CRIME & SAFETY

A Hanska man, Dustin Michael Thompson, age 37, was sentenced in Redwood County Court for felony drug possession after it was discovered he had hidden methamphetamine in a deputy’s squad car. According to court records, on Jan. 9, 2022, a Redwood County deputy was cleaning a squad car and...

A Redwood Falls man, Brandon Forrest Leith, has been sentenced in Redwood County Court for a felony-level assault that occurred in September. According to court documents, on Sept. 29, 2023, a Redwood County deputy was dispatched to a residence in Clements, on a report of a possible domestic assault. The victim stated that he and Leith had been arguing, and that Leith punched him repeatedly. The deputy noted blood on the victim. The deputy that spoke with Leith, who confirmed the interaction with the victim had become physical.

A man who was in the Brown County jail on theft charges is now facing felony drug charges. Court documents say that on November 27, a sargent with the sheriff’s department was doing a jail check. Garrent Dean Loudermilk was asleep in a room and the seargent noticed a baggie on the floor. The sergeant asked Loudermilk about the baggie and he said it wasn’t his. Court documents say the baggie wasn’t on the floor during earlier rounds. The package did test positive for methamphetamine. He faces felony third-degree drug charges and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. Loudermilk was in jail in connection with burglaries at New Ulm Public Utilities over the Thanksgiving weekend.

A Sleepy Eye man who held a knife near police this week is facing six felony charges in two criminal cases in Brown County. Court documents say that Sleepy Eye Police received a call from Mathiowetz Body Shop around 9 pm Wednesday about a man acting strangely. Police located the man identified as Shane Allen Peterson near Hardees. Peterson asked them for a ride home. He invited police inside, and then threw a hammer into a living room that bounced off a table near the officers. He then walked toward an officer holding a knife. He put the knife down as the officer reached for his service weapon. The officers left the residence but returned to arrest the man the next day. However they knocked on the door and no one answered. Police then got a call from Ross Park Apartments reporting that a man had damaged property and created other issues. Peterson was arrested at Hardees. He is charged with two counts of felony second degree burglary, two counts of felony third-degree burglary, misdemeanor fourth-degree criminal damage to property, theft and disorderly conduct in the first case. Charges in the second case include felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, felony threats of violence, reckless disregard risk, misdemeanor fifth-degree assault and disorderly conduct. He is in custody in the Brown County Jail.

This week in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, two incidents occurred that impacted the safety of the community. Firstly, a house fire displaced a family of five due to excessive smoke damage. The fire started in the basement and the cause is still under investigation. Secondly, a former employee of the New Ulm Public Utilities Commission was charged with theft after stealing items from the PUC building. The stolen items included a safe containing documents and invoices related to the utilities commission. The suspect was traced through his PUC access card.

A home in Franklin was damaged by fire over the weekend. The Renville County Sheriff’s Office responded to a garage fire at 225 3rd Ave W on Saturday at 4:41 p.m. The home is owned by Wesley Lund, 41, of Franklin. Firefighters arrived at the home to find an...

A garage and house were damaged by fire at a residence in Franklin Saturday afternoon. The Renville County Sheriff’s Office says at just after 4:30pm, they received a report of a garage fire at 225 3rd Avenue W. That residence is owned by 41-year-old, Wesley Lund of Franklin. On...

Three Rochester area men are now accused of being involved in the theft of several vehicles, a boat motor and other devices from New Ulm Public Utilities over the Thanksgiving weekend. 55-year-old Jeff Anthony Ward and 36-year-old Morgan Wolf of Wykoff and 32-year-old Phillip Kocer of Rochester all face charges ranging from aiding and abetting burglary and theft and felony receiving stolen property. Former Public Utilities employee Garrett Loudermilk was charged in Brown County District Court Tuesday with felony second-degree burglary use of force and felony third-degree burglary. He is out on bail. Court documents say an Olmsted County Sheriff’s Deputy found a safe connected to the city of New Ulm found on the side of a road. Loudermilk told authorities he was going to take the boat motor to Iowa to trade it for two jet skis. A search of his residence found a truckload full of items. Wolf was arrested in Watonwan County on drug charges. Stolen items were found in his vehicle. Ward and Kocer were involved in help to steal a Kubota tractor. Wolf has a court appearance this (Friday) afternoon at 3:45. Ward and Kocer have appearances scheduled for Tuesday, December 12 as does Loudermilk who is out on bail. Loudermilk was an employee at the PUC and used his access card to gain entry into the building.

It is a well known fact that LGBTQ folks face increased violence and victimization just for being who we are. This fact is unfortunately one that definitely applies locally. I have spent the last several years researching the murders of gay men in the local area. These men are Henry...

A former employee of the New Ulm Public Utilities Commission is accused of stealing a number of items from the PUC building over the Thanksgiving weekend. 43-year-old Garrett Loudermilk of St. James is accused of theft after Olmsted County deputies discovered a safe connected to New Ulm Public Utilities was along a road. Court documents say New Ulm Police were notified Saturday of the safe, which contained documents and invoices related to New Ulm Public Utilities. Loudermilk was traced to the burglaries through his PUC access card. Among the stolen items was a 2013 GMC Savanna van, a 2016 Ford F350, Dodge Ram 1500, a Kubota tractor, boat motors and numerous electronic devices. Loudermilk told authorities that he was planning to take a boat motor to Iowa to trade it for two jet skis and a stolen PUC truck was parked in Hanska near the grain elevator and the stolen van was in Darfur. Charges were filed in Brown County District Court Tuesday. Loudermilk is facing felony second-degree burglary – use of force and felony third-degree burglary charges. Bail was set at $100,000 without conditions, $20,000 with. A hearing was set for Tuesday morning, December 12.