Monday, December 15, 2025
A Stewartville High School wrestler who was shot as he was getting on a bus to go to a meet Friday morning has survived surgery, but remains in critical condition. The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office says the incident happened in the front parking lot at about 5:00 and led to classes being canceled for the day. Stewartville Middle School also closed. In addition to the wrestler, an adult man died due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In a press release, officials say the man was pronounced dead at the scene, and a rifle was found in his hand. The identities of the wrestler and the man have not been released yet, and it has not been revealed what their relationship was. Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service rushed the wrestler to the hospital, where he was taken into emergency surgery. The family allowed the sheriff to relay at a press conference that the wrestler is in critical, but stable condition. All other details are being kept private. The sheriff went on to say that his office has been in contact with the family of the man who is believed to have shot himself, and they are cooperating.
A Laporte man is accused of shooting a handgun multiple times into a home where a woman was sleeping. 40-year-old Justin Oliver Patterson is charged in Hubbard County Court with: Assault–2nd-degree–dangerous weapon. Threats of violence–reckless disregard risk. Dangerous weapons–intentional discharge of firearm that endanger safety. According to the criminal complaint in the case, Patterson is accused of shooting into the home several times on Nov. 25, with one of the bullets striking the mattress the woman was sleeping on. The woman reported that Patterson then came to the door of the house and said he was going to keep doing it until he killed her. Patterson’s next court hearing is an omnibus hearing scheduled for Dec. 29.
A 13-year-old Moorhead middle schooler allegedly brought about 1,500 fentanyl pills to school this week. Horizon Middle School staff was informed shortly before noon on Thursday that a student was in possession of a large quantity of blue pills and acted quickly to detain the student and secure the pills, according to the Moorhead Police Department. Police believe the pills are "fentanyl-laced counterfeit M30 pills," which appear to look like legitimate 30mg oxycodone pills. The pills will be sent in for lab testing to confirm their contents. "We commend the students who came forward — your actions helped protect others," Police Chief Chris Helmick said in a statement. "This remains an active investigation, and we will continue working closely with Moorhead Area Public Schools to strengthen safety protocols and ensure a secure learning environment for all students and staff." The student was arrested and transported to West Central Juvenile Detention Center.
A Paynesville man is facing charges for allegedly assaulting a police officer. According to the Stearns County criminal complaint, the incident began at about 12:15 a.m. on Monday. An officer from the Cold Spring/Richmond police department initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle for an obstructed front license plate. The stop was near the intersection of Main Street and Jay Avenue in Richmond. The driver rolled down his window about two inches. After explaining the reason for the stop, the driver became upset and refused to identify himself. Back-up officers arrived and placed spike strips in front of the vehicle. The driver then allegedly began shining a flashlight into the officer's eyes. Officers broke the front driver's side window to get access to the driver and tried to arrest him. He then began swinging the flashlight at the officers. He was ultimately pulled from the vehicle. Forty-year-old Joseph Sufka of Paynesville was booked into the Stearns County Jail. He's facing a charge of 4th Degree Peace Officer assault, and one count of obstructing the legal process. Both are gross misdemeanors.
Morrison County Sheriff Shawn Larsen announced that his office, in cooperation with all local police departments in the county, have recently completed the annual Predatory Offender Registration (POR) verifications for Morrison County. Each year the sheriff’s office organizes a verification check for all predatory offenders who are on the registry and residing within the county. It is important to note that Minnesota only began registering predatory offenders in 1991 and did not assign risk level until 1997. Only those offenders who have been sentenced to prison and who were released after January 1, 1997 have been assigned a risk level. Offenders sentenced to probation or juvenile offenders are not assigned a risk level. Level 1 offenders are those deemed by Department of Corrections officials as those least likely to reoffend while Level 3 offenders are considered most likely to re-offend. It should also be noted that Level 2 offenders are checked two times a year and Level 3 offenders are checked quarterly. During the most recent round of checks, multiple predatory offenders were checked in Morrison County. 58 predatory offenders were checked by the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office, Pierz Police Department, Motley Police Department and Royalton Police Department. Of that number: 19 were Level 1 offenders, 7 were Level 2, 1 was Level 3 and 31 offenders were not assigned a risk level. Little Falls Police Department does their own compliance checks and are not part of this breakdown. All offenders were found to be compliant.
The Little Falls City Council has a special work session Monday night prior to the regular council meeting at City Hall Council Chambers at 7:30pm.
Death Notices: Betty L. Pietrowski, age 88 of Little Falls.
Weather: partly sunny skies Monday, high 25, increasing clouds, low 11 early then rising into Tuesday. Tuesday partly sunny, windy and mild, high 41 wind gusts 15-30mph from south then west. Partly cloudy skies Tuesday night low 15. Wednesday light snow early, then mixing with rain and sleet at times, high 37, rain and snow likely with slippery conditions Wednesday night then turning windy overnight low 19. Thursday blustery conditions with steady temps around 20 degrees and some light snow.
Sports: The 2025-26 NHL trade season has officially begun! On Friday, the Vancouver Canucks traded Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild, in exchange for Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick. Earlier in the da Friday the Pittsburgh Penguins sent goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round pick.