Where they lived. McMullin said he was afraid of hospitals and didn’t have much money, so he didn’t report his wife’s death. She had been dead six weeks when a social workers alerted police that something wasn’t right. The body was found in the bathroom, where apparently she had fallen off the toilet. A heart attack was suspected. She was 57. The corpse was badly decomposed. Pet dogs and cats, which were going unfed, had chewed off one leg. Image: Steve Lunde

Husband claims he couldn’t deal with wife’s death

ALMA, Wis.  – A plea of mental feebleness was accepted from a Fountain City man accused of concealing his wife’s corpse in their trailer house where he was living in filth with 70 cats and dogs, many malnourished and sick. Through an attorney, Arthur McMullin, age 70, told the judge he was willing to plead no contest for reasons of sluggish mental acumen. Although there already had been an examination of McMullin’s mental capabilities, Buffalo County Judge Thomas Clark ordered a further exam on whether to commit him to institutional care. Meanwhile, McMullin will remain in jail in lieu of $10,000 bail, the judge ordered. The charges to be excused in the plea deal:

> One count of hiding a corpse.

> Two counts of animal mistreatment.

>  Four counts of failing to feed and water confined animals.

The deal accepts conviction on an eighth count – not cooperating with the original investigation. McMullin’s 225 days in jail so far would be considered sufficient punishment. McMullin was arrested in October. He seemed confused and incapable of sorting through legal and moral options and social conventions, investigators said. To officers he repeatedly called the animals “the kids.” It was all so sad, officers said. In the court proceedigs, McMulin has been represented by attorney Steven Richards.

Earlier: No public defender in corpse-hiding case

Earlier: Bail at $10,000 for Fountain City corpse

Earlier: Rescued Fountain City cats, dogs flood shelters

Earlier: Body found in Fountain City trailer house

MINNEAPOIS – A federal deportation agent has been arrested on a charge that that he engaged in sex with a teen-age girl and videoed it. The chid-porn criminal complaint doesn’t say where the crime occurred, but said that Rochester police were involved in the investigation. There were FBI agents, on loan to the U.S. Immigration Contral and Enforcement agency for a mid-February raid in Rochester. The complaint identified the arrested agent as Timothy Ryan Gregg, age 51, of the St. Paul suburb of Eagan. Gregg was arrested at home. According to the criminal complaint, the father of a 17-year-ood girl found sexually explicit photos and videos of Gregg and the girl on the her cell phone. The encouter was at a hotels with rooms booked by Gregg using his ICE email account. When interviewed, the girl said the sex was consensual. Nonetheless she was underage.

Gregg. Charged with coercing and enticing a minor into sexually explicit conduct for child pornography.

Earlier: ICE agents arrive: Restaurant workers nabbed

ALMA, Wis. – An Alma driver has been charged with negligent homicide for the deaths of two motorcyclists. Luke Larson, age 35, is quoted in the criminal complaint as admitting to being in the wrong lane of U.S. Highway 35 as he was rounding a curve. Killed were two Minnesota men — Mark Holzer, 59, of Rochester, and Brian Shank, 59, of Chatfield. A third biker, from Rushford, suffered bruises. The accident was about 10:40 a.m. on September 27 at Markey Bluff Road south of Nelson.  According to the criminal complaint, Larson’s pickup was northbound into Nelson on his way to work 50 miles away in Rochester. He told police that he tried to avoid the southbound bikers but was too late.

WILSON, Minn. – A pickup truck plowed into an all-terrain vehicle crossing State Highway 43 near Wilson.  Both drivers were taken to hospitals. Their conditions did not appear life-threatening, first-responders said. Injured were:

> Kerry Robert Heiden, 71, of Rushford, driving a 2024 GMC Sierra. To the Winona hospital.

> Elmer Herman Gilow, 87, of Winona, driving a 2019 Polaris. To a LaCrosse hospital.

The pickup was traveling south toward Rushford. Polaris ATV was crossing Highway 43 east to west. This was about 9:22 a.m.

CHICAGO — The Amtrak passenger train Borealis running via Winona between St. Paul and Chicago has far exceeded ridership expectations in its first year. As of May 1 the ridership had surpassed 205,800, Amtrak reported.  This was despite interrupted service in early May when Amtrak canceled service briefly because passenger coaches were found unsafe and irreparable with corrosion.  Even so, first year ridership surpassed the original feasibility projections of 125,000. Boardings and de-boardings in Winona totaled 11,372, according to Amtrak. The daily coach-only train — no sleepers – makes the total 411-mile run in 7-1/2 hours. Meanwhile, ridership also has grown on Amtrak’s second train that serves Winona — the daily Empire Builder from Chicago to the West Coast. With 293,000 passengers, the Empire Builder carried  230% more people than the previous year, Amtrak reported.

Earlier: Amtrak’s rusting Borealis rolling stock to scrapyard

Earlier: Borealis back on tracks, now odd-looking

Earlier: Daily Borealis trains sidetracked as unsafe

Earlier: Borealis ridership at six months: 100,000

Earlier: Borealis day trains begin new corridor trips

ROCHESTER, Minn. – The air traffic control tower at the Rochester airport is operating with fewer than half the level authorized by federal rules. In an investigative report, television station KTTC reported there are 10 certified controllers. Twenty-one positions are authorized. The situation is somewhat eased by two additional workers in training. The two-runway international airport southwest of the city is a busy place. There are 56,000 operations a year, mostly general small aircraft. American and Delta dominate scheduled passenger service with 200,000 passengers a year, mostly to Minneapolis and Chicago hubs. The air controller staffing shortage is not unique to RST. Sean Duffy, the former Wisconsin congressman named by President Trump in January to head the U.S. Transportation Department, has acknowledged a serious shortage of controllers nationwide but says it’s being addressed. Duffy has announced “supercharged” hiring and training projects. The bottom-line question: How safe is U.S. aviation? KTTC couldn’t reach Duffy, but an agency spokesperson said: “If daily or per-shift staffing levels are low, the FAA ensures safety by implementing traffic management initiatives, such as slowing the flow of aircraft into an airport.”  Starting salaries for trainees are up 30%, the spokesperson said. The average certified professional controller earns$160,000 a year.

Baseball: Farmington Siberian Tigers 7, Rochester Century Panthers 0

Baseball: Stewartville Tigers 8, Kasson-Mantorville Komets 4

Baseball: Pine Island Panthers 6, Caledonia Warriors 0

Tennis (boys): Rock Ridge Wolverines 4, Rochester Lourdes Eagles 3

Tennis (boys): Golden Valley Breck Mustangs 4, Rochester Lourdes Eagles 3

Tennis (boys): Mounds View Mustangs4, Rochester Mayo Spartans 3

Baseball: Farmington Siberian Tigers 7, Rochester Century Panthers 0

Baseball: Stewartville Tigers 8, Kasson-Mantorville Komets 4

Baseball: Pine Island Panthers 6, Caledonia Warriors 0

Tennis (boys): Rock Ridge Wolverunes  4, Rochester Lourdes Eagles 3

Tennis (boys): Golden Valley Breck Mustangs 4, Rochester Lourdes Eagles 3

Tennis (boys): Mounds View Mustangs4, Rochester Mato Spartans 3

Alfresco in Winona. the River City Ballroom Dancers is sponsoring its annual Swinging in the Streets outdoor jazz event Friday. Free lessons are part of the deal. Live music by Stan and Molly Breitlow and later by members of the LaCrosse Jazz Orchestra directed by Greg Balfany. Time: 6 to 9 p.m. at Third and Center streets.  For six years they’ve been doing this. Between numbers there’ll be beverages and food from nearby Blooming Grounds, Peter’s Biergarten, Miya Japanese Bistro, The Lafayette and Nate & Ally’s.

WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man was booked at jail on a bevy of charges after backing over a curb, hitting a mailbox and going into a chain-link fence – and walking off. Such was what a police officer reported witnessing as he was driving by. This was about 6:50 p.m. in the 500 block of East Third Street. Taylor John Hock, age 36, was arrested but not easily. Ordered to stop walking away, he kept walking. The officer said he then tried to cuff Hock but the man pulled away and turned aggressive. The officer took him to the ground and, despite resistance, cuffed him. During the struggle, the officer said, he smelled alcohol from Hock. Also he said Hock’s behavior suggested he had been drugging. Hock was taken to the hospital. After being cleared medically he was taken to jail. Booking charges:

> Obstructing police with force.

> Resisting arrest.

> Driving drunk, with a revoked license, and not having proof of insurance.

> Refusing to be chemically tested.

Other charges are possible after blood sample comes back from lab testing, police said.

Hock. Cops say he acted first as if nothing happened.

WINONA, Minn. – Four vehicles collided like falling dominos while approaching the tight U.S. Highway 61 round-about at Mankato Avenue. Two drivers went to the nearby Winona Health emergency room with minor injuries. The accident was about 4 p.m. Police said one driver left his lane. The other cars all rear-ended each other. All were northbound between the Fleet Farm entrance and the round-about. The drivers:

> Wendy Ann Bublitz, 64, of Winona, in a 2019 Jeep Cherokee, to the Winona hospital a block away.

> Caleb John Scharpf, 40, of La Crosse, in a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, also to the hospital.

> Ian Thomas Schultz, 29, of Winona, in a 2022 Honda Odyssey, unhurt.

> Daniel Joseph Hesch, 45, of Winona, in a 2019 Ford Transit Van, also unhurt.

NOTE: This article has been revised and corrected from the original.

WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man threw a fit outside the Winona State University dorm on Main Street, yelling about a lost key and creating a spectacle. He emptied items from a box he was carrying and flung them all over the place. Police were called and arrested Nicholas John Deppe, age 27. This was about 2:40 p.m. The only explanation Deppe offered for his erratic behavior was anger at himself for the lost key, police said. A campus security guard said that Deppe been barred from university grounds in September. He was charged now with violating the trespass order.

LANSING, Iowa – Now that the Lansing bridge has been condemned again, a shuttle service has begun between Lansing and DeSoto on the Wisconsin side.  Free vans will pick up motorists at parking lots at the Lansing City Hall and the DeSoto Community Center. At the river, the Maiden Voyage tour boat out of Marquette will ferry passengers to the other side. The shuttling is financed by the Iowa Transportation Department. It’s running Mondays through Saturdays between the Lansing Marina in Iowa to the Big Slough Landing in Wisconsin. There was a similar arrangement in 2024 when the bridge was shut down as unstable the first time.

Ferry vessel. The tour boat Maiden Voyage was brought in from Marquette, Iowa, 27  miles downriver, for emergency ferry service. The now-failing bridge was built in 1931.

WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 37 emergency medical calls plus 15 fire calls in recent days:

> Tuesday, June 3: 1 medical call plus 6 fire call

> Monday, June 2: 6 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.

> Sunday, June 1: 5 medical calls plus no fire calls.

> Saturday, May 31: 6 medical calls plus 2  fire calls.

> Friday, May 30: 6 medical call plus 2 fire calls.

> Thursday, May 29: 9 medical calls plus 1 fire call.

> Wednesday, May 28: 4 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.

Earlier: Emergency, fire crews make 51 calls

WINONA, Minn. – The Steamboat Days committee continues to list its–fireworks display at 9:45 p.m., June 15, despite dwindling stockpiles of fireworks inventories nationwide due to Trump mega-tariffs that have dried up imports from China. The Steamboat committee has failed to respond to news media inquiries about the local situation. Earlier, before Trump tariffs were imposed, the committee posted online that the 2025 display would be “bigger than ever.” The schedule: A drone show at 9:45 p.m. and fireworks from 10 to 10:30. The site: Levee Park. Many fireworks displays for July 4 are in trouble – and also super celebrations of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence in 2026. Some Chinese manufacturers have halted production because of Trump’s chaotic tariff structure. The Trump tariffs, rolled out April 2, have taxed most imports from China at 148%, but he has moved the tax up and down – some days to 248%. The fluctuations have been unpredictable and, say economists, appear to reflect Trump’s whimsy and mood on any given day.

Earlier: Although stabilizing, Fastenal stock still off peak

Baseball: Stewartville Tigers and Kasson-Mantorville Komets, postponed by rain

Baseball: Rochester Century Panthers and Farmington Siberian Tigers, postponed by rain

Baseball: Caledonia Warriors and Pine Island Panthers, postponed by rain

Tennis (boys): Rochester Mayo Spartans 5, Eagan 2

Tennis (boys): Rochester Lourdes Eagles 6, Foley Falcons 1

Volleyball (boys):  Apple Valley Eastview 3, Rochester Century/Rochester Marshall/Rochester Mayo 0

WINONA, Minn. – Investigators narrowed their hunt for a second person in the Rollingstone drive-by shootings two weeks ago to another Winona man – 21-year-old Kimari. Jatovion Jordan. They contacted Jordan’s employer that they would be by to make the arrest. The man’s boss, not wanting disruption at the workplace, offered to deliver Jordan to jail. He was booked at 11:40 a.m. The arrest came one day after Damein Lamont Smith Jr., 30, also of Winona, was arrested as the driver in the late-night Rollingstone incidents. No one was struck by bullets, but one resident, watching television, reported bullets whizzing by his head. Jordan, like Smith, was charged with felony drive-by assault on occupied dwellings with a firearm. Conviction can mean 10 years in prison

Earlier: Winona man jailed for mystery Rollingstone drive-bys

Jordan.  Accused as backseat shooter firing at two Rollingstone houses and a garage.

ST.PAUL, Minn. – Go Vernor Tim Walz marked June as Pride Month with a personal story. In the mid-1990s, when he was teaching at a Mankato high school, a group of students asked him to help start a new club — a gay-straight alliance. “They were concerned about anti-gay bullying and wanted to create a safe and supportive space for everyone,” Walz said. “My answer?Absolutely.” As a teacher, Walz said, it was his responsibility to ensure every student felt safe and free to be themselves. “We’ve come a long way since then,” Walz said but added a critical note — that President Trump and “his MAGA allies” are doing everything they can to turn back the clock. “We can’t let that happen,” the governor said.

Trump homophobia

U.S. Navy ship Harvey Milk. Operated by the Military Sealift Command to carry oil to other ships at sea. One of 20 such vessels in the new class of replenishment ships named for civil rights leader John Lewis.

To dampen Pride enthusiasm

President Trump has ordered the U.S: Navy to rename a ship that was launched in 2021 and named at the time for gay civil rights leader Harvey Milk. The announcement came from Trump’s defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Sources at the Defense Department confitmed the announcement was timed to insult gay people at the start Pride Month. Hegseth said that Milk’s name wasn’t sufficiently warrior-like. Milk, who was assassinated in 2016, was on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. He also had served the Navy.

WINONA, Minn. – A Wisconsin driver was pulled from her overturned car after hitting a parked vehicle at Franklin  and Wabasha streets.  Police said that Nicole Vanessa Dalessio, 24, of Onalaska, didn’t appear seriously hurt but was intoxicated. Right away she told officers she was drunk and caused the accident. This was about 12:15 a.m. Because of her injuries, a breath test for intoxication was not administered on-site nor were field sobriety exercises. A blood draw at the hospital was sent to a lab for testing. Charges await the results, police said.

WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man was arrested by officers called to a one-car wreck at Highway 61 and Huff Street. Craig Robert Neyers, 61, of Winona, exhibited signs of impairment that were confirmed on-site site by sobriety exercises, police said. This was about 4:30 p.m. A blood draw was taken at jail. Specific charges will depend on lab tests, police said.

WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man has been arrested for a series of late-night shootings into two houses and a garage in Rollingstone 11 days ago. Damein Lamont Smith Jr., 30, was booked for drive-by shootings into the occupied dwellings. The charge is a felony. No one was hit by the bullets. Mark Dungy, chief sheriff’s investigator, said sufficient evidence had been pulled together to arrest Smith for probable cause. Dungy declined comment on whether additional arrests were imminent, saying he didn’t to jeopardize an ongoing investigation. He did confirm at that the firearm from the shootings hadn’t been located. Dungy didn’t comment on whether a motive had been established for the shootings. The two targeted houses were occupied at the time. The  garage was a couple blocks away.

Smith. Charge. Felony drive-by shooting Arrest at 1:48 p.m. Booked at 3:52 p.m.

Profile of a take-down

The drive-by shootings were 13 miles out of Winona in picturesque bucolic Rollingstone, population 670. The town has no police force but relies on Winona County deputies for emergencies. It hasn’t yet become clear how sheriff’s investigators connected Smith to crimes. On Tuesday, however, a tactical team had been assembled by he sheriff’s office to make an arrest. The tactical team included Winona police and officers from the state Bureau Criminal Apprehension. The team established a perimeter at Smith’s home on Orin Street. Apparently unaware of his pending arrest, Smith came out and drove away. Winona police followed Smith cautiously, aware he might be armed. They made a stop a few blocks away at Fifth and Hilbert streets. Smith surrendered without incident. No one was injured – neither Smith nor the  officers. No weapon was found. Sheriff’s officers quickly obtained a warrant to search Smith’s house. News reporters a the usual daily police briefing weren’t told whether relevant evidence was discovered at Smith’s  address.

Smith profile

Smith has a pending cocaine possession charge in Buffalo County. Wisconsin. The arrest was in 2024. He has lived at various times in Fountain. City, Independence and Whitehall. A 2009 charge of disorderly conduct in LaCrosse was dismissed at the prosecutor’s request. Court records show a miscellany of misdemeanors like speeding when he lived in Phoenix, Arizona.

Earlier: Probe continuing in Rollingstone shooting

Earlier: Drive-by attacks: Bullets hit three Rollingstone homes

WINONA, Minn. – Among residential property sales logged by Bob Bambenek, county recorder, in April:

370 Pleasant Hill Drive: Litant/Nyala to Jacobson, $515,000.

1371 Summer Drive: Nelson to Maas, $510,000.

1545 Gilmore Avenue: Fruechte to DCM-Winona, $475,000.

1537 Gilmore Avenue: Leifeld to DCM-Winona, $425,000.

43519 Twin Bluffs: Kulasiewicz to Carrier, $395,000.

1372 Ridgewood Drive: Cieminski/Curtin to McCahan, $360,000.

72 Wiscoy Court: Walters to Wertz/Sheley, $360,000.

1111 Sugar Loaf Road: Quelle to Conway, $325,000.

920 Birch Boulevard: North Group Investments to Foss, $325,000.

Earlier: Winona home sales in April 2025