News

Two people are hospitalized after the car they were in struck a bear. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened just before 10pm Friday on Highway 10 near Staples in Todd County.  A Toyota Corolla was traveling Westbound on Highway 10 when the vehicle collided with a bear in the roadway. The driver, 36-year-old Mary Jo Roggenkamp of Deer Creek, and her passenger, 34-year-old Corey Roggenkamp of Deer Creek, were both taken to Staples Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A Stearns County jury has found a St. Cloud man guilty of raping a homeless woman he had hired as a housekeeper. After a five-day trial, the jury convicted 55-year-old Marquell Goree on one count of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct while causing fear of great bodily harm. He was acquitted on a second charge of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct and a kidnapping charge. According to the charges, the woman told authorities that she had previously been hired to clean Goree's house. She was hired again to clean, and Goree allegedly sent an Uber to Lincoln Center to bring her to his house in the 600 block of 6th Street South. The victim said she missed the ride and walked to Goree's house. When she arrived, the woman said Goree started to flirt with her and told her to get undressed. The woman said she wasn't interested and was going to leave. Court records allege Goree pulled out an eight-inch switch blade, held it to her face, grabbed her throat, and told her she wasn't leaving. Goree then allegedly sexually assaulted the woman.  Court records show investigators found a prior complaint involving Goree, where his roommate said Goree frequently brought unwanted guests to the house from Lincoln Center and the Place of Hope. After these charges came to light, a second woman made allegations that Goree had assaulted her in 2015. The woman is alleging that she and Goree struck up a friendship while she was staying at the Salvation Army shelter. According to that criminal complaint, the woman said she went to Goree's home to visit. She told authorities that she missed her bus back to the shelter and, as a result, would miss curfew and lose her place at the shelter. That's when she said Goree's demeanor changed. She told police Goree sexually assaulted her over the course of five days, continually made derogatory comments toward her, made her sleep on the floor, and wouldn't let her use the bathroom or shower unless she kept the door open. Records show the victim later learned she became pregnant from the sexual assault. There is no new information on the status of the second court case against Goree. He'll be sentenced on his 1st-degree criminal sexual assault conviction on June 11th. 

A 76-year-old Hubbard County man is facing multiple felony charges after he allegedly defrauded more than $250,000 from government assistance programs.  In January, the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office says it received a report from a financial worker with the county’s social services program regarding alleged financial fraud by one of its clients, identified as Vincent Bellomo, of rural Nevis. Bellomo had reportedly received more than $263,000 in benefits that he was not entitled to by lying about his financial situation. Bellomo repeatedly claimed he had very few assets, reporting to only have a savings account containing $1.08 and a 1979 Chevrolet El Camino valued at $500. But records allegedly show Bellomo had over $77,000 in a savings account that he failed to disclose in 2024. Bellomo received assistance from state and federal programs including Medical Assistance, Minnesota Supplemental Assistance, Group Residence Housing Benefits, Emergency General Assistance, the Medicare Savings Program and the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.  When investigators attempted to contact Bellomo at his home, they learned that he left the state and was in California. Bellomo was subsequently arrested and brought back to Hubbard County.  He’s since been charged with three counts of wrongfully obtaining public assistance and three counts of perjury.

A 66-year-old Brainerd woman was injured Friday around 3:15pm on Highway 25 at Thiesse Road south of Brainerd. Nancy Hines was on 25 went off the roadway struck some signs and then a tree. Hines was taken to the Brainerd hospital for treatment of injuries. The State Patrol stated that alcohol was a possible factor in the accident on Friday. 

Death Notices: Donald H. Miller, age 95 of Little Falls.

Weather: Monday sunny skies, high 61, breezy winds in the afternoon, Monday night partly cloudy skies, low around 37. Tuesday sunny skies, high 66, clear Tuesday night low around 40. Sunny and warm on Wednesday high 77, low around 50. Showers and T-storms Thursday high 73, low around 47. Showers and cooler on Friday breezy, high 52, low around 39. 

Sports: Cincinnati beat the Twins 2-1 on Friday. Cincinnati scored 3 late runs to win 5-4 over Twins on Saturday. Denver beat the Timberwolves 116-105 Saturday in game 1 of NBA playoffs, game 2 is Monday night 9:30pm in Denver. Minnesota Lynx signed Napheesa Collier to a 1.4 million dollar contract to remain with the team. Collier will miss most of the season as she had surgery on both of her ankles. Lynx open preseason at Washington on Saturday the 25th, regular season open May 10th against Atlanta. 

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