Tuesday, February 17, 2026

The Stearns County Sheriff's Office received word Sunday around 7:40pm of calls beginning to flood in about flames and explosions at the Holdingford Mill. When deputies arrived, they found the fire had spread to other areas. Ten departments including Upsala, Bowlus and others responded to help put out the flames. The state fire marshal has been called to investigate the cause of the fire. Around 8:30pm the City of Holdingford was asking residents to conserve water as the large amounts of water being used in dousing the fire a the mill. The sheriff's office said Monday that while nearby grain bins are still standing, the building is a total loss. No one was at the business when the fire started. The Mill reportedly started operations in 1895, over 130 years ago.

A St. Cloud man has been charged for allegedly holding a woman against her will for days and sexually assaulting her. According to court documents, Marquell Steven Goree has been charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of kidnapping. The victim, identified in police reports as CRL, told officers she was violated for five days in December 2025 by the 55-year-old man. She reported the assault to police on January 30th, 2026. She told investigators she had agreed to clean Goree’s house for money, a task she had performed once before. Goree’s home is in the 600 block of 6th Street South. According to the criminal complaint, once there, she said Goree began making unwanted advances and told her to remove her clothes. When she refused and attempted to leave, Goree allegedly pulled out an 8-inch switchblade knife, held it to her face, grabbed her by the throat, and told her she could not leave. CRL told police she feared for her life and was sexually assaulted multiple times over the course of her captivity. She said Goree took her clothes, made her wear a blue bathrobe, and escorted her to and from the bathroom. The woman reported that Goree threatened to kill her and kept knives near him at all times. The victim said she was eventually allowed to leave after telling Goree she had a probation appointment she needed to attend. She left behind a pair of Sorel boots at the residence. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Goree’s home and recovered the blue robe, boots matching the victim’s description, a switchblade, three additional knives, and other items connected to the alleged assaults. During a statement to police, Goree admitted CRL had been at his house but claimed she came to buy the boots found by investigators. He said she left them because they didn’t fit and headed to a probation appointment. Goree denied any sexual contact with the woman. Investigators say they also found a prior complaint involving Goree in which his roommate reported that he frequently brought unwanted guests to the house from Lincoln Center and Place of Hope. His next court date was not immediately set.

The FBI has formally refused to provide the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension with any information or evidence collected in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents on January 24th. The FBI’s refusal to cooperate comes as federal agents are now linked to three fatal or near-fatal shootings in Minnesota within 18 days, including one case where officers’ justification for deadly force has already been discredited. The BCA arrived at the shooting scene on a public street that morning and was refused access by agents. Investigators returned with a court-ordered search warrant issued by an independent judge and were refused a second time. BCA Superintendent Drew Evans reiterated the request to receive information, access to evidence, and cooperation in the fatal January 7th shooting of Renee Good and the January 14th shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, both by federal agents. It remains unclear whether there will be any cooperation or information sharing related to those cases. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers involved in the Sosa-Celis shooting are on leave after their claims of being attacked and beaten before firing in self-defense were proven false. In a press release, Evans says, “While the lack of cooperation is concerning and unprecedented, the BCA is committed to thorough, independent and transparent investigations of these incidents, even if hampered by a lack of access to key information and evidence. Our agency has committed to the FBI and Department of Justice that should its stance change, we remain willing to share information that we have obtained with that agency and would welcome a joint investigation. We will continue to pursue all legal avenues to gain access to relevant information and evidence.” BCA investigations of these incidents continue, and the agency will present its findings “without recommendation to the appropriate prosecutorial authorities for review.” Anyone with information about the shooting of Pretti, Good or Sosa-Celis is urged to contact the BCA at 651-793-7000 or by email at bca.tips@state.mn.us.

A Sartell man faces multiple felony charges after allegedly holding a woman against her will and jumping from a third-story window while trying to get away from police early Friday morning. According to the criminal complaint, around 12:45 a.m., Sartell police responded to an apartment complex in the 400 block of 7th Street North on a gun complaint. While they were en route, they learned it came from a man saying a woman had texted him that she was being held against her will at gunpoint by Aaron Wright, that he had assaulted her, and threatened to shoot her if she tried to leave. A Lyft driver also called police to say he was at the apartment to pick up the woman and described receiving a message similar to the one the initial caller reported. Court documents say officers from multiple agencies arrived to find Wright and the woman in the entryway. She ran to safety. When they ordered Wright to surrender, he refused and went back inside. He then jumped from his third-story window in an attempt to flee, but was quickly caught. Wright was treated for minor injuries and booked into the Stearns County Jail on charges of felony domestic assault by strangulation, felony threats of violence, misdemeanor domestic assault, false imprisonment and providing a false name to a peace officer. Wright also had an active felony warrant out of Stearns County for fleeing police in a motor vehicle. A search warrant was executed at the apartment, and no gun was found. The woman gave police a statement saying she had broken up with her boyfriend in Arizona and had flown to Minnesota to meet Wright, with whom she had a prior relationship. She explained he had been drinking heavily, and she sent a text to her ex to express her concerns. Wright became upset when he caught her. The arrest involved coordination among Sartell Police, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, the Waite Park Police Department, and the Sauk Rapids Police Department. Chief Brandon Silgjord praised the multi-agency response and emphasized the importance of reporting domestic violence concerns immediately. “Because someone made the call, officers were able to intervene quickly and bring a victim to safety,” Silgjord said. “Domestic violence thrives in isolation, and we want our community to know that help is always available. If you or someone you know feels unsafe, please reach out. We are here 24 hours a day.”

Three teenagers were injured in an accident near Remer in Cass County. The accident happened shortly before 11am on Sunday in Thunder Lake Township south of Remer. The three teenagers were all from Lawrence, Kansas and treated at an area hospital. The State Patrol said the three were traveling on the highway when the vehicle veered into the ditch. 

Entertainment News: Actor Robert Duvall, has died at age 95. Duvall's career spanned 7 decades and he was part of major films like "The Godfather", "Apocalypse Now", The mini-series "Lonesome Dove" along with being a director and activist to many children's funds. 

Death Notices: Joyce "Joy" Kamrowski, longtime owner of Pete and Joy's Bakery passed away.

Weather: Tuesday cloudy skies, high 44 rain in afternoon, breezy East winds up to 30mph. Rain likely Tuesday night some wintry mix possible overnight, low 33. Rain early Wednesday then changing to snow in the afternoon, winds gusty from Northwest 15-35mph temps near 39 by 10am then falling to 27 by later in the afternoon, possible 1-2 inches of snow by Wednesday night, low 23. Thursday light snow at times, breezy and colder, high near 30, low around 13. Friday light snow early, then afternoon sun, high 22, low 6. 

Sports: Boys Hockey Playoffs Tuesday night Prairie Centre at Little Falls 7pm on Q92 WYRQ. High School Boys Basketball Moose Lake Willow River at Pierz Tuesday 7:15pm on 94ROCKS KFML and both games can be heard live also on fallsradio.com. Olympics Medal Count as of Monday afternoon, Norway 27, Italy at 22 and USA and Japan are both at 17 as the Winter Games continue through Sunday in Italy. Team USA Women's Hockey wins 5-0 over Sweden and advance to the Gold Medal Game later this week.