Aristotle Wladyslaw Piwowar, 35, St. Cloud, was convicted Monday in Morrison County District Court for issuing a dishonored check.

The charges stem from a May 11, 2016 incident, when Piwowar went to a business in Morrison County and paid for a motorcycle with a check made out in the amount of $3,097.75.

The account on the check was in the name of a business with the same address as the one listed on Piwowar’s driver’s license.

The check was later returned due to a closed account. A notice and demand for payment was sent out to Piwowar on June 1, 2016, after several attempts to contact him met with no response.

The St. Cloud Police Department found Piwowar in town and seized the motorcycle, before returning it to the business.

Piwowar was sentenced to 19 months in prison and was fined $135.

Victor Ramirez Martinez, 23, Rice, is facing a felony charge in Morrison County District Court for allegedly receiving a stolen dirt bike.

The charge stems from a July 4 incident, when the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a stolen dirt bike worth $2,500.

Later that day, an officer with the Little Falls Police Department informed the sheriff’s department that someone had driven by him on a dirt bike that wasn’t street legal.

A deputy stopped the bike and allegedly identified the driver as Martinez.

Martinez allegedly told the officer he had paid $1,000 for the bike, but couldn’t remember the name of the person he bought it from.

A description of the stolen bike allegedly matched the one Martinez was driving and he was arrested for being in possession of stolen property.

If convicted, Martinez faces up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Devin James Guenther, 18, Elk River, was convicted July 5 in Morrison County District Court of felony fifth degree drug possession.

The charge stems from Oct. 23, 2016, when Guenther was part of an incident at a Little Falls home,  along with Sharonda Mae Little, Ricardo Medina and Evan William Anderson, where an armed altercation over a drug deal took place.

Officers arrested Guenther and Anderson at the residence.

At the Morrison County Jail, Guenther said Little had told him to conduct surveillance around the area.

Forty-one Xanax pills, a Schedule IV controlled substance were found on Guenther.

He told officers he did not have a prescription for the drug, but would not say where he got the pills.

Guenther was sentenced to 45 days in jail and was given credit for 33 days served.

He was also sentenced to five years of supervised probation and was fined $135.

Troy Maris Oberton, 53, Little Falls, is facing a felony first degree methamphetamine manufacturing charge in Morrison County District Court.

The charge allegedly stems from a July 7 incident, when an officer responded to a potential shoplifting incident at a Little Falls business. Store personnel also said the suspect caused damage to the store two days prior by mixing toxic chemicals.

The officer went to the business and stopped Oberton as he was leaving with a cart of items.

It was allegedly discovered that Oberton had not paid for a bottle of butane, which Oberton said had been an accident.

A female passenger who has not been charged, allegedly gave officers consent to search the vehicle.

Officers allegedly noticed two black bags in the vehicle. When Oberton gave the officers the bags, they allegedly found drug paraphernalia.

Officers found more alleged paraphernalia, a small amount of meth and a two-liter bottle containing what appeared to be chemicals, allegedly identified as a “shake and bake” meth lab.

Oberton allegedly said he had tried to produce meth using instructions from the internet, but the batch blew up on him

If convicted, Oberton faces up to 15 years in prison and/or a $500,000 fine. This is half of the maximum sentence for meth manufacturing because according to Minnesota law, an attempted crime in most cases carries half the sentence of a crime that was completed.

Morrison County Attorney Brian Middendorf and his staff have filed gross misdemeanor complaints against the following people:

• Melissa Rae Nordick-Winkelman, 51, Baxter — In connection with a June 15 incident, Nordick-Winkelman has been charged with two counts of DWI.
• Ronald Eugene Clark, Jr., 20, Royalton — In connection with a June 19 incident, Clark has been charged with one count of DWI.
• David Rhys Blosser, 41, Fort Ripley — In connection with a June 19 incident, Blosser has been charged with two counts of DWI and one count of driving without proof of insurance.
• Anthony Larell Davis, 29, Little Falls — In connection with a June 30 incident, Davis has been charged with one count of harassment, violate restraining order with 10 years of previous domestic violence conviction.
• Christopher Mark Thompson, 23, St. Paul — In connection with a July 2 incident, Thompson has been charged with two counts of third degree DWI.
• John Wesley Johnson, Jr., 30, St. Paul — In connection with a July 7 incident, Johnson has been charged with one count of driving after cancellation.
• Donna Marie Alger, 35, Little Falls — In connection with a July 7 incident, Alger has been charged with a count of fifth degree controlled substance crime.
• James Allen Irish, 35, Bovy — In connection with a July 2 incident, Irish has been charged with one count of third degree criminal damage to property.
• Kaesy Ellanora Craft, 31, Cushing — In connection with a July 4 incident, Craft has been charged with two counts of DWI.
• Lee Raymond Herold, 32, Pierz — In connection with a July 5 incident, Herold has been charged with one count of driving after cancellation.

If found guilty, they could face a maximum penalty of one year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine.

The court will set their appearance dates.

The following people, charged with a gross misdemeanor or misdemeanor level crime in Morrison County District Court, have recently been sentenced:

Gross Misdemeanor

• Donald Paul Yanta, 25, Pierz  (offense: 11/24/2016) theft – value more than $500 but less than $1,000, fined $285, sentenced to 15 days in jail and supervised probation to the court for one year.
• Allen Edward Kruzel, 47, Swanville (offense: 3/31/2017) DWI, fined $385, sentenced to 45 days in jail and supervised probation for six years. Dismissed against Kruzel was one gross misdemeanor count of DWI.
• Scott Charles Harrington, 59, Bloomington (offense: 1/30/2016) driving after cancellation, find $385, sentenced to 30 days in jail and supervised probation for two years.
• Jason George Wimmer, 33, Pierz (offense: 10/20/2016) DWI, fined $415, sentenced to 45 days in jail and supervised probation for six years. Dismissed against Wimmer was one gross misdemeanor charge of DWI.

Misdemeanors

• Desiree Lynn Okerman, 47, Little Falls (offense: 5/30/2017) theft – take/use/transfer movable property,  no consent, fined $135, probation to the court for one year.
• James Allen Irish, 35, Bovey (offense: 7/2/2017) damage to property, fined $815, sentenced to one day in jail and probation to the court for one year.
• Aristotle Wladyslaw Piwowar, 36, St. Cloud (offense: 6/14/2016) issued dishonored check, fined $243.53.
• Alyssa Rose Fuchs, 36, Royalton (offense: 3/31/2016) driving after suspension, fined $53.41, probation to the court for one year.

June 29 — A resident on 10th Avenue in Long Prairie reported a telephone scam.

June 30 — A resident on Highway 27 in Little Falls reported the theft of a pole saw.

July 2 — A resident on Harness Road in Little Falls reported the theft of a quantity of cedar boards.

July 2 — The Morrison County Jail reported a property damage incident.

July 2 — A resident on 40th Street in Bowlus reported windows had been broken out of two of their tractors.

July 3 — A resident on Great River Road in Little Falls reported a theft.

July 3 — A resident on Azure Road in Cushing reported a theft.

July 3 — A resident in Upsala reported a theft.

July 3 — The city of Swanville reported a case of fraud.

July 3 — A resident on Freemont Street in Bowlus reported a burglary.

July 4 — A resident on Auger Road in Motley reported someone damaged their camper.

July 4 — A resident on Highway 27 in Little Falls reported someone had stolen their dirt bike and replaced it with a regular bicycle. The dirt bike is a red, black and white 2006 Honda CRF 150, valued at $2,500.

July 4 — A business on 320th Street in Cushing reported a gas drive-off.

July 4 — A resident on Lake Road in Pierz reported someone had damaged the windshield and mirrors on a friend’s car.

July 5 — A resident on Highway 25 in Pierz reported damage done to their property.

July 7 — A resident on Second Avenue in Bowlus reported a scam in which a caller said the resident owed money on a credit card. The resident has no credit cards.

July 7 — A resident on 95th Street in Little Falls reported a phone scam.

July 7 — A resident on Great River Road in Little Falls reported a phone scam.

July 8 — A resident on Dollars Drive in Pillager reported a burglary. Someone pried the security lock off of a shed. Missing was a duffel bag of hunting clothes, bibs and jackets, valued at $400, two pair of Muck boots, a pop-up fish house valued at $500; miscellaneous fishing tackle, valued at $125 – $150, and a Vexilar fish finder, valued at $150.

July 8 — A resident on 110th Street in Little Falls reported a telephone scam.

July 9 — A resident on Third Street in Swanville reported damage done to their property.

July 9 — A resident on 140th Street in Swanville reported someone had broken into their storage unit, although nothing appeared to be missing.

July 9 — A resident on Dogwood Lane in Motley reported someone kicked in the door of their residence, causing damage.

July 10 — A resident on Abaca Road and Cedar Lake Road in Burtrum reported the theft of their business sign from the intersection. The sign was valued at $250 – $300.

July 11 — A resident on 168th Street in Hillman reported the theft of a bow from their garage.

July 12 — A resident on Skyview Road in Hillman reported a telephone scam in which the caller asked a question to which the resident answered, “Yes.”

Damian David Hansmann, 26, Little Falls, was convicted July 10, of violating registration requirements as a predatory offender.

Due to a prior conviction, Hansmann is required to register as a predatory offender until 2041, and meet requirements including notifying law enforcement when his primary address changes.

Hansmann’s most recent address, prior to the incident, was at a residence in Little Falls.

When law enforcement attempted to verify this was still where he lived, a woman told the officer she had kicked him out Dec. 16, 2016 and that she didn’t know where he was.

Hansmann was sentenced to 26 months in prison and was fined $135.

Hansmann was also convicted of fifth degree misdemeanor assault in a separate case. Misdemeanor disorderly conduct and property damage charges were dismissed.

NEWS RELEASE
July 17, 2017

The Morrison County Sheriff‘s Office and the Little Falls Police Department report that at about 8:45 p.m., Sunday evening, a Morrison County Deputy observed a vehicle traveling northbound on Haven Road, south of Little Falls at high rate of speed. Little Falls Police Officers attempted to stop the vehicle traveling north through Little Falls but the vehicle did not stop. A pursuit was initiated and continued north of Little Falls on Haven Road. Officers were able to confirm the license plate number on the vehicle involved and learned that is was allegedly stolen out of Richfield, MN. The pursuit ended near 243rd Street and 147th Avenue in Ripley Township when the vehicle crashed. The two occupants in the vehicle fled from officers on foot but were eventually located.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Johnson Browneagle, 26, Minneapolis and Alexandra Hanks, 22, Minneapolis, were arrested and are being held in Morrison County Jail pending formal charges.

The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office and the Little Falls Police Department were assisted by the MN State Patrol and the Baxter Police Department.

NEWS RELEASE
July 17, 2017

Morrison County Sheriff Shawn Larsen reports that on July 15, at approximately 9:59 p.m., a Morrison County Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2006 Dodge Charger near the intersection of 1st Street and 4th Avenue NE in the city of Little Falls. The driver was identified as Juan Valentin Botello Sanchez, 27, Melrose. Sanchez allegedly admitted to not having a valid driver’s license and was placed under arrest. During the impound inventory of Sanchez’s vehicle, approximately 37 grams of suspected methamphetamine was allegedly located and seized. The methamphetamine seized has a street value of over $1,000.

Sanchez is being held in the Morrison County Jail pending charges for second degree possession of a controlled substance.

July 13 — A resident on 133rd Street in Pierz reported someone had torn their mailbox off the post and threw it in the ditch.
July 14 — A resident on Ranch Road in Hillman reported several signs had been pulled out or shot at, located about one mile south of Highway 27 on Ranch Road.
July 14 — A resident on 95th Street in Little Falls reported someone drove through the property causing damage to a corn field.
July 15 — A resident on 140th Street in Swanville reported several storage units had been broken into.
July 16 — A business on 320th Street in Cushing reported a theft.
July 18 — A resident on 320th Street in Cushing reported something had broken a window out of their building.

Jason Daniel Rau, 29, St. Cloud, is facing a felony charge for allegedly possessing a stolen vehicle.

The charge stems from a July 10 incident, when a Morrison County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a report of suspicious vehicles in the northwest part of Little Falls.

When the deputy located one of the vehicles and stopped it, the driver allegedly got out of the car and began walking away from the officer, before being ordered back by the deputy who had drawn his firearm.

The driver, identified as Rau, allegedly told the deputy he was walking away because there were warrants out for his arrest, which dispatch confirmed, the criminal complaint said.

Rau allegedly told the officer he had borrowed the car from a friend, but could not say the friend’s last name.

The deputy ran the plates and identified the owner, who allegedly said she was unaware the car was missing and that no one had permission to take it. When the owner arrived at the scene, she allegedly identified the car as hers.

If convicted, Rau faces up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Juan Valentin Botello Sanchez, 26, Melrose, is facing a felony second degree drug possession charge in Morrison County District Court.

Sanchez is also charged with driving after his license was revoked.

The charges stem from a July 15 incident, when Sanchez was pulled over for his car having extremely loud exhaust pipe.

A search of Sanchez’s driving record allegedly showed it was revoked and that he has numerous driving after his license was revoked charges.

Sanchez was then arrested for driving on a revoked license and his vehicle was impounded.

During an inventory of the impounded vehicle, law enforcement allegedly found drug paraphernalia and about 37 grams of alleged packaged methamphetamine.

If convicted of the felony charge, Sanchez could face up to 25 years in prison and/or a $500,000 fine.

The following people, charged with a gross misdemeanor or misdemeanor level crime in Morrison County District Court, have recently been sentenced:

Misdemeanors

• Scott Allen Boller, 35, Pillager (offense: 9/24/2014)  domestic abuse, fined $135, sentenced to 38 days in jail and supervised probation for two years.
• Paul Lavell Charleston, 40, Little Falls (offense: 4/4/2017) two counts of fifth degree assault, fined $135, sentenced to three days in jail and supervised probation for one year.
• James Leonard Psick, 62, Royalton (offense: 6/2/2017) DWI, fined $560, sentenced to one day in jail and supervised probation for two years. Dismissed against Psick was one gross misdemeanor count of DWI.
• Lucille Raye Schroeder, 19, Sauk Rapids (offense: 5/27/2017) alcohol – consumption by persons under 21, fined $135, supervised probation for one year.
• Scott Allen Boller, Jr., 35, Pillager (offense: 5/31/2015) domestic assault, ined $135, sentenced to 25 days in jail.
• Brandon Lee Haglund, 29, (offense: 4/13/2017) theft – take/use/transfer movable property – no consent, fined $85, probation to the court for one year.

Morrison County Attorney Brian Middendorf and his staff have filed gross misdemeanor complaints against the following people:

• Dustin Donald Patrick, 34, Little Falls — In connection with a June 5 incident, Patrick has been charged with one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor and one count of drugs – possess/sale small amount of marijuana.
• Gerald Orval Moore, 72, Royalton — In connection with a May 7 incident, Moore has been charged with one count of driving after cancellation.
• Terry Laverne Runge, 38, Eagle Bend — In connection with a March 13 incident, Runge has been charged with two counts of DWI.
• Steven Michael Fimon, 55, Little Falls — In connection with a May 7 incident, Fimon has been charged with one count driving after cancellation.
• Julia Paula Otterness, 21, Little Falls — In connection with a June 5 incident, Otterness has been charged with one count of assault – fourth degree, correction employee – probation officer/prosecutor/judge – intentionally transfers bodily harm.
• Kristin Mae Nathe, 32, St. Cloud — In connection with a Nov. 17, 2016, incident, Nathe has been charged with two counts of DWI.
• Steve Michael Meyer, 31, Pierz — In connection with a July 12 incident, Meyer has been charged with two counts of DWI; one count of driving after revocation and one count of driving must carry proof of insurance when operating a vehicle.
• Dalton Lee Heyer, 23, Faribault — In connection with a May 28 incident, Heyer has been charged with one count of criminal vehicular operation and one count of DWI.
• Michael Alan Dancer, 31, Royalton — In connection with a March 25 incident, Dancer has been charged with two counts of DWI.

If found guilty, they could face a maximum penalty of one year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine.

The court will set their appearance dates.

Richard Robert Hoffman, 38, Hillman, was convicted of felony first degree DWI, July 12, in Morrison County District Court.

A second felony first degree DWI charge and a gross misdemeanor for driving after a license was revoked, were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

The charges stem from a Nov. 2, 2014 incident, when the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office received a report that a dog in its carrier cage had fallen out of a truck and had been struck by the truck. The dog was severely injured.

The dog’s owner said the dog was in Hoffman’s possession at the time.

A deputy drove to Hoffman’s residence and was there when Hoffman returned home. Two dogs in cages were in the back of Hoffman’s truck. The tailgate of the truck was open.

Hoffman admitted the dog had fallen out of the truck, saying he had thought he had secured the cages.

Hoffman smelled of alcohol and his eyes were watery and bloodshot. He agreed to perform field-sobriety tests.

A portable breath test came back at 0.20 alcohol concentration. He was placed under arrest for driving while impaired.

While at the jail, Hoffman refused to give a breath test.

Hoffman has previous DWI convictions from Benton and Morrison Counties, between 2004 to 2012.

Hoffman was sentenced to 60 days in jail and was given credit for five days served.

He was also sentenced to seven years of supervised probation and was fined $185.

Michael Anthony Woodworth, 56, Minneapolis, is facing rendition to North Dakota over an arrest warrant from Richland County in North Dakota.

The warrant was issued in May, for a felony forgery charge which allegedly took place in February.

Investigators spoke with Woodworth at the Morrison County Jail, July 10, and he allegedly said he had been in the area when the offense allegedly occurred, but was unaware of the warrant and would be returning to North Dakota to deal with the matter.

Johnson Joseph Browneagle, 26, Minneapolis, and Alexandra Jewell Hanks, 22, Minneapolis, are facing felony possession of stolen property charges. Browneagle also faces a felony charge for fleeing police in a stolen vehicle, while Hanks was charged with a misdemeanor for fleeing on foot.

The charges stem from a July 16 incident, when a Morrison County Sheriff’s Deputy located a vehicle travelling at a high speed near Iris Road on Highway 10.

The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle but it would not.

Several law enforcement officers then continued the pursuit, as it traveled north out of Little Falls.

The license plates allegedly showed that the vehicle had been stolen from a Richfield residence in June.

Several miles north of Little Falls, the chase ended after the vehicle crashed at the end of a dead end road. At times, the 11-mile chase led to the vehicle traveling at speeds in excess of 130 mph.

The two suspects, allegedly identified as Browneagle and Hanks, attempted to flee on foot, the criminal complaint said.

Both were arrested and it was allegedly discovered Browneagle had a felony warrant out for his arrest from the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Marijuana was also allegedly located in the vehicle.

If convicted of both felonies, Browneagle faces up to eight years and one day in prison and/or $15,000 in fines.

If convicted of the felony possession of stolen property charge, Hanks faces up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

A felony domestic assault by strangulation charge against William Warren Barnhart IV, 29, Little Falls, was dismissed July 12 in Morrison County District Court.

Barnhart pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor domestic assault charge as part of a plea agreement.

The charges stem from a Feb. 2 incident, when Barnhart was accused of attacking a woman and choking her.

Barnhart denied striking the woman.

Barnhart was sentenced to two years of supervised probation and was fined $385.

Jerome David Haggerty, 39, Little Falls, is facing a felony second degree assault charge and a misdemeanor fifth degree assault charge in Morrison County District Court, after allegedly attacking two people at a Little Falls bar.

The charges stem from a July 9 incident, when Haggerty and another man got into an argument following Haggerty allegedly flicking a cigarette butt at the victim’s face.

After arguing for a while, the victim attempted to leave, but Haggerty allegedly came up to him, pulled out a knife and held it in a stabbing fashion.

The victim was able to get away from Haggerty and get help from the bar, the criminal complaint said.

Another individual went outside with the victim to intervene, and the two allegedly found the knife laying on the ground, and stood in front of it to keep it away from Haggerty.

The second victim said Haggerty allegedly hit him in the mouth, drawing blood. The victim allegedly had not said anything to Haggerty directly, before being hit in the face.

Other patrons allegedly corroborated the two victims’ stories.

Officers arrested Haggerty who allegedly appeared intoxicated.

If convicted of the felony charge, Haggerty faces up to seven years in prison and/or a $14,000 fine.