ROCHESTER, Minn. – The home of state legislator Kim Hicks was plastered with racist grafitti before dawn. The vandals spray-painted messages and symbols on the house, a shed and political yard signs. One yard sign was supporting mixed-race presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Hicks is white. Her husband, LaMar Hicks, is black. They have eight children at home. Hicks said the vandals were detected on a doorbell camera at 4:18 a.m. The family discovered the vandalism when they got up to start the day. The messages included the insulting word “nigger,” a Nazi swastika, and the signature KKK from the U.S. racist organization whose influence peaked in the 1920s.

Anonymous with spray cans. Striking in the dark of night in northwest Rochester.

FOND DU LAC, Wis – State game wardens have joined an investigation into what’s suspected to be a large-scale deer poaching operation in eastern Wisconsin. Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt of Fond du Lac said he was tipped to the operation in July and believes that poachers have been active in adjoining counties too. Waldschmidt asked the public to be alert to clues — gunshots overnight, vehicle shining deer, and deer carcasses with bullet wounds. Bucks, he said, would have the full head removed. The scope of the investigation is 200 square miles in Dodge, Fond du Lac and Washington counties.

CHESTER, Minn – A skate-boarder out at night was struck and injured by either a car or a motorcycle – or both – on the busy U.S. Highway thoroughfare in this enclave east of Rochester. Injuries to Patrick James Burke, 30, of Denver, Colorado, did not appear serious, but he was taken to a Rochester hospital. The accident was about10:05 p.m. Burke was skating west toward Rochester. The car and motorcycle also were westbound in the two-lane section of U.S. 14. Unhurt were the driver of the car, Erin Marlene Best, 33, of Rochester, in a 2011 Audi A4, and the motorcyclist, Brian Kressin Dean, 31, of West Concord, on a 2022 Kawasaki Cruiser.

LACROSSE, Wis. – Bail was set at $100,000 for a LaCrosse couple whose baby, according to an autopsy, died from the toxic effects of fentanyl. Lavon Liggins, 43, and Brittany M. Basley, 34, had been the subject of a 10-month investigation that began when police responded to 919 Gould Street after a caller said the Basley and her baby were sleeping in a bed and the baby was blue. Police resuscitation attempts failed. Both Lavon Liggins and Basley have drug records. Earlier they were convictions of neglecting a 2-month-old child. At the time a charge drug trafficking was dismissed in a plea agreement. This tme a social worker was in the process of placing both children into guardianship.

Liggins. Arrested with Baseley.

Basley. Baby’s death in September.

LACROSSE, Wis. – A La Crosse man accused of attacking an 82-year-old woman in her home was ordered held in lieu of $500,000 bail. Judge Elliott Levine set the bail after formally advising Christopher Ballog Pierce of the charges against him — attempted kidnapping, burglary and battery. The charges were elevated because the victim was elderly. The criminal complaint alleged that the woman, asleep in her South Side house, woke up to a naked man choking her. She said she thought the man was going to kill her. The complaint related these details: The woman managed to get the man off her and flee. The man then chased and tackled her as she ran to toward a neighbor’s house. Again she got away. “God gave me strength,” she said. She called 911 from the neighbor’s house. When officers arrived she was back home. They found a man’s underwear and socks. When arrested, Ballog Pierce wearing pants but no shirt nor socks nor underwear. The complaint quoted him that he had had too much to drink, blacked out, and couldn’t remember anything.

Earlier: Sex assault reported on 82-year-old woman

Ballog Pierce. Claims no memory.

ROCHESTER, Minn. – A jury ended a three-day trial with a guilty verdict for murder against Isaac Gutierrez in a Chick-Fil-a parking lot in 2023. The issue was not whether Gutierrez shot the other man but whether there was remediated intent. The jury concluded there was no premeditation. Testimony from 10 witnesses put together this scenario from the night of February 23: Gutierrez, age 20, and his brother were backing their pickup truck into a parking slot. A vehicle driven by Osbel Ornelas Jr., 24, was in the way. Ornelas honked. An argument turned into a scuffle. Gutierrez fetched a gun, a Glok 48, from his pickup, ostensibly to defuse the situation. Gutierrez said he intended only to hit Ornelas to teach him a lesson and brought the butt of the Glok down on his shoulder. The gun discharged.

Gutierrez. Sentencing set for October.

WASHINGRON – A Canadian Pacific train in a fiery derailment in North Dakota was pulling DOT-111 tank cars that are prone to rupturing, according to National Transportation Safety Board investigators. Since the 1990s the Board has called for DOT-111s not be used for hazardous materials. The train derailed near Bondulac, North Dakota. The crew jumped to safety. There were no casualties. The railroad suffered $3.6 million damage to tracks and equipment. What caused the wreck? The Board said its investigation was continuing. About the DOT-111 tank cars, they are legal until 2029 when a ban from Congress takes effect.

DOT-111s. Canadian Pacific, recently re-dubbed CPKC, routinely pulls unit trains of troubled DOT-111 tank cars on its Mississippi River mainline through Winona. The rupture-prone cars also are in CP mixed cargo freights.

WINONA, Minn. – When a police officer stopped a Winona driver, they smelled alcohol pouring out his window. Jeffrey James Meyer. 51, was asked to take a breathalyzer test. His blood  showed as 0.17% alcohol. Anything more than 0.08% is considered impairment.  Meyer admitted to imbibing, police said. The stop was about 8:50 p.m. on the West Sde at Sixth and Wilson streets.

ALBERT LEA, Minn. –  A sweep of the Freeborn County Government Center for a bomb found nothing, Sheriff Ryan Shea declared the threat a hoax. The threat had been received about 1:30 p.m. in an anonymous call. The building was evacuated. The county’s K-9 sniffers, joined by snuffers from Rochester, swept the building . Sheriff Shea declared the call a hoax at 5:30. About the evacuation, he said: “we’d rather be safe than sorry.” The center houses both the county and city police units and government offices.

Earlier: Bomb threat at Albert Lea government center

Earlier: Albert Lea Bomb scare: Police building evacuated

Not first scare

Sheriff Ryan Shea saw no connection with an earlier bomb scare. Police on July 5 had brought a locked gun box into the Government Center as evidence from a traffic stop. In the evidence room they opened the box and discovered a pipe bomb inside. The bomb was dismantled.

ONALASKA, Wis. – An air-conditioning failure forced Valley View mall to close until repairs can be completed. Aimee Awonohopay, mall manager, said closing was the only option in the current heat wave. Unaffected and remainingooen: JCPenney, Barnes & Noble, HuHot Mongolian Grill, and Hy-Vee. The mall, mostly small retail shops, has been in continuing reconstruction and downsizing since the loss of major anchor stores in recent years. The mall was built 44 ears ago.

Earlier: Bankrupt Valley View mall changes hands

Earlier: Wanta own a mall? Valley View up for auction

Earlier: LaCrosse’s Valley View mall in foreclosure

WINONA, Minn. – Police arrested a Winona woman who had been identified by store detectives at Target as changing UPC codes on merchandise to lower prices. Cheslea Elizabeth Oevering, 36, was jailed for possessing a burglary toos and theft. Police said she was carrying a held-held printer for universal product code labels. These devices are available online for $40. With her cellphone, the store detectives said, Oevering created new pre-gummed labels that she applied on top the store’s original labels. At the check-out counter, according to store detectives, she paid:

> $9 for a $69 item.

> $4 for a $68 item.

> $2 for a $21 item.

Do The math: $16 for $158. Store detectives said they got onto Overing when surveillance cameras captured her doing odd things with her phone in the shopping aisles. She had her phone connected by a cord to her hand-held UPC printer, they said. The device, a little more complex than some, could print labels in three sizes.

WINONA, Minn. – Winona police have been comparing notes with other law enforcement agencies about slick scammers with sob stories who promise jewelry they’re wearing in exchange for cash. Federal border agents also are on to a rash of similar cases.  There were two arrests Monday near Viroqua, Wisconsin. The arrests, said Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude and Winona Police Chief Tom Williams, may connect with two Winona incidents outside the Hy-Vee grocery store in July. Whether there‘s a connection or not, Ganrude and Williams’ message is: Be alert.

> July 3: A Winona man was approached by two men as he left the Hy-Vee. One of the men, referred to as “papa” by his companion, claimed that someone stole his wallet with $900 cash and that they needed money for gas to get home to California. The targeted man outside was given a ring and $40 cash – and was asked to go to his bank and bring back $2,000. In exchange, he was told he’d give him other jewelry as collateral for the $2,000. The Winona man left and called police. The ring turned out virtually worthless.

> July 10 or thereabouts: The same Winona man, again leaving Hy-Vee, was approached by a  woman who referred to her companion  as “Papa” and who said that her purse stolen and that she needed gas money. She also was wearing a lot of jewelry, the Winona man told police. He did not give her any money.

Incidents elsewhere:

> May 30: A man driving a black SUV approached a local man at a gas station near New Richmond, Wisconsin, and said he was out of gas, and in need of cash. He offered to sell jewelry to the targeted man. The victim later told police he saw a firearm and felt  threatened. The cash-for-jewelry exchange was made. No surprise: The jewelry contained no precious metals.

> June 4: After a similar incident near Hudson, Wisconsin, the St. Croix County sheriff issued a statewide crime alert to other law enforcement agencies.

> July 15: A similar incident occurred near Readstown, Wisconsin. Deputies this time discovered the scammers’ vehicle had Alabama license plates.

> July 29: Two individuals were flagging down vehicles near Richland Center and asking for gas money. The same vehicle description was reported, and the vehicle was last seen traveling west, toward Vernon County. About 11:30 a.m. an alert deputy saw the vehicle traveling, and the interception followed.

ALBERT LEA, Minn. — the Freeborn County Government Center was evacuated after a telephone bomb threat and a demand for $1 million. The call was to the joint city-county 911 police dispatcher about 1:30 p.m. Speaking in a distorted male voice, the caller said to expect a follow-up call at 2 with instructions to deliver the ransom. Employees were sent home early. The police dispatch center was shifted to a remote backup site.

Freeborn County mother ship. At 411 Broadway South inAlbert Lea.

LACROSSE, Wis. – A trial has been ordered for a La Crosse man accused of stabbing his wife to death in June. There is probable cause supporting the intentional homicide charge against Zachary Fritz, 39, the judge ruled. Fritz’s wife was found dead at their Shelby home with 50 stab wounds and bite marks on her face and neck. Fritz has pleaded not guilty. He says she killed herself.

Earlier: Criminal complaint details fatal bloody assault

Earlier: Husband held in gruesome LaCrosse slaying

Earlier: LaCrosse woman’s death seen as homicide

Abandoned elevator. When Farmers Win Cooperative was unable to find a buyer for the property, the city acquired it.

Possibilities being explored for prime real estate

RUSHFORD, Minn.; — Rushford city leaders are soliciting ideas for what to do with the 1.7-acre downtown site of a a former grain elevator. The city has owned the property since Farmers Win Cooperative shut down the aging facility and shifted operations to two other sites. Tony Chladek, city administrator, said ideas so far have included a commercial space, an event space and housing. The deadline for people to respond to anonline survey with other ideas is August 30.