>>Motive Still Unclear in Cloquet Shootings
(Cloquet, MN) — Two people were shot and killed at the Super 8 Hotel in Cloquet early Monday night, and the suspected shooter was found dead near the scene. Cloquet Police Chief Derek Randall says what led up to the shooting remains unclear. When officers arrived, they found a 22-year-old Cloquet woman with a gunshot wound. She was taken to hospital where she died a short time later. Officers then found a 35-year-old Deer River man who had multiple gunshot wounds inside a vehicle in the parking lot deceased. Officers later found a 32-year-old Ramsey man outside the hotel who died from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, with a firearm next to him. Investigators reviewed the surveillance video and confirmed it was the suspected shooter. The names of the victims are being withheld pending family notification.
>>Baxter RN Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining Opioids
(Minneapolis, MN) — A registered nurse from the Brainerd Lakes area is pleading guilty to fraudulently obtaining prescription opioid medications from a hospice clinic in Baxter. The U-S Attorney’s Office says 33-year-old Cambie Broker admitted to entering false prescription requests into the clinic’s software program to obtain oxycodone, fentanyl, and hydromorphone for illegal sale and use. Prosecutors say Broker wrongfully acquired more than 19-thousand oxycodone pills, 230 hydromorphone pills, and 51 fentanyl patches. Her sentencing hearing hasn’t been scheduled.
>>Man Threatening to Kill Woman Arrested in Chisago County
(Wyoming, MN) — A man jailed in Chisago County overnight is accused of threatening to kill a woman in the city of Wyoming. Deputies say the suspect had taken the phones of two women in a home and was making threats to kill one of them. The women locked themselves in an upstairs bedroom and were rescued by SWAT team members. Officers negotiated with the man from an armored vehicle, and he came out of the house and was taken into custody without incident.
>>Inmate Pleads Guilty to Meth Distribution at Stillwater Prison
(St. Paul, MN) — An inmate at Minnesota’s Stillwater prison will have time added to his sentence after pleading guilty to selling meth to other inmates. The Department of Justice says 36-year-old Axel Kramer pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute meth. Kramer admitted to working with a former corrections officer to get meth into the prison at least six times. Kramer is already serving a 288-month sentence for second-degree murder. A sentencing hearing for Kramer is still pending.
>>Rochester’s Ear of Corn Water Tower Gets Historic Landmark Status
(Rochester, MN) — Rochester leaders have voted to extend historic landmark status to the city’s ear of corn water tower. The city council voted unanimously Monday to make the structure Rochester’s 15th designated landmark. The water tower was built in 1931 and was restored by Olmsted County after the closure of the Seneca Foods canning factory a few years ago. The designation will force a review of any proposed changes that could alter the appearance of the water tower.