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Search for missing boys draws a blank
Associated Press
24 Nov 2006 10:26 pm
Dozens of trained searchers took to the woods, lakes and air Friday to continue the search for two young brothers who went missing two days earlier from the remote Red Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota.
Alicia White -- the mother of Tristan Anthony White, 4, and Avery Lee Stately, 2 -- appealed for anyone who knows or has seen anything to come forward.
"They were just playing outside the last time I seen them, just playing outside," she told reporters.
The boys disappeared from a yard in a heavily wooded area in the town of Red Lake.
FBI Special Agent Paul McCabe said authorities are trying to determine whether the boys wandered off or foul play was involved. "We don't have any information that would lead us either way," he said.
Tristan has a medical condition that requires medication, and he didn't take it Wednesday morning, White said. He "loves water" and had wandered off before, "but we always found him. This is the first time we didn't find him."
Family members said they were preparing for the worst because it's been cold and searchers have found nothing since the boys disappeared Wednesday. Temperatures reached the mid-40s Friday afternoon and were expected to drop below freezing overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
The FBI offered a $20,000 reward for information.
The Red Lake Reservation was in the news less than two years ago, when 16-year-old Jeff Weise killed his grandfather and grandfather's girlfriend on the reservation on March 21, 2005, then went to the high school and killed seven more people, including a teacher and a security guard, before killing himself.
Ex-instructor guilty in sex assaults of students
ALEX FRIEDRICH
04 Nov 2006 12:00 am
A former South Washington County School District instructor was found guilty Friday of molesting two of his female students.
Richard Parnell Rucker, 43, of St. Anthony, faces up to 24 years in prison after being convicted of felony first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct, said Sue Harris, first assistant county attorney.
Rucker was accused of engaging in sexual acts with the girls — who were 13 and 14 when they met him — between August 2003 and August 2005, according to the criminal complaint filed against him.
He later left the district and joined the Roseville Area High School staff but was suspended after he was charged and no longer works there.
During the five-day trial, prosecutor Michael Hutchinson painted Rucker as an instructor who exploited girls who'd had problems both academically and at home, making them feel safe before he used and then abandoned them.
Victim's Family Vows Change
Sue Turner
24 Sep 2006 10:26 am
The sister of 38-year-old Teri Lee, the woman gunned down by an ex-boyfriend early Friday morning in West Lakeland Township, Minn., is calling for new legislation to protect victims of domestic violence.
"My sister pleaded with the judge not to allow him out," said Vicki Seliger Swenson, the victim's sister, referring to [the suspect], who is alleged to have murdered both Lee and Tim Hawkinson at her home on Friday.
"She made it clear, he was a threat. He made it very clear, he's got nothing to loose," said Swenson, who maintains the law-enforcement and judicial system meant to protect victims of domestic violence failed tragically in her sister's case.
[The suspect] allegedly violated a restraining order two days before Lee's death when he showed up at a volleyball game in which one of Lee's daughters was playing.
The incident ended in a high speed chase with police. [He] was charged with four felonies, but spent only days in jail after posting a $75,000 bond. He was released on the condition that he would not have contact with Lee or any of her family members
However, that all ended this past Wednesday he violated the restraining order.
"That failed my sister miserably," said Swenson.
Death penalty becomes issue in AG race
19 Sep 2006 12:00 am
The three major party candidates for Minnesota attorney general have come out with distinctly different views on capital punishment. Republican Jeff Johnson is proposing that the state institute the death penalty for sexual predators who kill children. DFL candidate Lori Swanson says she would take a cautious look at death penalty legislation, while John James of the Independence Party opposes any form of state-sanctioned execution.
Man acquitted on charges he falsely reported a rape
Tad Vezner
07 Sep 2006 12:00 am
A man being tried on charges of falsely reporting a rape at Hennepin County Jail three years ago was found not guilty in Hennepin County court Wednesday.
Philander Jenkins, of St. Cloud, was acquitted after a rare three-week jury trial for a pair of misdemeanor charges.
In October 2003, Jenkins, then 20 years old, accused jail staff of beating and sexually assaulting him. His mother, Brenda Jenkins, said at least two jail employees held her son down in his cell and "started ramming objects up his anus."
In December of that year, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, in charge of investigating the allegations, said the claim was not credible. Washington County Attorney Doug Johnson declined to bring charges, also saying Jenkins had told another inmate that the assault hadn't happened.
The St. Paul Attorney's Office was asked to handle this month's case to avoid a potential conflict of interest.
During the trial, new evidence was unearthed when Jill Clark, Jenkins' attorney, subpoenaed the BCA for lab materials and reports related to its 2003 investigation. The lab notes indicated the existence of a red hair sample, taken from Jenkins' underwear, which was not reported to prosecutors during the 2003 investigation.
Clark said she likely will file a civil lawsuit today relating to the alleged sexual assault — a lawsuit that she said was waylaid by the criminal trial.
U.S. judge throws out Minnesota video game law
SHANNON PRATHER
01 Aug 2006 12:00 am
A federal judge on Monday shot down a Minnesota law that would fine youngsters who get their hands on the smuttiest, bloodiest and most violent video games.
The law, which was scheduled to take effect today, would have docked youths $25 for renting or buying video games an industry board rates "mature" or "adults only." It also would have required stores to post signs warning underage gamers about the fine.
Passed in May, the law was aimed to protect game players younger than 17. Backers pointed to games such as "God of War," in which players gouge out eyes, sever limbs and make human sacrifices, and "Manhunt," in which a serial killer uses a nail gun and chain saw to slay victims.
The video game industry sued to block the law in June, arguing it violated constitutional rights of game makers and customers.
U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum ruled that the law violated free-speech rights. He also concluded research failed to back up the state's claims that the law would protect the psychological well being of youngsters and foster their moral and ethical development.
"The state itself acknowledges … that it is entirely incapable of showing a causal link between the playing of video games and any deleterious effect on the psychological, moral, or ethical well-being of minors," Rosenbaum wrote.
Serial killer suspect accused of killing Minnesota native arrested in California
08 Aug 2006 9:26 am
A four-day manhunt for a convicted rapist wanted for two killings ended when two newspaper employees tackled him as he tried to carjack a woman, authorities said.
John Wayne Thomson, 46, was arrested Monday in Victorville, 68 miles east of Los Angeles, and was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.
Authorities accused Thomson of killing Charles Ray Hedlund, 55, of Lucerne Valley, Calif., whose body was found Saturday off Interstate 15. Hedlund is originally from Minnesota.
Authorities said Thomson has an extensive criminal record that includes three felony rape convictions. He has spent most of his life in prison and psychiatric hospitals, officials said.
Foster mother confesses to boy's sex abuse
SHANNON PRATHER
08 Jun 2006 12:00 am
She was supposed to be a mother figure for a troubled 15-year-old boy.
Instead, foster parent Jennifer Diane Anderson admitted in court Wednesday to sexually abusing him.
Anderson, 29, and her husband took the St. Paul boy into their spacious Elk River, Minn., home in September 2003. She gave him new clothes, his own bedroom and pocket money.
"I was so grateful," said the victim's mother, Paula, about when Anderson took in her son. "She set him up with nice clothes and a beautiful home. Someone was giving my son a second chance."
Police say Anderson's generosity came at a steep price and became the ultimate abuse of power.
Sex offender nabbed with 2 13-year-old girls
Jeff Dankert
02 May 2006 12:00 am
Police arrested a 22-year-old convicted sex offender Monday morning in a vehicle with two 13-year-old Winona girls.
Joseph Matthew Siwek, formerly of Albertville in Wright County, is in the Winona County jail on a probation violation warrant.
At 2:32 a.m., police stopped a vehicle with expired plates driven by a 13-year-old girl at Broadway and Kansas Street. Siwek was inside the vehicle, along with a second 13-year-old girl, Deputy Chief Tom Williams said.
Police discovered a Wright County warrant for violating probation on a felony sexual misconduct conviction, and arrested and jailed Siwek. They also arrested him on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of minors and allowing an unlicensed driver to operate his vehicle. Police cited the girls with curfew violations.
Helping sexual assault victims, young offenders
Kelly Nankervis
30 Apr 2006 12:00 am
Helping the survivors of sexual assault is an obvious need, and helping youthful offenders is becoming more so.
A recent workshop, sponsored by the Shelterhouse and Midland Kids First, titled "The Impact of Sexual Assault on Victims and Communities," focused on both topics.
"Ending sexual violence really means looking at all aspects of this issue," said Sharon Mortensen, Shelterhouse executive director.
"It takes an incredible amount of community input to treat and integrate," sex offenders, said Midland County Circuit Court Judge Paul J. Clulo, adding the idea that offenders can't be treated is one of many myths about sexual violence.
Hudson arrests sex offender for 'own safety'
28 Apr 2006 8:33 am
James Calvert and his wife just closed on their new home in Hudson Tuesday, but were soon greeted by picketing neighbors.
Calvert has three prior convictions for criminal sexual conduct. He is classified as a level one offender, which means he is considered less of a risk than a level three offender.
Mike O’Keefe, Calvert’s corrections field supervisor, said he was arrested for his own safety.
“He was experiencing stressors in his life, and I felt the best thing would be to place him on electronic monitoring,” O’Keefe said.
Calvert’s crimes were committed in Dakota County in Minnesota, where he served four years in prison.
If he had committed the same crimes in St. Croix County, he would have been imprisoned for possibly forty years.
Sex offender escape prompts questions
Martiga Lohn
27 Apr 2006 12:00 am
Senate panel seeks answers
Regular checks of patients' rooms in a St. Peter, Minn., treatment facility apparently failed to detect tampering with a security window that allowed four sex offenders to escape, officials with the Minnesota Sex Offender Program said.
The admission came after sharp questioning from lawmakers about security lapses at the facility. While three of the offenders were caught within hours of their escape on April 15, one remained at large after 11 days.
Former State Trooper Convicted Of Sexual Abuse
21 Apr 2006 7:59 pm
A former state trooper was convicted Friday of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl.
Scott Trautner, 41, was found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct by Washington County Judge Thomas Armstrong. Trautner waived his right to a jury trial.
The former lieutenant faces a state-mandated sentence of 12 years in prison when he's sentenced July 7. As a convicted felon, he will be unable to work as a law enforcement officer.
The girl, now 16, had testified that Trautner had oral sex with her in his home one night when she was baby-sitting and they were watching the Playboy Channel on TV, said prosecutor Peter Ivy, an assistant Carver County Attorney.
Authorities search for man who escaped from sex offender program
A rapist who broke out of a state treatment center here along with three other men remained on the lam Sunday, authorities said.
Michael Dale Benson, 42, squeezed through a broken window Saturday night with the three others, who were later caught. Police scaled back their ground search efforts in the city after 3 p.m. Sunday, believing Benson may have left the area in a stolen car, said police Chief Matt Peters.
Offender bill may be scaled back
Tracking sex offenders could cost $6.4 million next year and nearly$15 million in 2009, a price tag too high for Minnesota legislators this year.
