Submitted photo
As part of National Fire Prevention Week Oct. 9-15, the Scandia firefighters visited Scandia Elementary IB World School to talk to the students about fire safety and prevention. The second grade students were able to hold onto the fire hose and practice shooting the water at a target.
To help individuals with long-term conditions lead healthy, meaningful lives, Fairview Health Services will host a free “Living Well with Chronic Health Conditions” series in Forest Lake.
The “Living Well” classes will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays from Nov. 3 to Dec. 15 at Cherrywood Pointe, 231 W. Broadway Ave., Forest Lake. Attendance at all sessions is strongly recommended. All sessions are free.
Class participants will learn self-management skills for dealing with conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic pain and anxiety, among others. The class is also an opportunity to receive peer support and create health and life improvement plans.
Registration is required. Register online at livingwell-forestlake.eventbrite.com or by calling Kathy Bystrom at 651-257-8439 or Megan Chacon at 612-706-4557
All participants will receive a free book, “Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions,” and will be entered in a drawing for a $50 gift card.
A St. Paul man charged with acting as a pimp for a 17-year-old Forest Lake girl was sentenced Oct. 28 to 20 years in prison after he was convicted of promoting the prostitution of an individual.
Damon Michael DiMartino, 41, was first charged in connection with the case in November 2015, when a police investigation of a domestic dispute led to the discovery that a Forest Lake resident, then 17, was supporting herself via prostitution after being kicked out of her home.
Shortly after leaving her home at age 16, according to the criminal complaint, the girl met DiMartino at a party and asked him for a loan. DiMartino told her she needed to work for it instead, which led to her stripping on party buses and ultimately performing sex acts for money. Court records state that the girl told police that DiMartino gave the girl drugs and alcohol to calm her anxiety, kept most of the money from her sexual encounters, and had sex with her himself. The girl also told police she had been physically abused by some johns during her time as a prostitute, and during the investigation, police found a text message they believed indicated that DiMartino knew the girl was underage.
Since the sex acts occurred outside of Washington County, the investigation into DiMartino was a cooperation conducted by the Washington County Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Unit and the police departments of Forest Lake, Minneapolis and St. Paul.
According to a press release from the attorney’s office, Washington County District Judge John McBride had strong words for DiMartino during his sentencing.
“You are a predator. You are a pimp,” McBride reportedly said. “You prey on the most vulnerable in our community.”
The County Attorney’s Office put a new emphasis on solving and prosecuting human trafficking cases last year. Learn more at tinyurl.com/hgmalgl.
A Forest Lake man was charged with domestic assault by strangulation after allegedly grabbing someone he lived with around the neck during a fight.
According to court records, police arrived at the home of David Allen Petsch Dinham, 51, in the 700 block of Woodland Drive Southeast, on Oct. 16. A woman who was living in the home with Dinham had called 911 to report that Dinham had grabbed her by the neck and squeezed during an argument. She allegedly believed Dinham was under the influence and said she couldn’t breathe during the incident and thought she was going to die.
Police allegedly found red marks on the woman’s neck and scratch marks on Dinham’s arms, indicating, they believed, that the woman had scratched him in an attempt to get him to let go of her throat. Dinham denied that he grabbed her neck, at which point the woman allegedly loudly confronted him, saying that he did.
Threats
A Forest Lake man was charged in October with making terroristic threats after allegedly threatening local construction workers with a gun and a knife.
According to court records, Nicholas Mark Julien, 40, was arrested peacefully on Oct. 6 after a standoff with the Washington County SWAT team. Law enforcement was called to the 7100 block of 218th Street, near Julien’s home, after construction workers who were pouring a concrete slab near his house reported that he had told them that “heads were going to roll” if they didn’t stop their work. Julien allegedly had a knife at one point and at another point put his hand on a pistol while he threatened one of the workers.
After the SWAT team peacefully negotiated with Julien and placed him in custody, they allegedly located a 9 millimeter pistol, a shotgun and several knives in his home.
The following are other recent Washington County Court cases related to the Forest Lake area:
• Marcus Russel Kelly, 20, of Forest Lake, was charged Aug. 29 with receiving stolen property.
• Leon Sonny Harvey Haltli, 25, of Forest Lake, was charged Aug. 31 with multiple weapons possession charges.
• Jesse James Volkert, 21, of Forest Lake, was charged Sept. 1 with theft.
• Tammy Rebekah Wells, 40, of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, was charged Sept. 7 with a fifth-degree drug crime related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Janice Abigail Fisher, 39, of Amery, Wisconsin, was charged Sept. 7 with a fifth-degree drug crime related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Marcus Alan Kocina, 26,of Ramsey, was sentenced Sept. 13 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Ashley Jane Marlette, 25, of Grand Rapids, was sentenced Sept. 14 for a third-degree drug crime related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Devin Nathanielle Carlson, 20, of Stillwater, was sentenced Sept. 15 for receiving stolen property related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Joseph Michael Stawnychy II, 35, of an unknown address, was sentenced Sept. 15 for a third-degree drug crime related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Robert Cody Thomas, 27, of Wyoming, was charged Sept. 16 with a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Willie James Wallace, 19, of Circle Pines, was charged Sept. 20 with second-degree burglary related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Steven Robert Tekautz, 22, of Mounds View, was charged Sept. 23 with a fifth-degree drug crime related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Thomas Patrick Virnig, 43, of Forest Lake, was sentenced Sept. 26 for a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Sean Lloyd Fairbanks, 41, of an unknown address, was charged Sept. 29 with second-degree burglary related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Rainy Sky Rose, 22, of Forest Lake was sentenced Oct. 3 for child neglect.
• Anthony Patrick Quast, 27, of Little Canada, was sentenced Oct. 3 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Dalton Anthony Thomas, 22, of Marshall, was charged Oct. 10 for fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and driving after the revocation of his license related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Sandra Ann Bartell, 36, of Braham, was charged Oct. 10 with a fifth-degree drug crime related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
• Shawn Riley Latessa, 33, of Forest Lake, was charged Oct. 10 with a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Jessie Marisha Sand, 31, of Stacy, was sentenced Oct. 12 for a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Derrick Antonio Spangler, 26, of Forest Lake, was sentenced Oct. 13 for check forgery.
• Simon Vicente-Santiago, 31, of Forest Lake, was sentenced Oct. 19 for a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Joshua Shaine Defoe, 32, of an unknown address, was charged Oct. 31 with violating a no-contact order related to a Forest Lake Police Department investigation.
A woman died in a early morning accident today on Interstate Highway 35 in Forest Lake.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the woman, who has not yet been identified, fell off the back of a motorcycle for an unknown reason around 4:45 a.m. on I-35 near milepost 131 and the intersection with State Highway 97 (an earlier report on the State Patrol’s website stating that a passenger car was involved was incorrect). She appears to have been killed resulting from the fall. The driver of the motorcycle, Myles Eckman, 23, of St. Paul, was uninjured and allegedly fled the scene. He was apprehended and arrested later.
No other information has been released. The Times will update this story as more information becomes available.
Photo courtesy of the Forest Lake Police Department
No one was seriously injured after a Kia Sportage was upended during a rear-end crash Nov. 21 in Forest Lake. According to Forest Lake police, the Sportage was on 12th Street Southwest near the intersection with 7th Avenue Southwest when it was rear-ended by a minivan, causing the Sportage to flip. There was a single occupant in both vehicles. Police said that though minor injuries were reported, it did not appear that anyone required hospitalization.
With more snow forecasted as likely in the Forest Lake area, Forest Lake police have announced that winter parking regulations are in effect in the city. While the regulations are in effect, cars may not park on city streets between 2 and 6 a.m. in order to not impede snow plows.
Police have also reported a recent increase in thefts from vehicles in the last several days. Police remind residents to not leave valuables in sight in their vehicles and to lock their doors to prevent such thefts, which are often crimes of opportunity.
A slew of emergency vehicles rushed to the intersection of U.S. Highway 61 and Northwest Fourth Avenue shortly after 6 p.m. after a three-car crash that left the involved vehicles severely damaged.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Sonja Rachel Beck, 34, of Forest Lake, was driving a Ford Explorer south on U.S. Highway 61 at 6 pm. when she lost control of the vehicle for an as-yet unknown reason. She reportedly skidded sideways through the median into the northbound lanes and crashed head-on with a Toyota Camry driven by Sharon Kay Jensen, 59, of North Branch. The Camry was pushed into a fellow northbound car, a Chrysler Sebring driven by Michael Henry Rosha, 40, of Wyoming. The Sebring skidded into the median ditch.
The State Patrol reported that Rosha was uninjured. Beck was transported to Regions Hospital and Jensen was taken to Fairview Lakes Medical Center. Both were listed as having non-life threatening injuries; initial police reports suggested that Beck’s injuries were the more serious of the two but still survivable.
Roughly 15 emergency vehicles were counted at the scene of the crash around 6:30 p.m. Law enforcement had blocked both north and southbound Highway 61, though southbound drivers were being diverted to a side street that quickly brought them back onto 61 south of the crash. Debris from the vehicles littered the roadway.
A 60-year-old Forest Lake man was killed the day before Thanksgiving after he was run over by a snow plow truck in Roseville.
According to law enforcement, Kirk Almendinger was also plowing snow in a separate truck in a FedEx parking lot on Long Lake Road in Roseville Nov. 23 around 4:20 a.m. He got out of his truck to talk to Ronald Chrast, the man he was plowing the lot with, and when the men finished talking, Chrast reportedly put his truck in reverse and accidentally ran over Almendinger, trapping him under the vehicle. Paramedics used a jack to remove the truck from him.
Almendinger, who was also a dentist in Wisconsin, died later that day at the Hennepin County Medical Center. A memorial service for him will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 3 at Mattson Funeral Home in Forest Lake.
In the early morning hours of Oct. 16, burglars forced their way into The Plaza building next to Lakeside Memorial Park. Scaling the stairs, they broke the lock on the door to longtime jeweler Diamond Find, pried open the display case, and grabbed as many pieces of jewelry as they could quickly get their hands on before dashing out of the building once again. In all, they grabbed about 300 to 400 pieces, costing the business, after insurance, about $54,000.
“They were in and out in less than a minute,” Diamond Find owner Brian Patterson said.
Now, the jeweler has launched a GoFundMe campaign in an attempt to stay open, as the burglary came around the same time as he learned that The Plaza owner Gaughan planned to use his current location as office space and would not be renewing his lease at the end of the year. Between the monetary loss of the jewelry, only some of which was covered by insurance, and the costs of procuring a new space, Patterson announced that he would be closing at least temporarily, with the goal of perhaps reopening in the future. The store is currently holding a closing sale with heavily discounted prices on jewelry, and Patterson said customers have been calling him at a frequent clip in an attempt to get their jewelry repaired before he leaves The Plaza at the end of December.
“Forest Lake has been great,” he said of the community support, noting that he’s been in business for almost 40 years. Patterson added that when word got out that he’d been burglarized, locals and friends stopped by the store for the express purpose of making purchases to help Diamond Find stay afloat.
Patterson said police do not think that the burglars were local or inexperienced. Their manner of breaking in and quickly absconding with the jewelry before being overwhelmed by Diamond Find’s blaring alarm system suggests that they had cased the building and had experience with such break-ins previously. Patterson said he has lost sleep over the burglary and has woken up in the middle of the night, feeling anxious and reliving the stress of learning about the break-in for the first time. He is offering a $5,000 reward for the burglars’ capture.
Though Patterson offered no timeline for or guarantee of his return in late November interview with The Forest Lake Times, he has launched a GoFundMe campaign that, if successful, could launch his business into a new format. Attempting to raise $150,000, the campaign would fund the launch of a Diamond Find jewelry truck, which Patterson likened to a food truck. Customers could visit with Patterson about custom pieces and preferred designs, and he could make “house calls” to repair jewelry throughout the community.
Patterson said that he views his business as a spoke in “the wheel” of Forest Lake. He believes that people count on him the same way some might count on a longtime cobbler or tailor. He doesn’t want to leave the wheel.
“People just expect (me) to be there,” he said.
Diamond Find is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Patterson’s GoFundMe can be found at gofundme.com/rebuilding-diamondfind.
A law enforcement officer was dragged by a vehicle and another officer fired his gun during an early morning incident on Dec. 22 in the 10 block of Lee Street in Forest Lake.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, police officers from Forest Lake and Wyoming and sheriff’s deputies from Washington and Chisago counties were in the area of the incident following up on possible leads for arrest warrants. Around 2 a.m., officers attempted to arrest the driver of a minivan, but the driver allegedly fled the scene, briefly dragging an officer who had reached inside the van. The sheriff’s office reported that an officer fired his weapon while the other officer was being dragged; the vehicle was hit by gunfire, but no person was struck.
Eventually, the vehicle stopped near one of the intersections of U.S. Highway 61 and State Highway 97. The driver was arrested without further incident, but an officer stunned a passenger in the van when the passenger allegedly didn’t comply with the officers. After the passenger was checked out by emergency personnel, both of the vehicle’s occupants were transported to the Washington County Jail. The officer who was dragged was treated and released at Fairview Lakes Medical Center.
The names of the officers and suspects involved with the incident have not yet been released. The case is being investigated by the Chisago and Washington County sheriff’s offices, the Wyoming Police Department and the Minnesot Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The Times is inquiring about local policy regarding an officer firing a weapon.
Forest Lake police are asking for community members with possible leads about a missing 14-year-old girl to come forward after the teen’s digital trail went cold.
According to police, Kaitlyn Karapetsas ran away from home on Nov. 12, 2016. Observing social media posts and other digital footprints, police attempted to track her for several weeks in an attempt to find her and bring her home to her family.
“(Often,) we were literally a couple hours behind (her movements), trying to find her,” Police Captain Greg Weiss said.
“It’s difficult to find somebody who doesn’t want to be found,” he added.
After police were able to trace Karapetsas’s steps through online activity for quite some time, Weiss said, the trail went cold on Dec. 22. Police believe that Karapetsas or the people who she is with got wise to the fact that police were watching social media and decided to end her social media presence. When the posts stopped coming, police publicized a press release announcing Karapetsas as missing and asking anyone who has seen her or may have any kind of lead on her whereabouts to contact the department.
“(We believe) she’s contacting people that she knows back here,” Weiss said. “We can’t prove that, but somebody doesn’t sever all ties when she’s 14 years old.”
Police believe Karapetsas is still in the Twin Cities greater metropolitan area.
“She’s very mobile,” Weiss said. “She’s being assisted. She’s with other people.”
In addition to the Forest Lake Police Department, the Washington County Sex Trafficking Task Force is working on the case.
“We’re utilizing them because of their expertise in locating juveniles and (their) different investigating techniques,” Weiss said. “We don’t know that she is or is not being trafficked, but we know she’s a 14-year-old girl involved with people significantly older than her.”
Karapetsas is white, 5 feet and one inch tall, weighs around 150 pounds and has brown eyes and brown hair. She has a pierced nose and may be going by the alias of “Amber.” Police do not want to incarcerate her.
People who may have information on Karapetsas are asked to contact the Forest Lake Police Department at 651-464-5877 or to call 911.
While The Times picks out the stories we believe were the biggest news in the community this year, that doesn’t always correspond to what gets the most interest. Below are the top 20 most-read stories of the year by visitors to www.forestlaketimes.com. Numbers were current as of Dec. 27.
1. Big rigs ride on Sept. 17 for Special Olympics – Sept. 14, 24,856 views
A preview story for a hotly anticipated semitruck convoy that traveled through the area raising money for Special Olympics Minnesota.
2. High school student killed in crash – June 27, 15,689 views
Catherine “Katya” Loahr, 18, died after being hit while walking on Goodview Avenue at the intersection with State Highway 97. She was returning home from summer school.
3. School board approves labor agreement, cuts sports programs, saves on bond sale – April 8, 8,973 views
Readers responded to this brief roundup of actions taken at the Forest Lake Area School Board’s April 7 meeting.
4. Three cars crash on Highway 61 – Nov. 29, 8,929 views
Striking photos accompanied a brief about a strange, three-vehicle crash on the north side of downtown Forest Lake.
5. Man found submerged in Southwest pool – Oct. 4, 7,785 views
An elderly Stacy man died sometime after a community education class at the Southwest Junior High swimming pool. He was found in the pool by a lifeguard and Forest Lake swim team student athletes.
6. Two arrested after police surround house – Feb. 23, 6,318 views
Forest Lake police and other law enforcement agents set up a perimeter around a Forest Lake home in the 200 block of Second Avenue Southwest after a report of an assault there.
7. Students speak out against teacher’s Facebook remark – Dec. 21, 5,267 views
Current and former Forest Lake high school students sought the termination of a Spanish teacher after some posts he made about sexuality were publicized.
8. Motorcyclist commits suicide after chase – Sept. 13, 4,941 views
A police chase ended in tragedy when a Coon Rapids man shot himself before police could close in on his location at the I-35 rest stop in Forest Lake.
9. 2016 Forest Lake Times election results – Nov. 8, 4,872 views
Local readers got their political fix throughout the evening of Election Day as this post regularly updated the results as they came in.
10. Winnick investigated after sign video – Oct. 12, 4,543 views
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced an investigation after Councilman Ben Winnick and another person (later revealed to be his wife, Rimma) were reportedly seen approaching campaign signs that contained a negative message about him.
11. Meat eater haven coming to FL – June. 30, 4,008 views
Meet Market announced June 30 that it would be opening a Forest Lake location in the fall.
12. Bad wreck backs up 1-35 – June 11, 3,866 views
A motorcyclist was seriously injured and his wife and passenger, Lynn Burwell, 61, of Shoreview was killed after a rollover on the freeway.
13. One dead in I-35 accident – Nov. 18, 3,672 views
Ena Bhatia, 21, of St. Paul, died when she fell off the back of a motorcycle.
14. Race issues at high school are multifaceted – Dec. 8, 3,640 views
Some black students at Forest Lake Area High School spoke out about their struggles as minorities while at school.
15. Man killed after crash on Scandia-May border – Aug. 11, 3,281 views
Brandon Pranghofer was killed after a head-on crash on Manning Trail.
16. Councilman scolds officers for post-layoff behavior – Jan. 20, 2,983 views
Councilman Michael Freer claimed during a meeting that some members of the Forest Lake Police Department were targeting council members after a vote to lay off a police officer.
17. Man drowns in FL pond – March 28, 2,847 views
Ron Weiss, 73, drowned March 27 after he fell into a pond near his home.
18. Za’s to be replaced by new pizzeria – Dec. 21, 2,644 views
The Meet Market folks announce another restaurant at the site of the now-closed Za’s.
19. Beloved local pastor dies – May 11, 2,637 views
Longtime Stacy pastor Ed Wheatley died May 6 after a heart attack. He was missed by many who loved his humor and community interaction.
20. Man charged after alleged groping – Aug. 22, 2,636 views
A Spring Lake Park man was hit with a criminal sexual conduct charge after allegedly groping a 12-year-old in the Forest Lake Target.
– Compiled by Ryan Howard
Several law enforcement agencies in the St. Croix Valley plan to begin using body-worn cameras for the first time next year, and they want the public’s input on the policies that govern use of the devices.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office as well as the Bayport and Stillwater police departments are all scheduled to begin using body cameras next year. Oak Park Heights police began wearing them this year.
According to Cmdr. Andrew Ellickson, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office has been considering the purchase of body cameras for a few years.
“Since they started becoming readily available, they’ve interested the sheriff,” Ellickson said.
A couple of factors held the county back from the purchase, he said, including the lack of direction from the state on retaining and releasing recordings, as well as the desire to have an all-in-one technology solution that was more than a camera.
Last session, the Minnesota Legislature approved a bill governing body camera data. The county had the direction it needed and began researching options last summer.
“We evaluated a lot of different systems,” Ellickson said.
The county chose a software system from Visual Labs that turns a smartphone into a body camera, but the device also serves as a digital recorder, telephone and GPS unit, and has apps for scheduling, accessing county policies and more. The phone is military grade and sits in a rubberized, military-grade holder on the deputy’s chest.
“Basically, it’s everything the sheriff wanted, in one smartphone,” Ellickson said. “Once we found this, we knew that was the direction we wanted to go.”
With a deal from Verizon, the county received 135 cellphones free of charge and also received credit toward the monthly fee. As a result of the credit, the program will cost $108,000 in its first year of implementation, and $120,000 each year after that. However, the county will also save $60,000 a year because it will no longer need to give deputies a phone stipend, Ellickson said. So the net cost translates to $48,000 the first year and $60,000 in subsequent years.
The price tag includes the software needed to manage the phones and data. Video from the cameras will be stored in Microsoft Government Cloud, making it easier to share video with the courts and other law enforcement agencies as needed, Ellickson said. The Microsoft Government Cloud has received the approval of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as a secure file storage system.
Why departments want cameras
Many local departments recognize the national trend toward using body cameras and seem to accept the devices as useful tools, both for law enforcement and the public.
“(Body cameras are) an expectation with the community nowadays,” Ellickson said. “But it also has a lot to do with public trust.”
Cameras aren’t a “cure-all,” he said, but they can help.
“There’s no reason we shouldn’t want body cameras on us,” Ellickson said. “We have highly trained people. We’re out there doing the right thing.”
He said it can also help improve training.
Forest Lake Chief of Public Safety Rick Peterson said that body cameras are part of law enforcement’s future, adding that he was “100 percent positive” that Forest Lake Police officers will be wearing the devices in the not-too-distant future. Nationally, there has been a push-and-pull debate about the use of body cameras, with proponents arguing that it increases accountability while skeptics wonder if it will make officers overly cautious in doing their jobs. Peterson thinks the latter concern will fade away as more departments get body cameras, comparing their implementation to when the Forest Lake department began using in-car cameras. At first, he said, some officers were concerned about the cameras, fearing that the footage of traffic stops carried too much of a “Big Brother” feeling while they were on the job. Soon, however, they realized that the cameras helped portray an accurate record – including incidents where the footage contradicted complaints made by drivers after they’d been subject to a traffic stop.
“Many, many times, the video showed a different scenario where the officer was very cordial, there was no profanity, (and) it was a good traffic stop where there was no policy violation or anything like that,” he said. “Officers quickly learned that the in-car videos were there to actually help them, and I would think that would be the same thing with body-worn cameras.”
Peterson said Forest Lake and several other police departments that contract for information technology services with the city of Roseville will be testing some body cameras next year. It’s important to Forest Lake that the video can be captured in a format consistent with the footage from the in-car cameras.
He added that the department doesn’t have any money budgeted for camera cost currently but noted that body cameras come with significant costs not necessarily considered by the public. The costs for the cameras themselves are often dwarfed, he said, by the data costs of storing all of the footage, as well as staff time for managing the videos.
Developing policies
Under the state law passed by the Legislature this year, all departments using body cameras must post a written policy governing their use and give the public a chance to comment before the policy is implemented.
Bayport and the sheriff’s office have both drafted policies and are seeking input from the public this month. Stillwater has yet to develop its policy but expects to do so in the near future.
The Bayport and county policies are relatively similar to each other. Officers will have some discretion on whether to record incidental contact with the public, but they will be expected to record all contacts when there may be data of evidentiary value.
The county’s policy calls for data to be retained at least 180 days, double the state requirement.
One point that has recently become controversial in cities such as St. Paul is whether officers should be allowed to review footage of an incident before writing a report. Some say allowing officers to view footage could taint the report, because the report may no longer reflect only what the officer knew at the time of an incident. Some also say it could allow officers to tailor their report to fit the video.
Both the Bayport and Washington County policies would allow officers to view the footage prior to writing a report. The Bayport policy treats “critical incidents” a little differently, however. If an outside agency would be assisting in investigating such an incident, a Bayport officer would likely be allowed to watch the footage after being interviewed.
Since Forest Lake is still in the very early stages of looking at body cameras, Peterson said, no concrete policies are in play. Before the cameras were instituted department-wide, he added, the city and department would need to decide when the cameras would be turned on, where they would be located on an officer’s body, how long to hold the footage, and a variety of other logistical decisions – similar to policies already in place for the department’s squad car camera footage.
The public may comment on the body cameras during the open forum at the 9 a.m. Washington County Board meeting Jan. 9.
The son of a Forest Lake snowmobile legend died Jan. 6 after an accident suffered while preparing for a snowmobile race.
According to media and organizer reports, Hunter Houle, 18, of Forest Lake, was involved in a crash on Pine Lake, near Gonvick. He was reportedly unconscious when found by others nearby, and he was taken by air to be hospitalized in the Twin Cities but could not be revived. Houle was on Pine Lake for a series of races that took place that weekend, organized by United States X-Country Snowmobile Racing. On the Facebook page for the USXC, the organization dedicated the weekend’s events to Houle.
More circumstances surrounding the crash are not yet known and will be reported when they become available.
Houle is the son of Steve and Charlene Houle. In the 1980s and 1990s, Steve Houle was a highly successful snowmobile racer, winning several championships in multiple racing organizations. He was inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in St. Germain, Wisconsin, last year.
Hunter Houle’s funeral will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11 at Hosanna Lutheran Church in Forest Lake (9300 Scandia Trail). Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10 and one hour prior to the funeral service at the church.
The Forest Lake community lost one of its own on Jan. 6 when 18-year-old Hunter Houle died due to injuries suffered while preparing for a snowmobile race on Pine Lake near Gonvick, Minnesota.
“He was a fun-loving kid with a heart of gold who was always happy,” sister Jenna (Houle) Peterson said. “He was also an awesome uncle to all his nieces and nephews.”
Houle’s girlfriend of four years, Amber Cron, said that the two had a life planned together including a wedding and had even talked about the names of their future children.
“There was never a time when he didn’t show me how much he loved me,” she said. “He was the most caring person I have ever known.”
She also said that the relationships he had with his family and friends were extremely important to him.
“He held his family very close and that bond meant a lot to him,” she said. “When he made friends, he kept them very close and cherished them and kept them for a very long time. Its hard to put into words how much love he had for his friends and family.”
The accident, according to Peterson, occurred during a practice run for an upcoming cross-country snowmobile race. A fellow competitor riding ahead of Houle looked back to see a large puff of snow and turned around to see if all was well. Houle was found at the scene of a crash. He was seriously injured and unresponsive, but was breathing on his own at that time. Medical assistance was called to the scene, and as Houle was loaded into a helicopter to be airlifted to North Memorial, he ceased breathing on his own. He was declared dead at the hospital.
“He had a drive for life like no one you would ever meet,” Peterson said. “His motto was to go fast and ride hard, and that is just what he did. If he could have been on his snowmobile 24/7 year-round, he would have been. Snowmobiling was his life.”
Houle is the son of Steve and Charlene Houle. In the 1980s and 1990s, Steve Houle was a highly successful snowmobile racer, winning several championships in multiple racing organizations. He was inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in St. Germain, Wisconsin, last year.
“Hunter had two goals in life,” Peterson said. “One was to become a racer and the other was to become a doctor. He had already accomplished the racing dream and he was in school to become an athletic trainer, so that really said a lot about how driven of a kid he was.”
Hunter Houle’s funeral was 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, at Hosanna Lutheran Church, 9300 Scandia Trail, Forest Lake.
“Hunter was loved by so many, and it’s just so hard because right now this tragedy is unexplainable,” Peterson said. “The family is broken. Hunter will never ever be forgotten.”
“The huge hole he left in my heart will be filled with the memories we made,” Cron said. “He would always say to me, it’s not goodbye, it’s see you later.”
One person was seriously injured early in the morning Jan. 8 after several underage drinkers fled a party in a Wyoming home, Wyoming police reported.
According to Director of Public Safety Paul Hoppe, two officers responded to a noise complaint around 12:30 a.m. at a home in the 4500 block of East Viking Boulevard. When they arrived, he said, the officers found that a party with roughly 150 people in attendance was being thrown at the home, and many of the people imbibing alcohol at the party appeared to be below the legal drinking limit. The officers began organizing people into groups depending on whether they were above or below the drinking limit, but their priorities began to change as people began to flee into the freezing temperature – including one man, later identified as Travis Vanelsberg, 20, of North Branch, who allegedly barricaded himself in an second-story room before diving headfirst out of the room’s closed window, injuring himself in the process.
Vanelsberg reportedly made it home safely before he was arrested for underage consumption. Hoppe said that at least a dozen other people, however, tried to escape the house and were left wandering in the woods of the Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area. Police called for backup from other local law enforcement agencies, and with their assistance (and the assistance of a helicopter floodlight from one of the agencies), they managed to find all of the people who had gone outside without proper winter protection.
No one was seriously injured by the elements except for one 20-year-old man who police found unconscious in the woods. Police believed the man had been outside without proper winter protection for about an hour; he was transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul to be treated for frostbite and hypothermia. Hoppe said the several hours of determined searching by the Wyoming officers and other law enforcement agents likely averted a more serious or wide-ranging tragedy.
“We’re proud of our officers for diligently sticking with it,” he said.
Hoppe said police are currently investigating the case and may end up seeking charges for a social host violation. Homeowners can be held responsible for underage drinking in their homes while they are not present.
“It could have been very tragic, and I think it’s important that the homeowners understand the liabilities that could happen when they open their homes to minor consumption,” Hoppe said.
With the Dec. 27 charging of the alleged driver in a Dec. 22 police chase, more details have been released about an incident that injured a Forest Lake Police officer and resulted in a van being hit by gunfire.
According to court records, Matthew Floyd Grey, 23, of Forest Lake, was charged with obstructing the legal process, fourth-degree assault of a peace officer and fleeing in a motor vehicle. A criminal complaint revealed that police reportedly attempted to stop his vehicle after they recognized him and saw that he had active arrest warrants.
Records state that police spotted the van, owned by a relative of Grey’s, around 2:15 a.m. while a Forest Lake officer was assisting officers from Wyoming and Chisago County execute arrest warrants at the Lee Street trailer park in Forest Lake. Grey allegedly provided a false name when asked, but a Wyoming officer recognized him and knew that he had active warrants. When the Forest Lake officer told Grey he was under arrest, Grey allegedly refused to exit the van, and when the officer opened the van’s door, Grey put the van in drive and took off, tangling the officer between the door and the driver’s seat and dragging him alongside the van. When the van drove onto Lee Street, the officer feared that he would be slammed against a parked car, but the van hit something that knocked him loose onto the roadway. About that same time, records state, a Wyoming officer fired a gun at the van to try to stop it from continuing to drag the Forest Lake officer. Grey was allegedly apprehended after he reportedly drove into a dead end near the intersection of U.S. Highway 61 and State Highway 97. No one was hurt by the gunshot, but the Forest Lake officer had abrasions and bruises to multiple body parts on his left side where he’d been dragged.
Drug dealer
A Forest Lake man is facing hefty charges after police allegedly found more than 3 pounds of methamphetamines in his vehicle.
According to court records, James Lee Johnson, 32, made his first appearance Dec. 15 on one count each of first-degree drug possession, possessing ammunition or a firearm after being convicted for a violent crime, and committing a crime while possessing a bulletproof vest. Johnson was arrested Nov. 19, 2016, on an outstanding warrant, and members of the Washington County Drug Task Force searched his vehicle, which had been located in the 100 block of Lee Street at the time of his arrest, a few days later. In the trunk of the car, detectives allegedly found a white box that contained three plastic zippered bags full of meth – just over 3 pounds worth overall. Next to the white box, detectives also allegedly found a gun case with a loaded Glock handgun inside and a bulletproof vest.
In the car’s back seat, Johnson’s criminal complaint states, detectives found a ledger that included information about drug payments, as well as several bags and vials of marijuana and multiple new flip phones.
Johnson has been convicted of multiple violent crimes, as well as for various drug charges He has also been charged in Ramsey County for fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.
Stabbing
A man has been charged with second-degree assault after allegedly stabbing another man while the two were at the Hitching Post Motel in Forest Lake.
According to court records, William Giron-Diaz, 31, of no permanent address, was found lying on a bed at the motel following a call around 12:40 a.m. Dec. 18 that someone had been stabbed in the neck at the location. The officer who located Giron-Diaz reportedly saw spots of blood and bloodied rags around the room and thought that Giron-Diaz may have been the victim of the stabbing. While the officer was looking into this possibility, another officer found the real victim in a vehicle in the parking lot. Giron-Diaz was detained, as police now believed he may have been the one doing the stabbing. Police allegedly found a knife with a 6-inch blade in Giron-Diaz’s motel room.
Giron-Diaz was interviewed by police, while the man found in the vehicle was taken to Regions Hospital after officers observed a stab wound in his neck. Giron-Diaz allegedly would not provide officers with his real name or date of birth, but when he was taken to Washington County Jail, he revealed his true identity and allegedly told officers that he could not remember much of the incident surrounding the stabbing, including whether or not he’d stabbed the other man at all. The other man, however, said the two men had been drinking alcohol and had started to argue about something that had happened to them earlier, allegedly prompting Giron-Diaz to stab him in the neck.
The following are other recent Washington County Court cases related to the Forest Lake area:
• Shane Richard Rafftery, 36, of Forest Lake, was charged Oct. 10 with disorderly conduct.
• Luke Allen Daniels, 33, of St. Paul, was charged Oct. 20 with making terroristic threats related to a case investigated by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Lucas James Loughrey, 36, of Forest Lake, was sentenced Oct. 24 for felony domestic assault.
• Corey Lee Gall, 26, of Mora, was charged Oct. 24 with fourth-degree assault and fourth-degree property damage related to a case investigated by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Charles Henry Radtke, 29, of Stacy, was sentenced Oct. 28 for a fifth-degree crime.
• Nicholas Shawn Christians, 26, of Minneapolis, was sentenced Nov. 2 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to a case investigated by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Matthew David Mollen, 32, of Scandia, was sentenced Nov. 7 for felony DWI.
• Shawn Daniel Birdsall, 26, of Forest Lake, was sentenced Nov. 8 for a third-degree drug crime.
• Marlow Louis Geyer III, of Forest Lake, was sentenced Nov. 10 for violating registration requirements as a predatory offender.
• Gustav Christian Medenwaldt, 31, of Forest Lake, was charged Nov. 11 with a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Leon Sonny Harvey Haltli, 25, of Forest Lake, was sentenced Nov. 14 for possessing a dangerous weapon.
• Jessica Rose Palomino, 18, of Forest Lake, was charged Nov. 14 with a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Jesse David Anderson, 38, of Forest Lake, was charged Nov. 15 with being a fugitive from justice from another state.
• Gunnard Robert Olson, 21, of Forest Lake, was charged Nov. 15 with a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Shawn Riley Latessa, 36, of Forest Lake, was charged Nov. 16 with a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Nicholas Eugene Anderson, 22, of Stacy, was sentenced Nov. 21 for possessing marijuana in a motor vehicle.
• Tyler Cory Ecklund, 21, of Forest Lake, was charged Nov. 23 with violating registration requirements as a predatory offender.
• William Michael Temme, 50, of no permanent address, was charged Nov. 30 with a fifth-degree drug crime, providing a false name to a peace officer and DWI related to a case investigated by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Jason Earl Bubb, 35, of Anoka, was sentenced Dec. 5 for a fourth-degree drug crime related to a case investigated by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Morgan Leslie Pavey, 23, of Mahtomedi, was sentenced Dec. 7 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to a case investigated by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Jacob Allen Lindman, 33, of Henriette, was charged Dec. 7 with a third-degree drug crime related to a case investigated by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Andrew Loren David Cedarblade, 21, of Cambridge, was sentenced Dec. 8 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to a case investigated by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Joseph Kelly Erickson, 23, of Anoka, was charged Dec. 13 with a fifth-degree drug crime related to a case investigated by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Nicole Leigh Garcia and Donald Nicholas Garcia of Hugo were sentenced Dec. 14 for second-degree burglary related to a case investigated by the Forest Lake Police Department.
Kaitlyn Karapetsas, the Forest Lake 14-year-old who went missing from her home in November 2016, was found safe at a relative’s home in Forest Lake the morning of Jan. 16, according to the Forest Lake Police Department.
Karapetsas, who ran away from her home on Nov. 12, was tracked by law enforcement for several weeks by police before her digital trail ran cold, at which point police publicly announced that they were searching for her. Police Capt. Greg Weiss said the department appreciated the several tips called in by community members after the search for Karapetsas went public, noting that police located the teen after a relative she was with called to report her location.
“She was around the metro; she wasn’t always in Forest Lake,” Weiss explained.
While Karapetsas was missing, police believed that people she was with were helping her evade discovery. The department was assisted by the Washington County Sex Trafficking Task Force in its search, but at the time, Weiss said that the department was not aware if Karapetsas was or was not being trafficked. No arrests had been made nor charges filed by press time against any of the people believed to have assisted Karapetsas, but Weiss said that portion of the case is still active.
“That’s going to be an ongoing investigation right now, but there could be (charges),” he said.
Due to Karapetsas’s juvenile status, police did not release many details about their discovery of the teen other to note that she was safely located.
On Jan. 18, the city of Forest Lake began the process of requesting a proposal from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department to contract law enforcement in Forest Lake. The request does not mean that the city has initiated steps to discontinue the services of the Forest Lake Police Department, but the stated goal on the city’s website is to evaluate whether county law enforcement service in the city is feasible and what kind of impact the change would have on the city’s budget.
According to a city press release, once a proposal is received from the sheriff’s department, the city would begin evaluating whether or not to make the change. The press release also states that the evaluation process would include opportunities for public engagement and residential feedback.
A proposal request letter sent by the city to Sheriff Bill Hutton states that city officials still hear positive feedback from residents about the law enforcement services the sheriff’s department provided to rural Forest Lake residents before the annexation of the township by the city, as well as positive feedback from other communities where the contract law enforcement services are still provided, like Hugo and Scandia. The letter, signed by Mayor Ben Winnick and City Administrator Aaron Parrish, stated that the city’s Personnel Committee was interested in “exploring alternative approaches” to local law enforcement and asked that a proposal from the county include an expected staffing profile and transition and implementation plans for a contract.
The initiation for the proposal request was made at the Jan. 18 Personnel Committee meeting. The Personnel Committee is made up of Parrish, Assistant City Administrator Dan Undem and Councilmen Ed Eigner and Michael Freer.
The Times has placed phone calls to all of the City Council members about the proposal request. As of the last update, Eigner has not been reached for comment, and Freer referred questions about the meeting to Parrish for the time being. Winnick said that though he was not at the meeting and could not comment on what led to the decision to request the proposal, previous councils have had similar discussions regarding law enforcement services.
“Contract law services have been discussed in the past,” he said. “We just didn’t take it to this next step. We need to have a comparison to what we’re providing now … (and) to have an open discussion with the community, with the officers.”
Winnick emphasized that a request for a proposal does not indicate that the council wants to shut down the police department. He said the proposal could reveal that the city’s current police arrangement is best for the community, or that a contract service could be better, or even that some combination of local police and sheriff’s deputies be utilized. Though he couldn’t comment on the discussion that led up to the proposal request, he said that reasons to look at alternative options included the potential for cost savings, continued feedback from some residents about the quality of the sheriff’s office services and a desire to make sure the city is aware of all of its options for law enforcement.
Winnick added that resident feedback will be part of the process and noted that he understands that police services can be an emotional topic. Even if the city does eventually move forward with phasing out the Police Department in favor of sheriff protection, he said, the city would likely work with the county to see if current police officers could be hired into the sheriff’s office as the office’s staff needs increase to include local coverage.
“I support law enforcement, but I don’t think it goes with a blank check,” he said. “I don’t think this is (solely) about how much it’s going to cost; I think it’s about getting the service the community needs.”
Councilwoman Mara Bain said she was disappointed in the way the request was handled. She also noted that she was not aware that the topic of contract services would be broached at the meeting until after the decision had been made to make the request.
“While it’s definitely within the authority of the Personnel Committee to make this request and start this process, clearly it’s a process and a topic that has wide community impact,” she said, adding that she would have liked to see more council discussion and community notification before a request decision was made.
“That deserves some foresight and planning, rather than now we’re after the fact and people are upset,” she said.
Bain did praise the city’s process of emailing city staff members after the request was approved and creating a page on the city’s website that will track the progress of the discussion. She said she will propose during Monday’s council meeting that staff put together a community engagement plan to seek community input and consensus on the topic.
“I want that transparency to continue,” she said.
Councilman Sam Husnik was blunt in his disapproval of the move, saying that Forest Lake’s police services are exemplary in their current format.
“I’m completely against (contracting the sheriff’s office),” he said. “I always have been. It was part of our campaign that nothing like this should be happening. … We’re a growing community, and the services we’re getting are second to none.”
Bain and Winnick said the council will engage in further discussion about the issue during its Jan. 23 meeting.
More information will be posted as it becomes available.
