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The Morrison County Sheriff's Office encourages you to take a few minutes to review the information in this article and, just as importantly, share it with your family members, friends, and neighbors. The more people who are aware of these scams, the less likely criminals are to succeed. Unfortunately, we have seen scam victims from nearly every age group. Some scams, such as sextortion schemes, often target teenagers and young adults, while others frequently prey on senior citizens. The reality is that scammers are looking for any opportunity and will target anyone they believe may be vulnerable. By educating ourselves and sharing this information with others, we can help protect our loved ones and our community from becoming victims. Protecting Yourself from Scams: Scams continue to impact residents across the nation, and Morrison County is no exception. Every year, members of our community report financial losses, compromised personal information, and emotional stress due to fraudulent schemes. As your local law enforcement agency, our goal is to keep Morrison County safe, both on our streets and online. Awareness and prevention are key tools in fighting back against these criminals. Here are some of the most frequently reported scams in Morrison County. Impersonation Calls Residents have reported calls from individuals pretending to be someone else. Sometimes the scammer will identify as a deputy, IRS agent, package carrier, or utility company. These callers often use urgent or threatening language to pressure you into making quick decisions. A recent example involved several residents receiving calls from someone posing as a “Deputy,” claiming they had an active warrant and demanding payment with pre-paid cards to avoid arrest. Online Marketplace Scams Buying and selling through social media and online marketplace groups is popular in Morrison County, but scammers take advantage of that. Fake listings, counterfeit payment notifications, and buyers offering to “overpay” with fraudulent checks are common tactics. Grandparent or Family Emergency Scams We continue to see cases where scammers claim a loved one is in jail, injured, or in trouble and needs money immediately. They often urge secrecy to keep you from verifying the story. The scammer will tell you that you are unable to speak with your loved one, unless you agree to an immediate payment with pre-paid cards. Romance Scams Online relationship scams remain a concern statewide. Fraudsters create emotional bonds with victims over time, then request money for fabricated emergencies or travel. This scam usually spans the course of months or even years. Recent cases in Morrison County resulted in the victims losing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the scammers. Sextortion Sextortion scams are a type of online blackmail where a scammer contacts you online and starts an online romantic relationship. After time they ask to share explicit photos and once they have your explicit photos, they threaten to share them unless you pay money. These scams frequently target teens and young adults. Payment Method Scams No legitimate agency will demand payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or peer to peer apps. Any request to pay this way is a scam. What you can do to protect yourself Pause before acting Scammers want you to move fast. Take a breath, slow down, and assess the situation. Verify the caller We encourage residents to remain vigilant when receiving unexpected phone calls, text messages, or emails that appear suspicious in nature. Scammers often impersonate law enforcement agencies, government offices, businesses, or financial institutions in an attempt to obtain personal information or money. If someone claims to be from the Morrison County Sheriff's Office or another agency and the call seems suspicious in nature, hang up and contact the agency directly using a verified phone number. Do not rely on phone numbers provided by the caller, as scammers can manipulate caller ID information to make it appear they are calling from a legitimate organization. Residents should never provide personal information, banking information, passwords, or payment over the phone unless they have independently verified who they are speaking with. Taking a few moments to verify a caller's identity can help prevent becoming the victim of a scam. Be cautious online When buying or selling online, meet in a public place, avoid unusual payment requests, and be skeptical of buyers or sellers who won’t meet in person. Protect personal information Never give out bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, or verification codes to unexpected callers or messages. Talk to someone you trust A big red flag that you’re dealing with a scammer is that they don’t want you to tell anyone else. A quick conversation with a friend, family member, or law enforcement agency can often stop a scam in its tracks. Secure your accounts: Use strong passwords and two factor authentication to protect your online information. If you ever have questions please contact Morrison County Shawn Larsen at 320-632-9233. 

An 11-year-old boy sustained critical life threatening injuries Sunday night around 8:15pm when his ATV was struck by a vehicle in the Cass Lake area of Cass County. Ninde Paquette was on the ATV along Golf Course Road and Highway 371 when it crossed the highway and was struck by a northbound vehicle. Paquette was ambulanced to a hospital and airlifted to the Twin Cities with serious life threatening injuries. The 11 year old was wearing a helmet. The driver of the vehicle from Goodridge, his 9 and 10 year old passengers all were not injured in the accident. 

A Sauk Centre man was injured Wednesday morning around 9:45am on Highway 71 in Kandota Township of Todd County. 67-year-old Daniel Wiener of Sauk Centre was driving on 71 when he collided with an International tractor driven by Dean Ryks, age 67 of Belgrade. Wiener was taken to Sauk Centre hospital and treated for injuries. Ryks was not hurt. 

The St. Cloud Police Department was urging drivers to choose an alternate route if they plan to travel on Highway 15. The highway was closed yesterday between 3rd Street North and Veterans Drive due to a fire caused by a downed power line. Utility workers worked on the scene and the road reopened by mid-afternoon on Wednesday. 

Meteorology students from St. Cloud State University will get some hands-on experience at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in the Twin Cities this weekend. Eight students will provide on-site forecasts and weather analysis for the games, joined by Associate Professor Rachel Humphrey to take temperature and humidity measurements and determine whether conditions are safe for athletes to compete. The National Weather Service’s Twin Cities office will also work alongside the students. The students will work 12-hour shifts, delivering three weather briefings per day. Their responsibilities will include launching weather balloons, analyzing atmospheric conditions and distilling gathered data to present to safety and event staff. They will also use specially designed instruments to measure Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, a metric that gauges heat stress in direct sunlight by accounting for temperature, wind speed, humidity, cloud cover and sun angle. Humphrey said the project will allow students to apply their knowledge of atmospheric science in a real-world setting, adding that they will be able to see firsthand how their analyses and forecasts directly impact the event.

Nominations are now being accepted for farmers and ranchers to serve on local U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees. These committees make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2026 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by Aug. 3, 2026.   A press release containing additional information is attached and available here: Nominations Now Open for Farmers and Ranchers to Serve on USDA Farm Service Agency County Committees Please contact the Minnesota Farm Service Agency Executive Section at FSA-MNST2-Executive@usda.gov if you have questions. Locally call the Morrison County FSA Office at 320-632-5477 extension 2. 

A reminder that Friday, June 19th is Juneteenth and is a Federal Holiday as of 2021. Therefore all government agencies, banks, financial institutions, post offices, and some businesses will be closed on Friday for the holiday. There will be no regular mail delivery on Friday, however Parcel Services for packages are running their normal routes on Friday. May need to call ahead before venturing out Friday. 

Death Notices: Leon "Bud" Siegel, age 95 of Randall. 

Weather: mostly sunny skies today, high 68, tonight clear skies, low 45. Friday mostly sunny early high near 70, thunderstorms after 1pm to 7pm and some could be strong with gusty winds and heavy rains, showers ending early evening then clearing low near 48 Friday night. Saturday sunny skies, high 73, low around 50. Sunday partly cloudy, high 73, low around 49. Sunny skies Monday, high 75, low around 52. Tuesday thunderstorms likely, high 74, low around 53. Sunny Wednesday, late day showers, high near 75. 

Sports: Olivia Miles scores 31 points as the Lynx beat LA Sparks 99-83 last night in California. The Lynx are now 11-3 and have Golden State out west Friday. Twins had Wednesday off due to World Cup Soccer in Texas, they resume their series with Texas Rangers today at 1:35pm in Texas. American Legion Baseball Thursday at 6pm with a opening ceremony at 5:45pm at Flyer Field with national anthem being sung, ceremonial first pitch and color guard before the game with Rocori. The Little Falls VFW team won both games over Princeton on Monday and moved yesterday's game to today against Foley at home. The Vikings announced their training camp schedule for 2026 with first open practice to the public on August 1st. The Vikings first preseason game will be August 15th at the New York Giants, then home against Baltimore on August 22nd. Regular season opener is September 13th against the Green Bay Packers at U S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. 

On June 15, 2026, at approximately 4:29pm Morrison County Deputies attempted to stop two motorcycles traveling at a high rate of speed on Highway 10 north of Royalton, MN in Bellevue Township. Both...

On Sunday at 4:52pm the Little Falls Fire Department was dispatched to 14655 85th Ave in Pike Creek Township on a report of a house fire. The Little Falls Fire Department...

The Minnesota State Patrol reported nearly 100 accidents between Friday morning to 6pm on Sunday around the state. A Foley woman was hurt when the car she was riding in...

Vance Boelter, the man charged with killing Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, appeared in federal court Thursday to change his plea to guilty. State Sen. John...