UPDATE: Name Released of Otsego Woman Who Died in Crash

A 26-year-old Otsego woman was killed Wednesday on slippery roads.

Crimes Against Government, Domestic Assault, and Obscene Material: St. Michael Area Arrests

St. Michael, Albertville and Otsego arrests in the past week.

  The following arrests pertaining to St. Michael, Albertville and Otsego were reported Monday by the Wright County Sheriff's Office for the week of Jan. 7 through Jan. 14. An arrest means the person has been taken into custody and, in most cases, charged with the crime listed. Jan. 7: Travis John Hawkinson, 29, of Albertville was arrested in Buffalo on a Wright County warrant for violation of a restraining order. Mercedes Aguilar, 46, of St. Michael was charged with gross misdemeanor failure to stop for a school bus. Jan. 9: James Robert Hanson, 51, of Otsego was arrested in Otsego on a Minnesota Department of Corrections warrant for domestic assault. Jan. 10: Ryan Dean Fish, 38, of Otsego was arrested in Otsego on the charge of domestic …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Where Can You Go Sledding in the St. Michael Area?

This winter, find local favorites for sledding and fun in the snow.

Hills with decades of sledding history are blanketed with snow and ready for those young and old to take to a favorite winter activity — sledding. As the days slide into the midst of winter, families new to the area, or those with sledding on their list of adventures this season, have a few options when picking local sledding hills. Highwoods Park in St. Michael features a huge hill that's perfect for sledding. Appropriate for all ages, one side has a huge drop-down to the townhome area below, and the other face of the hill is a smaller slope, fit for the younger ones. The sledding hill at Highwoods used to be part of a farm field, until widespread development took place in the area in the early 2000s, said St. Michael Community …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

Monticello Man Arrested For Domestic Assault by Strangulation, No Underage Consumption Arrests: Wright County Police Blotter

A report of arrests in Wright County last week, including in St. Michael, Albertville and Otsego.

  Toddrea Amir Sweats Tyson, 19, of Monticello was arrested Dec. 10 in Monticello by Wright County Sheriff's deputies on the charge of domestic assault by strangulation. Other arrests in the area reported last week are: Dec. 10 David Robert Boyle, 25, of Buffalo was arrested in Buffalo on a Wright County warrant for 5th degree controlled substance violation. James Andrew Tobias, 31, of Minneapolis was arrested in Buffalo on a Wright County warrant for 2nd degree DWI. Adam Dale Fosdick, 28, of Elk River was arrested in Buffalo on an apprehension and detention order from Wright County. Duane Reginald Bostic, 20, of Elk River was arrested in Sherburne County on a Wright County warrant for financial transaction card fraud. Dec. 12 Michael …

• Photos (2)

Drug Arrests, Car-Deer Accidents Lead Police Blotter

A look at St. Michael, Albertville, Otsego and Rogers arrests and police calls in the past week.

Three area arrests in the past week — in St. Michael, Albertville and Rogers — were on the charges of controlled substance violations. The Wright County Sheriff's Office also kept busy with several accidents — there were 23 car-deer accidents between Nov. 26 and Dec. 2. The following St. Michael, Albertville, Otsego and Rogers arrests were reported by Wright County deputies. An arrest means the person has been taken into custody and, in most cases, charged with the crime listed. Nov. 28 Colleen Kay Jerde, 41, of Otsego was arrested in Otsego on the charges of third-degree DWI and child endangerment. David James Dubel, 34, of St. Michael was arrested in St. Michael on the charge of fifth-degree controlled substance violation. Nov. 29 …

• Photos (1)

Buffalo Mom Charged with Allegedly Storing Meth Paraphernalia Accessible to Child

Other arrests for DWIs, assault, and other crimes took place in the St. Michael, Albertville and Otsego area last week.

When a 12-year-old Buffalo boy told his school principal that his mother was using drugs, he brought along a ziptop bag of crystal meth to prove it, according to a criminal complaint filed at the Wright County District Court this week. His mother, Sabina Marie Coolen, 32, of Buffalo, was subsequently arrested last week on Monday on the charge of allegedly storing drug paraphernalia accessible to children. According to the criminal complaint, she stored paraphernalia in a safe at home, and her son knew where the keys were. The boy told his principal he found the bag of meth in a cigarette box at home. Officers with the Wright County Sheriff's Office searched the home and, in the safe in an upstairs bedroom, found an expired driver's license…

•  27 Comments
• Photos (3)

Otsego Man Who Accused Neighbor of Racist Threats Now Charged with Crimes

A man who went to KARE 11 earlier this summer with a supposed plot against he and his wife has now been accused with staging the entire thing, and faces criminal charges.

Residents of an Otsego townhome on Lachman Avenue said earlier this summer they had endured weeks of harassment, presumably from a neighbor who can't accept the fact that they're a mixed-race couple. In fact, a Wright County Sheriff’s Office has revealed it was the husband who trumped up the harassment incidents, going so far as to injure the couple’s dog and slash the tires on a vehicle. In June, the community was in arms over the possibility that the apparently racist attacks on the couple had taken place, making several comments to Patch about a KARE 11 story that ran earlier this summer. “Some people are so ignorant. I know how it feels I was in a mixed relationship and have mixed children,” said one commenter. The Wright County …

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)

Otsego Woman Dies in Crash Near Greenfield

A Saturday evening crash claimed the life of a 34-year-old Otsego woman.

An Otesgo woman has died after she was involved in a car accident in Greenfield over the weekend. Just after 6 p.m. Saturday evening, a pickup truck and car collided at the intersection of County Road 50 and Vernon Street in Greenfield.   The driver of the car, a 34-year old woman, was fatally injured. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has identified her as Victoria Jean Dorkins of Otsego. She died at the scene. The driver of the pickup truck, a 23-year old male, was transported by ambulance to North Memorial with minor injuries. The passenger of the pickup truck, a 21-year old male, was released at the scene. The Minnesota State Patrol, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Rockford Fire Department, Wright County Sheriff’s Office and …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Otsego Man Identified as Victim in Thursday Crash

The Minnesota State Patrol has named the man who died in an afternoon rollover.

The Minnesota State Highway Patrol identified an Otsego man as the person who died in a Thursday accident at the intersection of Highway 101 and Wright County Road 36 at the St. Michael/Otsego border. Killed in the crash was Stansilov Tarasov, 49, of Otsego, who was attempting to move into the left lane on northbound 101 at the time of the accident. According to the highway patrol's updated report, a black Mercedes SUV was on Highway 101 at the County Road 36 interchange, headed north. The driver of the Mercedes sped up as he passed the bridge, and tried to merge into the left lane as cars were coming onto the highway from County 36. The driver did try to avoid a northbound Ford Taurus as he merged left by speeding up, but it was too late…

• Photos (1)