>>Minnesota State Patrol Responds to 86 Crashes, 102 Vehicle Spinouts Thursday
(Golden Valley, MN) — Many drivers stayed off the roads during the snowstorm Thursday, but the Minnesota State Patrol responded to dozens of accidents and spinouts. Troopers say there were 86 crashes and 102 vehicles off the road statewide between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Six people were injured in those incidents. Road conditions are expected to improve today (Friday).
>>Shakopee Police Respond to Viral ‘Car-Skiing’ Photo
(Shakopee, MN) — Police in Shakopee are reminding residents that ‘car-skiing’ is not legal in Minnesota. A photo taken during the snowstorm Wednesday shows a man on skis being pulled behind a vehicle on a city street. The Shakopee P-D put the picture on social media with the “no” symbol over it and the caption, “We didn’t think we’d have to post something like this, but here we are…” The skier is wearing a helmet in the picture.
>>Austin Man Sentenced for Role in Drug-Related Fatal Shooting
(Austin, MN) — A man from Austin is sentenced to ten years in prison for his role in a drug-related shooting death in August of 2021. Keith Forrest pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the second-degree murder of 48-year-old David Harris. Police say Forrest and Miguel Nunez, Junior went to rob Harris of drugs and Nunez shot him multiple times in the chest. Forrest and Nunez fled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota after the shooting.
>>Perham Woman Found Dead in Crow Wing County
(Deerwood, MN) — Authorities in Crow Wing County are investigating the death of a woman Wednesday afternoon in Deerwood. Sheriff’s deputies say they found 48-year-old Nicole Gutzman of Perham (PUR’-um) unresponsive near Highway 6 and she died at the scene. It is unknown how long Gutzman had been there. Investigators aren’t releasing any other information at this time.
>>Snowmobile stolen from fatal crash site in north-central MN recovered
(Bemidji, MN) — The sheriff’s department in north-central Minnesota’s Beltrami County has recovered a snowmobile stolen from the scene of a fatal crash Sunday. A woman died when a snowmobile collided with a tractor-trailer on the Soo Line Trail and several hours later, her family and friends returned to recover several snowmobiles left there — but one had been stolen. Deputies followed tracks to rural addresses in Dudley Township and the stolen snowmobile was found at one of those locations. Felony theft charges are pending against a male and a female.