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A St. Cloud teen was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 5-year-old at his mother's day care, according to KSTP News.

KSTP reported that Jeremy Schwartz, 18, was charged with three counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct.

The sexual abuse took place several times over the the past year and a half inside the home, according to the criminal complaint.

Sgt. Lori Ellering said day care's license has been suspended by the Stearns County Human Services Department.

Schwartz's father James believes his son is innocent and told KSTP, "The charges are bogus trumped up by a small little child that needs attention."

WCCO (AP) reported that Schwartz is being held in the Stearns County Jail. 

 

Minneapolis man charged in attempted robbery

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A Minneapolis man was charged for allegedly holding a Roseville insurance agent at gunpoint Thursday, according to the Pioneer Press.

Michael Kevin Jones, 40, was charged in the Ramsey County District Court with attempted first-degree robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of stolen property, according to the Star Tribune.

The Pioneer Press reported, Cheri Steinman was approached by Jones around 1 p.m. at her Allstate Insurance office building on West County Road B.

Jones pointed the gun at her asking for money, claiming he needed it and didn't know what else to do, according the Star Tribune.

The police locked down the area for three hours, looking for accomplices and the gun, which was found behind the office building, the Pioneer Press said.

The Star Tribune reported that Jones, who has an extensive criminal record, is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday.

 

Man with hammer caused destruction at Target

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A man used a hammer to smash televisions and cameras inside a Winona Target store, Saturday night, according to the Winona Daily News.

Police arrived to find Jerome Charles Eberle, 39, running around the store with a hammer, before he turned the hammer to them, police said.

Eberle swung the hammer once at a police officer and another had suffered a minor hand injury during the chase, according to police Sgt. Chris Nelson.

One witness said the man had a "glazed look" in his eyes and was "walking like Frankenstein."

Police officers had to tase Eberle twice so they could take him into custody, according to the Winona Daily news.

The Pioneer Press (AP Minnesota) reported that Eberle was taken to Winona Health for a behavioral evaluation.

Eberle is charged with two counts of assault for attacking officers, obstruction of justice with force, first-degree property damage and disorderly conduct, Nelson said. 

St. Paul teen victim of accidental shooting

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A St. Paul Central High School student was shot in the back of the head on accident, Thanksgiving morning, according to the Star Tribune.

Darion Joseph Smith, 15, and his friends had been joking around with a .22-caliber nine-shot revolver, when the shooter pointed it at the victim's head and pulled the trigger, according to the criminal complaint.

The Pioneer Press reported that 19-year-old Daniel Thomas Cornell had brought the gun to use as protection later on that day against a group of Asian males who had jumped him.

The shooter, identified as C.I.N., told police he didn't know the gun was loaded, according to the criminal complaint.

"I didn't know it was loaded," the 16-year-old said. "I didn't mean to."

Cornell then called his girlfriend to come dispose of the revolver, which was later found along with Smith's blood-stained hat in a backpack, according to the Pioneer Press. 

Cornell is being charged by the Ramsey County District Court with two counts of second-degree assault, aiding an offender, furnishing a dangerous weapon and furnishing a dangerous weapon to a minor the Star Tribune said.

 

Tom Petters denies fraud

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Tom Petters was given the chance to testify early Tuesday and denied that he knowingly was involved in fraud, Kare 11 (AP) reported.

WCCO reported that when Petters took the stand he claimed not guilty to the 20 wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy and money-laundering charges against him.

"I have a lot of regrets," Petters said. "I ran too fast. I trusted some people far too much. Sometimes I didn't double-check and recheck."

Petters did apologize to his investors, family, employees and their families for all the money they lost, according to WCCO.

Bob White, the chief financial officer and Deanna Coleman, the vice president of operations at Petters Co. Inc. admitted to forging thousands of documents to fool investors.

Sandra Imdahl, an accountant for PCI, said it she was never gven access to PCI's bank statements.

Petter could face life in prison if he is convicted, according to Kare 11. 

 

Police investigating teens YouTube video

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St. Paul and Minneapolis police are investingating a recently posted YouTube video showing a group of males harrassing and attacking passersby, the Pioneer Press reported.

The Star Tribune reported that the video was edited and posted by a group of eight young Somali males, showing them attacking bikers, pedestrians and young children for enjoyment purposes.

The video contains the names and street names of the young males but were still being investigated as to their actuality, according to police.

Police are still trying to identify the locations where the incidents exactly occured and are looking for "police reports that might match up to this kind of behavior," according to Sgt. Paul Schnell, police spokesman.

The Star Tribune reported that some of the locations included the intersections of University and Lexington avenues as well as on the Midtown Greenway.

"Whether criminal charges are brought will be dependent upon our ability to match the incident with actual reports by the victims," Schnell said.

The YouTube video was e-mailed to St. Paul police by concerned citizens this morning, according to the Pioneer Press.

 

Man turned on oven where son was hiding

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A Minneapolis man was charged for abusing his 10-year-old son and turning on the oven when the boy was trying to hide, according to the criminal charges.

Kare 11 reported that William T. Hurley, 23 is being charged with malicious punishment of a child and was taking into custody at Hennepin County Jail.

Police responded to the child abuse call on Friday at an apartment on the 2000 Block of Elliot Avenue, according to Kare 11.

The boy told police Hurley punched him and when he tried running outside, his mother pulled him back into their apartment.

Hurley then beat the boy with an extension cord and turned the oven on when the boy tried to hide in it, according to WCCO.

WCCO reported that Hurley threatened the boy again in front of police officers and had to be restrained.

 

A golden valley daycare provider turned children's pajamas into straight jackets as a disciplinary action, KSTP News reported.

Arvilla Marie Lilly Meinhardt, 70, had been safety pinning children to mattresses in straight jackets made from pajamas for nearly eight years, according to the Star Tribune.

According to KSTP, Meinhardt is being charged with false imprisonment and malicious punishment of a child.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said she would pin them down when they were taking their naps but that some children were pinned when they were just laying.

Meinhardt showed the police how she would pin the pajamas together and parents said they had no idea this was going on, according to the criminal complaint.

Meinhardt's husband and daughter were also arrested but could be "potentially" charged, according to Golden Valley Police Chief Stacy Altonen.

The Star Tribune reported that the police were told about this case when a 7-year-old girl told her mother what Meinhardt would do during nap time. 

 

St. Paul school employee theft case

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A former St. Paul school employee pleaded guilty to stealing $81K from the school district since 2006, according to the Star Tirbune

James Allen Elwood, 63, of Woodbury had been using the school district's funds, meant for their Xcel Energy bill, to pay for his own home Xcel account, according to the criminal charges.

District Judge Paulette Flynn will sentence Elwood on December 17 and his plea agreement states that he must serve jail time, perform community service and pay back the school district, according to the Pioneer Press.

The charges against Elwood stated that Xcel began an investigation in August when he requested 10 large refund checks for his home account. 

The Star Tribune said that Elwood was an assistant accounting tech and would divert the school funds to his own account, which Xcel eventually figured out.

A school spokesperson said that Elwood is no longer working for the district.

 

A Lakeville woman pleaded guity for the second-degree manslaughter of her 6-week-old grandson today, according to the Star Tribune.

The Pioneer Press reported that Tina Louise Miller-Steiner, 46, was sentenced to 45 days in jail and 10 years probation for smothering to death her grandson, Evan Michael Berney, on May 9.

The Dakota County grand jury charged MIller-Steiner with two counts of felony, one for endangerment of a child and the other for neglect of a child.

According to the Star Tribune, Miller-Steiner's 12-year-old daughter had found her lying on top of the baby, who had stopped breathing.

Miller-Steiner had a couple drinks that night while babysitting and her blood alcohol level was a .08, after police were called.

Her doctor had advised her not to drink while taking her antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications, according to the Pioneer Press.

Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom was glad this case had been resolved and said that in this situation, the pain the woman has brought upon herself, was a big punishment in itself. 

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