Tuesday, April 21, 2026

No one was hurt when a piece of farm equipment caught fire last week. The Stearns County Sheriff's office got a call on Thursday just before 11:00 a.m. Sheriff's deputies and Melrose Fire crews were dispatched to the 35000 block of 375th Avenue in Getty Township. Authorities arrived to find a skid loader on fire. The sheriff's office says 75-year-old Robert Pflipsen of Albany had been using the machine when it began to smoke and the engine caught fire. Fire crews were able to extinguish the flames without them spreading.

With milder spring temps, road construction season has begun, and Xcel Energy is reminding people to be aware of crews when driving. Xcel Energy is raising awareness for utility and construction crews all week as part of National Work Zone Awareness Week. Much like for emergency vehicles, most states have laws requiring drivers to slow down and merge away from vehicles working on the side of the road. National Work Zone Awareness Week promotes the following safe-driving practices when approached emergency, construction or maintenance vehicles working on the side of the road: slow down as you approach the zone, follow signs and flaggers, move over when possible to provide a buffer zone, slow down to 20 mph below the posted limit if you can't move over, and never use your smart phone while driving.

A Stearns County jury has reached a verdict in the case of a 55-year-old St. Cloud man accused of raping and kidnapping a woman. On Friday, jurors found Marquell Steven Goree guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct causing fear of great bodily harm. He was found not guilty of a second count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a dangerous weapon and not guilty of kidnapping.
Goree is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15th. The verdict came after a week-long trial that began last Monday. The victim told officers she was held and sexually assaulted for five days in December 2025. She reported the assault to the police on January 30th, 2026. The victim told investigators she had agreed to clean Goree’s apartment in the 600 block of 6th Street South, a service she had performed before. The victim said she feared for her life and was sexually assaulted multiple times during her captivity. She reported that Goree took her clothes, made her wear a blue bathrobe, escorted her to and from the bathroom, threatened to kill her, and kept knives near him at all times. She said she was eventually allowed to leave after telling Goree she had a probation appointment.

Visitors planning a trip to Mississippi River County Park on Tuesday will need to make other plans. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office announced the park will be closed all day due to a training exercise being held on the grounds. The sheriff’s office did not specify what type of training would be conducted. The 230-acre park sits along 1.3 miles of the Mississippi River, about 6 miles north of Sartell on County Road 1. It features hiking trails, a disc golf course, an archery range, picnic shelters, and boat and canoe access to the river. The park is expected to reopen under its regular hours of 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday.