Minnesota prep
Golf (boys): Rochester Mayo Spartans 302, Albert Lea Tigers 317, Rochester Marshall Rockets 339, Winona Winhawks 353
Lacrosse (girls): New Prague Panthers 13, Rochester Century Trojans 6
Softball: Kasson-Mantorville Komets 10, Faribault Falcons 6
Cop throws book at man who took flight
WINONA, Minn. – A police officer fenced in and arrested a Winona man wanted for car theft, burglary and credit-card theft. The officer recognized Dion Edward Wadley, 25, leaning into a parked car in the 400 block of Mankato Avenue and talkig to the driver. This was about 7:10 p.m. Spotting the officer, Wadley walked off, then ran. A block and a half later, Wadley found himself cornered. But he didn’t give up. “Wadley who?” he asked. His name, he said, was something else. “There must be a mistake.” The officer knew better from booking mug shots. Before the night was over, Wadley found himself in jail for giving a false name – as well as fleeing. As well as earlier charges.
Wadley. Arrest primarily for raft of theft charges.
Cops squeeze fugitive from cellar, taser him
WINONA, Minn. – Police dragged a wanted man out of the cellar of a West Side duplex and then used a stun-gun because he was still resisting arrest. Finally taken into custody was Melvin Earl Kimp, 33. This was about 4 p.m. Less than an hour earlier Kimp had been spotted walking on South Baker Street by an officer who knew he was wanted for internet death threats the day before. Told to stop, Kim ran and disappeared into backyards. This is what happened next as detailed in the police report: Quickly 16 officers established a perimeter around a two-block and called for a K-9 aide. Meanwhile, an officer knocked at the door of Kimp’s mother, who lived within perimeter – even there was court order prohibiting Kimp from being at the mother’s place. Yes, she said, he had been there but left. A neighborhood woman. gardening in her basckyard, reported seeing a man leap over a fenc. Police turned their attention to an unlocked cellar door and sent their K-9 inside. The K-9 picked up a human presence. Four officers went in. The K-9 found Kimp wedged behind a furnace. He refused to come out, so officers dragged him out. He struggled against being cuffed, at which point an officer tased him. He was jailed on numerous new charges, plus charges from the day before that he threatened another man who he accused flirting with his girlfriend and said he would shoot him. Kimpo was unarmed when arrested, police said.
Kimp. Tentative new charges: Violating a no-contact order, fleeing, and interfering with police
Multi-agency dragnet
Winona police established a net on Baker and Jackson streets south of Broadway. Winona deputues and Goodview officers converged within minutes to squeeze in on Kimp. There were 16 officers in all.
Mother’s role
Police said Kimp’s mother was cooperative. She already had a restraining order against Kimp to stay away from her place.
Driver arrested in day-old domestic violence case
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man wanted in a domestic abuse case was arrested turning his car into Knopp Valley off U.S. Highway 14. Taken into custody without resistance was Mitchell Tiberius Foss, 29. He had been sought since the day before. A woman, with whom he had a child in common, said he had pushed her to the floor and injured her during an argument at her place about relationship issues. Police said they believed the child slept through the disturbance.
Foss. Booked for causing fear aad harm.
Is it dope? Suspect substance at Kwik Trip
NODINE, Minn. — An employee at the Interstate 90 Kwik Trip found a zip-lock baggie containing a white powdery substace and called the sheriff. This was about 2:10 p.m. A deputy added the baggie to the evidence bin.
Twins: Evidence flawed in Amish buggy deaths
PRESTON, Minn. – The twin sisters Samantha Jo and Sarah Beth Peterson asked a judge to dismiss charges in the deaths of two Amish children when their buggy was rear-ended near Spring Valley in September. The sisters challenged the legal validity of the evidence against them. Among the sisters’ claims is that a recording of them conversing after the collision was recorded surreptitiously. Judge Jeremy Clinefelter will decide the dismissal arguments. The cases against the twins are separate. Their next hearings have been scheduled in August.
> Samantha Jo Petersen. She faces 21 charges including eight counts. These include vehicular homicide, criminal vehicular operation, driving while impaired, failing to provide proof of insurance, and careless driving. She claims the state has no evidence that she was driving while under the influence of any mood-altering drugs or alcohol. She also claims there is no evidence of negligence. About a count hat she left the scene, she says she left with police permission.
> Sarah Beth Petersen. She faces 16 felony charges relating to aiding an offender and taking responsibility falsely for criminal acts. She claims that police failed to advise her of her right to remain silent before questioning her.
Earlier: Second twin arraigned in fatal Amish crash
Earlier: First twin arraigned on fatal Amish buggy crash
Earlier: Attorney seeks all documents in fatal buggy crash
Earlier: Sheriff defends lengthiness of buggy wreck probe
Earlier: Felony lies: Second twin accused in Amish wreck
Earlier: Homicide charged against twin in Amish wreck
Earlier: Outpouring of love for Amish children in fatal wreck
Cops: No local link seen in neo-Nazi messages
WINONA, Minn. – A wave of hate messages tucked under car windshields beginning in March 2023 have no apparent connection to recent neo-Nazi literature dropped anonymously around tiwn, said police spokesperson Nick Quimby. The 2013 messages were attributed to an emotionally disturbed but harmless woman known to police but left to her ways. Those messages were less than coherent but had a paranoid anti-police theme. Among them: “Cops exist to destroy your lives and call you looney and damn you to swallow poison and chemicals to damn.
Earlier: Hate group droppings around town: “Join us”
Emergency, fire crews make 34 calls
WINONA, Minn. – The Fire Department reported 23 emergency medical calls plus 13 fire calls in recent days:
> Tuesday, May 14: 2 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Monday, May 13: 2 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Sunday, May 12: 6 medical calls plus 2 fire calsl.
> Saturday, May 11: 5 medical calls plus 2 fire calls.
> Friday, May 10: 4 medical calls plus 5 fire calls.
> Thursday, May 9: 2 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
> Wednesday, May 8: 2 medical calls plus 1 fire call.
Earlier: Emergency, fire crews make 47 calls
Toot, toot: New Amtrak train rolling in Tuesday
WINONA, Minn. – Mayor Scott Sherman proclaimed Tuesday as Borealis Day to honor the maiden run of a second Amtrak passenger train, the Borealis, through Winona. Sherman will lead the welcome party at the Winona depot at 12:45 p.m. to await the five-minute stop of the train from St. Paul. Several local railroad enthusiasts, including train buff Leone Mauszycki, will be boarding in Winona, for the 36-minute $8 segment to La Crosse. Arriving on the Borealis from St. Paul:
> Chris Meyer, chair of the Great River Rail Committee.
> Paul Schollmeier, former City Council liaison to the committee.
> Caitlin Crouchet, publicist for the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.
The new Borealis train is sponsored by the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. The train is one of 29 state-supported regional routes in the country.
Verbatim
Roger Harris, Amtrak president: “We are working with grantees on dozens of other possible new Amtrak routes, Thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, interest from state transportation departments and others for new or expanded Amtrak service across the country is at an all-time high.”
> Amit Bose, Federal Railroad administrator: “This is a win for passenger rail expansion in America. More importantly, it’s a win for a growing number of Americans who rely on passenger rail. Investments in rail have long helped Midwesterners and the region’s economy. We applaud the strong partnership between the states and Amtrak, and through President Biden’s infrastructure package, we know even more progress is underway.”
Woman says assaulted, bruised by boyfriend
WINONA, Minn. – A Winona woman told police she was grabbed and pushed to the floor of her apartment during an argument with her boyfriend. Police said she had puffed bruises on a hand and a knee. She said she went down as the boyfriend was leaving. Police began trying to locate the man. This was about 4:20 a.m. in the 600 block of East Wabasha Street. Police said a third person had reported hearing the commotion.
Credit crisis forces major trims at Red Lobster
ORLANDO, Fla. – The 13 Red Lobster chain restaurants in Minnesota have been spared in a bankruptcy-forced sell-off of assets. Not so two of the the chain’s eight Wisconsin locations — in LaCrosse and Wauwatosa. They’ve been shuttered and all the kitchen gear and furnishings are being liquidated. Yes, even the signature tanks in the lobby with live lobsters. Nationally 48 of 650 locations are padlocked. The company got into trouble when new management was installed ed in a corporate take-over by Thai Union of Thailand. Among changes was an all-you-can-eat option that attracted low-budget diners but was disastrous for revenue. Critics have pointed to a wide range of mismanagement.
Still open in Minnesota: Blaine, Bloomington, Burnsville, Golden Valley, Duluth, Mankato, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Minneapolis, Oakdale, Rochester, Rockville, Roseville.
Three Winona School Board seats on ballot
WINONA, Minn. – Three of the seven seats on the Winona School Board are up for election in November. A snapshot:
> District 3 (northeast neighborhoods): Incumbent Stephanie Smith has not announced whether she will seek another term. First elevted in 2020.
> District 4 (southeast neighborhoods): Incumbent Jim Schul has announced he won’t seek another term. First elected in 2020.
. > District 5 (west suburbs and outlying areas): Incumbent Tina Lehnertz has announced she is not runnning for reelection after 12 years on the board. It’s time,” she said.
Candidates have until June 4 to file nomination papers with the Winna County auditor. The fee: $2.
Cause of death uncertain in crash near Osseo
OSSEO, Wis. – A driver was found dead in his wrecked vehicle after a crash alert from a cellular device. This was about 11:10 p.m. southeast of Osseo near County Road B and Myhre Road in northern Trempealeau County. Sheriff Brett Semingson declined ro release the victim’s name but said victim was alone in the vehicle.
Minnesota prep
Softball: Caledonia Warriors 12, Winona Cotter Ramblers 1
Softball: St. Charles 1, Saint s 0, Wabasha-Kellogg Falcons 4
Softball: Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 16, Rushford-Peterson Trojans 3
Softball: Lewiston-Altura Cardinals 9, Rushford-Peterson Trojans 4
Assault on man recovering from knee surgery
WINONA, Minn. – A man said he fell into an argument on the sidewalk outside his walk-up apartment on Third Street and was pushed to the ground and injured. The man told police he had been recovering from knee surgery and was in pain. The knee was reddened, police said. The man said his assailant lived in the same building. Police began looking for the man to decide whether to file charges. The incident was about 7:20 p.m. in downtown historic district in the 150 block of West Third Street.
Schlitz Hotel. Dominant building in150 block of West Third Street. Part of Schlitz Brewing’s upscale hotel chain from 1892 to 1921.
Gun threat in online squabble over girlfriend
WINONA, Minn. – A man said an acquaintance threatened to shoot him. The threat, he said, was online. He told police that the other guy accused him of flirting with his girlfriend and threatened to “come ever” to his place in the 1100 block of Sugar Loaf Road. He called police. This was about 2:20 p.m.
Hate group droppings around town: “Join us”
WINONA, Minn. – The Cotter Schools neighborhood has been hit with anonymous and somewhat obscure messages from white supremacists. Police learned of one packet outside the Winona Arts Conservatory at the Cotter campus and then another nearby. A third turned up on the East End. It was believed more zip baggies were dropped around town — and likely thrown away unopened by people clearing trash from their lawns. The baggies contained birdseed apparently to weigh them down to prevent them from blowing away. “No one appears to be targeted and it all seems to be random,” said police spokesperson Nick Quimby. He said that investigators had found an online post on the Winona MN Community Group site with a photo of half a dozen zip baggies in a pile with the Aryan Freedom Network message. Quimby said there were no explicit indicators of anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant or anti-Catholic sentiments. “Currently we have no leads on who is littering them in the neighborhoods,” he said. For now, he said, police have not elevated the investigation to taking fingerprints or reporting the indents to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Who can join. Must be 100% of White European ancestry: Nordic, Slavic, Mediterranean, Celtic or Germanic. Must be 18. Must have high School diploma or equivalent. Unlike KKK and some hate groips, AFN invites Catholics to jon. Among those unacceptable: Islamists, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists
Aryan Freedom Network profile
The Aryan Freedom Network is an upstart neo-Nazi group founded in 2018 and based in DeKalb Texas, population 1,500 and 35 miles west of Texarkana. The group’s membership is not known but is dsrbed on the AFN online sit as as “small but growing” with cells in 25 states. AFN claims “hardline white supremacist views” and directs its self-proclaimed “vitriol” at Jews, Blacks and gays. In 2023, the group launched a $150,000 crowd-funding campaign to construct a white supremacist museum and venue to host pro-white events.
Totenkopf logo
“Totenkopf” is German for “death’s head” — a skull-and-crossbones image. The image was used by Hitler’s Totenkopfverbande SS branch in the 1930s and 1940s was to guard Nazi concentration camps. After World War II neo-Nazis and other white supremacists resurrected the Totenkopf as a hate symbol, usually with acorns and oak leaves to convey willingness to defend white racial purity.
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For family memory albums? Unsavory or not, everyone poses for group photos at Aryan Freedom Network gatherings. Faces blotted.
KKK links
The pioneering Anti- Defamation League has assembled ta biography if Aryan Freedom Network. The bio says that AFN is led by Tonia Sue Berry (a.k.a. Daisy Barr) and Dalton Henry Stout (a.k.a. Brother Henry). Berry’s father was the late Indiana Ku Klux Klan wizard Jeff Berry. Her brother, was Anthony Berry, the Indiana state grand dragon. He was a speaker at the 2018 Arklatex White Unity Conference organized by Stout. AFN is the latest white supremacist group created by Stout. Prior to 2018, Stout led the White Knights of Texas and organized the Texas State Skinheads. He registered a web domain name now used by Aryan Freedom Network
WSU now up-to-speed with state flag
WINONA, Minn. – Four days late the new Minnesota state flags have been hoisted at Winona State. Jim Goblirsch assistant facilities vice president, said there had been a run on flag-makers for the new flags. As a result, he said, the Winona State order had been queued in back-order.
Earlier: Unfurling in a Winona breeze: New Minnesota flag
Earlier: At WSU they missed the memo
Grinch returneth: $800 stolen from deli tips
WINONA, Minn. – An estimated $800 left by customers as tips has gone missing at Beno’s downtown deli. The money was in an envelope, said owner Corinne Loomis. Beno’s. is open for kunch. The [lace is known for a homemade sauce slathered on sandwiches.
Beno’s. In the old City Hall at 78 East Fourth Street
Displeased pair return noisily at forestry station
LEWISTON, Minn. – A man and woman were reported banging on doors and windows at the state forestry office. Foresters said there had been ongoing issues with the couple. Deputies suggested that the agency seek a restraining order from a judge.
ATV lights, racket upsetting cows
WINONA, Minn. – Sheriff’s deputies have been assigned extra patrols along Highway 43 south out of Winona because of noise complaints about all-terrain vehicles. Farmers said ATV lights and unmuffled engines were distressing cows and perhaps affecting milk production. Some cows had broken through fences. The complaints were in the Braeburn Road area between Winona and Wilson.
On grafted branches, a pastel delight
What April shower hath brought. My, oh my, they’re a unique hybrid flower for May. Along State Highway 16 up a ways from Hokah in Houston County. Image: Mike Beckman
Mom to jail, booked for malicious punishment
WINONA, Minn. – A 12-year-old girl told police she ran away from home after her mother beat her up badly. Police arrested the mother, Rebecca Sue Randall, and arranged temporary custodial care for the daughter. Police became involved about 5:50 p.m. when Randal called to report her daughter had run away from their place the 1750 block of West Wabasha Street. Police located the girl a few blocks away at the Kwik Trip convenience store on West Broadway. Police said the girl gave this account: There had been an argument. She tried to leave, but the mother blocked her and grabbed by her hair and lifted her up. The girl attempted to get her mother to stop by scratching her on the neck. The mother then threw the child against the wall by her hair. The girl fled. At Kwik Trip, police said, the girl showed a cut upper lip and scratches on an arm. There was dried blood around her mouth, police said.
Randall. Tentative charges: Domestic assault and malicious punishment of a child.
Winona Winhawk sights on Big Nine softball title
WINONA, Minn. – The Winona Winhawks moved firmly into conference championship possibilities with a 7-3 high school softball victry over the vaunted Mankato West Scarlets. The victory gave the Winhawks a 9-2 Big Nine conference record and Mankato West 8-2. Next the Winhawks hit the road against Rochester Mayo, which holds a 6-5 conference record.
Cops: Swimming hole incident a non-incident
GOODVIEW, Minn. – A girl at the Airport Lake swimming hole told police that a man in a car had asked her to get in his car. She didn’t, she said, and he drove off. She jotted down his vehicle license number. Police traced the car to a Winona man, who said he was at the lake to pick up his daughter and had no idea what the other girl was talking about.
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