1.80 an hour, but she evidently didn’t receive any of it. Cont.

Story from - The Star Tribune

Basketball Coach Caught Recording Teenage Boys In Shower With Pen Camera

Youth coordinator for St. Ann Catholic Church, anyone surprised? How about you? You in the back, no? Alright then. Story out of Blue Earth, Minnesota:

A former Janesville basketball coach and choir teacher is facing numerous felony charges after police say he used a disguised camera to film naked boys in a locker room.

Zachary Patrick Roberts, 28, was charged Monday with four felony counts of interfering with the privacy of a minor and four felony counts of stalking a minor with sexual or aggressive intent, according to a criminal complaint filed in Faribault County District Court.

The chain of events started Dec. 14, 2015, when the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton boys basketball team played a game against United South Central at the high school in Wells, according to the criminal complaint.

After the game, the Janesville team went into the locker room to shower and change before returning home. One of the players was looking for a pen to write down a play and got one from the gym bag belonging to Roberts, their coach. The player then discovered the pen was actually a camera, according to the complaint.

The players tried to view the files in the camera but couldn't. School authorities were alerted and initiated an internal investigation. As part of that probe, Roberts turned the camera over to school authorities, who in turn provided it to the Janesville Police Department.

The police chief, Dave Ulmen, viewed the files and found "significant evidence" on two. The first was 15 minutes and included footage of the pen camera being placed and manipulated so it was focused on the entrance to the showers, the complaint said. As the video continued, unclothed boys were seen going in and out of the shower, the complaint said.

The second file was 13 minutes and included more footage of unclothed boys. Toward the end of it, the video showed the players discovering the camera, the complaint said. The other files were either unremarkable or couldn't be accessed.

Roberts, a Janesville native, worked as a choir teacher at the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School for six years. His last day with the district was Jan. 4, after the school board accepted his resignation, according to meeting records.

Roberts was a student council adviser and helped direct musicals and show choir for the district in addition to being a coach. He also served as a youth coordinator for St. Ann Catholic Church in Janesville. Cont.

Story from - Mankato Free Press
Image from - Wikimedia Commons

Auto Repair Shop Owner Charged After Police Find Employees Payed With Meth

Story out of Mankato, Minnesota:

A Mankato business owner is jailed after an employee told authorities he paid his workers their bonuses by supplying them with methamphetamine.

The Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force carried out a narcotics search warrant Wednesday night at Clear Choice Auto Body Repair after the source told investigators that an employee meeting was held during which the 40-year-old owner and his girlfriend gave each worker approximately one half gram of meth as a bonus.

Authorities say the drugs were openly distributed by the girlfriend while the owner was present.

A search on the property revealed used syringes and a scale that tested positive for methamphetamine.

The owner of Clear Choice was arrested before the warrant was executed on unrelated charges. Mankato Police say more charges are pending. Cont.

Story from - KARE11
Image from - YouTube

Pranksters Fool Burger King Workers Into Smashing Windows

Story out of Coon Rapids, Minnesota:

A prank caller tricked workers at a Minnesota Burger King into smashing the windows of the restaurant to keep it from exploding, police said Saturday, mirroring similar deceptions at Burger Kings and other fast-food restaurants in other states in recent months.

Police said employees at the restaurant in the Minneapolis suburb of Coon Rapids got the call Friday night from someone claiming to be with the fire department. The caller said the restaurant could explode, so they needed to relieve the pressure. The manager and other employees believed the caller and smashed all the windows on the ground floor.

A similar call to Burger King in Morro Bay, California, about a purported gas leak in early February resulted in $35,000 in damage. Not only did employees smash the windows, but a manager went as far as ramming his car into building. And police in Tucson, Arizona, say several similar prank calls were placed to Jack in the Box restaurants there in early February, fooling workers at one store. A similar incident happened at a Wendy’s in Phoenix in late January. Cont. (Video)

Story from - Global
Image from - YouTube

Woman Shot 4 Times For Honking Horn After Being Cut Off

Story out of Minneapolis, Minnesota:

Authorities in Minneapolis say they’re looking for two suspects following a road rage incident Tuesday evening on the city’s south side that left a woman with four gunshot wounds.

The victim reported to authorities that she was shot around 5 p.m. in the middle of rush hour while driving south on Hennepin Avenue near the construction project by the Basilica of St. Mary.

She said that after a Jeep Cherokee cut her off, she honked at the driver. The driver then pull up next to her and a passenger in the Cherokee opened fire, hitting her several times.

She suffered three gunshot wounds to her arm and one to her abdomen. The injuries were all non-life-threatening, authorities say. Cont.

Story from - CBS Minnesota
Image from - Surlan Soosay - Flickr
cc 2.0

11-Year-Old Steals Cement Truck, Leads Police In Chase

Story out of Minneapolis, Minnesota:

Witnesses in a southern Minnesota town say an 11-year-old boy stole a cement truck and took police on a high-speed chase.

The chase began around 3:00 p.m. Sunday near the town of Kasson.

It lasted over an hour as the boy inside took deputies across the county.

He even collided with a state patrol car and a police car.

The boy was eventually stopped in the town of Dodge Center, and tried to run from the truck but was caught.

Witnesses said the driver was an 11-year-old Dodge Center boy. Early in the chase the truck slammed into a state patrol car, and later it collided with a Kasson Police car.

The boy was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center in Rochester and is expected to be formally charged. Cont. (Video)

Story from - CBS  Minnesota
Image from - Wikimedia Commons
cc 3.0

Patron's Of "Joe's Crab Shack" Shocked To Find Picture Of Lynching At Table

Story out of Roseville, Minnesota:

A Roseville restaurant is under fire for an image found on a dining table depicting a hanging.

The Minneapolis NAACP says Tyrone Williams and Chauntyll Allen were preparing to dine at Joe's Crab Shack Wednesday night when they noticed a photo embedded inside the table top. The image appears to show a large group of white people watching a public execution of at least one black person.

On the bottom of the picture, it reads: "Hanging at Groesbeck, Texas on April 12th 1895." At the top, the caption reads, "All I said was that I didn't like the gumbo." Cont. (Video/Autoplay)

Story from - Kare 11
Image from - Kare 11

Man Arrested For Domestic Abuse Including Pointing Shotgun At Breastfeeding Wife

Story out of Minneapolis, Minnesota:

A 28-year-old Cold Spring man is accused of abusing his wife for over 10 years, including nearly shooting her while she breastfed their baby last summer, according to charges filed in Stearns County.

Nicholas George Lehmeier faces one felony count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon – a firearm – in connection to the July 2015 incident.

According to the complaint, on Monday, Feb. 8, a woman spoke to a deputy at the sheriff’s office and reported that Lehmeier had been subjecting her to physical and verbal abuse for over 10 years.

She said in July, Lehmeier took a 12-gauge shotgun, loaded it and pointed it at her as she was breastfeeding their 4-month-old baby. She said she remembered him cocking the gun and pulling the trigger about 3 to 4 feet from her, but it didn’t go off.

If convicted, Lehmeier faces up to seven years in prison and/or a $14,000 fine. Cont.

Story from - CBS Minnesota

Woman Sentenced After Pointing Gun At Muslim Parents Sitting In Car

Story out of Brooklyn park, Minnesota:

A Brooklyn Park woman who pleaded guilty to terroristic threats after pointing a rifle at a Muslim couple waiting to pick up their son last spring was sentenced Thursday.

He sentenced her to 45 days in the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility with eligibility for electronic monitoring after 15 days.

The sentence also includes a three-year probation that requires Knoble to participate in a cultural awareness program to learn more about the Islamic faith.

Knoble was charged with felony terroristic threats for confronting Adly Ohalley and his wife Worood Abumayaleh of Maple Grove with a rifle as they sat in their car in Brooklyn Park to pick up their son. Cont.

Story from - MPR News

Man Robs Store For Penis Pump

A man walked into Viva Video, at 918 University Ave. in St. Paul Minnesota, seeking to exchange a penis pump he had purchased, claiming it didn't work as advertised. The clerk argued that any problems were due to "operator error," a police report said.

At that point, the man pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the clerk's head, again demanding a replacement for his used pump.

He fled without a new pump, saying he'd be back. Cont.

Story from - Twin Cities
Image from - Scott Davidson - Flickr
cc 2.0

Thief Runs By News Reporter On Live TV

Story out of Rochester, Minnesota:

Video from - YouTube

UPDATE - Suspect was arrested.