MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Minneapolis police officer is accused of threatening to shoot his wife’s sister after a night of heavy drinking Monday evening, according to a charge filed in Ramsey County.

James John Lopez, 55, faces one felony charge of threats of violence in connection to the October 16 incident.

According to the criminal complaint, St. Paul police took a report of an incident that took place on Sidney Street West in St. Paul. The witness who reported the incident is the sister of Lopez’ wife, and was in town visiting her sister.

The witness said Lopez had been drinking that night and was arguing with his wife. As his wife packed her things to leave with their children for the evening, Lopez allegedly threatened his wife’s sister, who was sitting in the living room waiting to leave with her sister.

Lopez is accused of saying: “I don’t care where you go, St. Paul or Seattle, I’ll be hiding in the bushes and I’ll shoot you.” The witness said Lopez pointed his finger at her when he said this.

When police contacted Lopez’ wife, she confirmed he was drinking heavily Monday and began calling her the devil, and called her sister a witch. While “acting out of control and crazy”, he yelled at her to get out of the house, she said. She said she heard Lopez threaten to kill her sister and that her father was also present and witnessed the incident.

In an interview with an investigator, the father confirmed that Lopez threatened to kill his daughter while pointing at her as if he was holding a gun, the complaint said.

Lopez’ wife also told police that he put a gun to her head about a year ago, but did not report it because he threatened to kill her if she ever called the police.

Minneapolis police spokeswoman Catherine Michael said Lopez has been recently relieved of duty, meaning he is still employed by the department, but not working.

On Oct. 19, Lopez’ wife obtained an Emergency Order for Protection, reporting that she believed he would shoot her.

Lopez has a prior conviction of DWI out of Scott County in May of 2016.

If convicted, Lopez faces up to 5 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 72-year-old Blaine man is accused of drunkenly driving on the wrong side of a highway and causing a crash that killed an emergency dispatcher in February.

Richard John Morie Shaka faces three felony charges of criminal vehicular homicide in connection to the Feb. 17 incident.

According to the criminal complaint, officers were dispatched at 8:03 p.m. on Feb. 17 to the report of a fatal crash on the southbound lanes of Highway 252 near Brookdale Boulevard in Brooklyn Park.

Upon arrival, officers found two vehicles with extensive front-end damage. The driver of a Hyundai Elantra, a woman, was deceased when officers arrived. She was pinned inside the damaged vehicle.

The victim was later identified as 30-year-old Jenna Bixby of Nowthen, who is a 911 emergency dispatcher at the Minneapolis Emergency Communications Center.

Related: 911 Dispatcher Killed In Crash With Pastor Driving Wrong Way

Shaka, the driver of a Toyota Sequoia, was taken from the scene in an ambulance, where emergency responders noticed an overwhelming odor of alcohol emanating from him, according to the complaint. After a search warrant was obtained for a sample of his blood, it was collected and it was determined he had an ethyl alcohol concentration of .168.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from a traffic camera near the area. It allegedly showed Shaka’s vehicle traveling north on the southbound lanes of traffic before the crash.

Shaka, a pastor, is in the hospital recovering from his injuries. A warrant is being requested because he has ties to a foreign country, the seriousness of the alleged crime and risks to public safety if he were out of custody.

If convicted of the charges, Shaka could face up to 10 years per criminal vehicular conduct charge.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Two teenage boys have been charged in connection to the deadly shooting involving a party bus in Inver Grove Heights.

On Wednesday, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom announced a 17-year-old boy of an unknown address and a 16-year-old St. Paul boy are charged with first-degree riot and second-degree assault in connection to the March 24 incident.

Billy Ray Robles, 19, of St. Paul was shot and killed in the incident.

The incident happened last Friday as Robles was on a crowded party bus with about 40 other people to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Investigators determined that there was a dispute between two groups of teens and young men on the bus before a fight started that eventually led to shots being fired.

Authorities responded to the incident at about 1:32 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the AMC theatre at 5567 Bishop Avenue. Officers arrived to a chaotic scene as a party bus was dropping off 40 to 50 people.

Officers located Robles, who was unresponsive with a gunshot wound. Police also located a juvenile male who had been assaulted and suffered from facial injuries. Robles was pronounced dead at Regions Hospital. A second juvenile suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound.

The two defendants were identified by witnesses as shooting guns during the incident.

Backstrom says the investigation is ongoing and the goal is to identify all individuals involved – and who fired the fatal shot. Additional charges are also possible.

“This is another example of the senseless and tragic loss of life from gun violence in our community. It is extremely disturbing to see juveniles possessing and using firearms in this manner,” Backstrom said.

Backstrom also thanked the Inver Grove Heights Police for their investigation into the incident.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 20-year-old Andover man is accused of following a driver who cut him off on a highway in Blaine and threatening him with a crowbar in a parking lot, according to charges filed in Anoka County.

Mishael Bai Garyar Bates is charged with one felony count of threats of violence and one misdemeanor charge of fifth-degree assault in connection to the November 8, 2017 incident.

Bates is accused of following a driver who cut him off on Highway 65 in Blaine and eventually confronting him in a restaurant parking lot in Spring Lake Park. He allegedly grabbed a crowbar and told the other driver “I’m going to beat your a–.”

According to the complaint, the man he confronted was standing near the restaurant and said he felt trapped. So, the man punched Bates in the face. They then fought on the ground. The crowbar was not used in the fight.

Bates told police the other driver cut him off and tried to run him and his passenger off the road. He said the other man hit him first, so he fought back in self-defense. However, a witness who saw both the driving conduct and parking lot altercation said that Bates was the aggressor in both instances.

Officers also talked with the passenger in Bates’ vehicle, who called 911 shortly after the other driver cut them off. The passenger told Bates numerous times to stop before he pursued the other driver into the parking lot, as well as telling him no several times during the fight.

If convicted, Bates could face up to 5 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine for the threats of violence charge.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 32-year-old Twin Cities man is facing charges after he allegedly tried to have sex with a woman while she slept. Additionally, investigators say he took video of the woman, and took videos of other women who didn’t know they were being recorded.

It was at Jeffrey Eldred’s Shoreview home where a woman told detectives the initial alleged crime happened.

The two had met through the dating website, Tinder, and went to his home after a night of drinking.

Too intoxicated to drive, she’d spent the night. That’s when she awoke to find Eldred videotaping her while attempting non-consensual sex. Later that morning, she used his computer to do some schoolwork when she discovered dozens of similar videos of Eldred and other women.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says other charges are possible if more victims are found.

“There are all sorts of pictures of a variety of women, naked and appear to be passed out or sleeping, and attempting to do sex acts with them,” explained Freeman.

One of those victims is from Bloomington and had dated Eldred on and off for the past year. Detectives uncovered evidence on Eldred’s cellphone which reveals that she, too, was secretly videotaped.

RELATED: Charges: Shoreview Man Recorded Himself Attempting To Have Sex With Sleeping Women

According to the criminal complaint, this happened at least five times over the course of a year. Images show her sleeping and partially clothed, as Eldred performed different sex acts.

County Attorney Freeman was blunt, saying simply, “it’s disgusting!”

Eldred is charged in Hennepin County District Court with stalking and third-degree criminal sexual contact with an impaired and helpless victim.

While alcohol surely played a role, Eldred’s defense attorney, Tom Bauer, says criminal complaints don’t tell the full story.

“I suspect that this is not as scandalous as it appears at first blush,” said Bauer.

Eldred is free on bond from Ramsey County. Conditions of his release on the Hennepin County charges require electronic home monitoring, no alcohol use and no contact with his alleged victims.

In addition, he is to refrain from using a smartphone and accessing the internet.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A decision on charges is expected Thursday in the killings of a Minneapolis mother and her daughter.

Richie Vessel is accused of shooting and killing 67-year-old Eileen Mark and her 42-year-old daughter, Jennifer Angerhofer. It happened Saturday night at Holmes Park Village Apartments, a building for seniors and people with disabilities.

Officers responded to the apartment complex around 10:30 p.m after receiving reports of gunshots in the vicinity. When police arrived, they discovered the bodies of the two women, both found dead due to apparent gunshot wounds.

RELATED: ‘It’s Terrifying’: Neighbors React To Arrest Of Double Homicide Suspect

Minneapolis police say Vessel lived in the adjacent apartment to the victims. They say there’s no other apparent relationship.

WCCO found that in 2008, an order of civil commitment was issued for Vessel. It was lifted after the judge approved an aftercare program.

Angerhofer leaves behind two daughters and a son; her friends say her children were here true joy and focus.

A GoFundMe account has been set up in order to support the family. Click here to learn more.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) —  Investigators say forensic DNA testing and an online genealogy website helped Minneapolis police charge a metro hockey dad in a 25-year-old cold case murder.

Fifty-two-year-old Jerry Westrom is accused of killing Jeanne Ann Childs in Minneapolis in 1993. He faces second-degree murder in connection to the June 13, 1993 incident.

Childs was 35 years old when she was found stabbed to death in her south Minneapolis apartment.

Minneapolis police say the Cold Case Task Force, along with the FBI and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, reviewed the case in 2015. Three years later, after consulting with an online genealogy website, they say Westrom’s DNA matched DNA evidence left at the crime scene.

In January 2019, officers began to surveil Westrom with the intent of obtaining a DNA sample. They tracked him to a hockey game where he was observed wiping his mouth with a napkin and throwing it into a trashcan. Investigators then obtained the DNA sample, which was analyzed by the BCA.

The BCA determined the napkin contained a mixture of DNA, but a major male profile observed was consistent with DNA samples recovered from the crime scene.

Minneapolis police then arrested Westrom Monday in Waite Park. Police say he denied having any involvement in the murder and had no knowledge of why his DNA would be present at the scene.

Police say Westrom’s DNA was also found to be a match to the sperm cell fraction sample recovered from the comforter on the bed and a towel in the bathroom.

RELATED: Jerry Westrom Arrested In 1993 Cold Case Murder Of Jeanne Ann Childs

Westrom’s neighbors described him as a nice guy and a family man. He owned and operated independent businesses in Isanti County for a number of years.

Westrom’s criminal history shows traffic violations and multiple DWI convictions. He was convicted in 2015 of agreeing to hire a prostitute in Stearns County. The criminal complaint states he admitted to talking to a woman he found in the escorts section of backpage.com and planned to pay her $100 for sex.

Police admit it has taken decades to make an arrest in Childs’ murder, but say they never gave up.

“There is no known relationship between the individuals, and that’s what makes these sort of cases so hard to solve,” said Minneapolis police spokesperson John Elder. “And through forensics and through updated technology, we’re able to come back and get people placed under arrest for crimes they committed long ago.”

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 24-year-old Minneapolis man had planned to kill an adult the day before he threw a 5-year-old boy over a balcony at Mall Of America, critically injuring him, according to charges just filed in Hennepin County.

Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda faces one felony count of attempted premeditated first-degree murder in connection to the incident at MOA Friday.

Related: Child Thrown From MOA Balcony; Suspect Emmanuel Aranda Has Past Convictions Connected To Mall

According to the criminal complaint, Aranda went to the mall on Thursday with the intent to kill someone, but said it didn’t “work out.” He allegedly returned the next day, planning to kill an adult, but instead chose the boy. Charges say he threw the boy from the third-floor balcony outside the Rainforest Café.

The mother of the boy told authorities Aranda approached them and, without warning, picked the boy up and threw him over the side of the balcony. The complaint does not say why the boy was chosen by Aranda.

The boy fell about 39 feet and landed on the first floor in front of numerous people. The complaint says medical personnel responded and began treating the boy, who was bleeding from the head and had massive head trauma. He also suffered multiple fractured arm and leg bones.

“This crime has shocked the community,” Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said. “That a child, with his mother, at a safe public area like a mall, could be violently attacked for no reason is chilling for everyone. Our victim advocates are working with the family during this very difficult time for them. We charged Mr. Aranda with the most severe crime that the evidence allowed.”

Related: Boy Thrown From Mall Of America Balcony ‘Continuing To Fight’

In an interview with police, Aranda said that he had come to the mall for the past few years to talk with women, but was rejected multiple times. He said the rejection made him aggressive. Surveillance video at the mall shows Aranda walking in the mall on the third floor, looking over the balcony several times, before approaching the victim and his mother.

Aranda had been banned from Mall of America in the past, and was charged and convicted of misdemeanors in two separate incidents at the mall in 2015. In July of that year, Aranda was charged with causing damage inside stores, throwing items off of a balcony to a lower level and resisting arrest. Aranda was then charged in October of that year for throwing a glass of water and a glass of tea at a woman inside of Twin City Grill after she refused to buy him food.

Aranda was also charged in August of 2015 with destroying computers in a north Minneapolis library. According to the criminal complaint, Aranda told officers that “he has some anger issues,” and that, “it does not happen all the time.”

Aranda is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon and prosecutors will be seeking bail of $2 million. Prosecutors are intending to pursue a longer sentence based on the aggravating factors of particular cruelty, including the vulnerability of the boy and committing the violent act in front of the boy’s mother and other children.

“The family sincerely appreciates the outpouring of support from the community,” Freeman said. “The child is currently in critical condition and the family is beginning a long journey to recovery. Please respect their great need and desire for privacy during that journey and do not attempt to contact them for additional information or interviews. All condition updates moving forward will be provided by the Bloomington Police Department.”

The boy was taken to Children’s Hospital and, according to the complaint, remains in critical condition.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 28-year-old Coon Rapids man faces serious charges after he allegedly grabbed a girl who was biking in Fridley and engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with her.

Aaron Johnson faces two felony counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and one felony count of false imprisonment in connection to the July 26 incident.

Aaron Johnson (credit: Anoka County)

According to the criminal complaint, Fridley police responded just before 1 p.m. on July 26 to a call of an attempted abduction on Taylor Street NE in Fridley.

There, Johnson is accused of driving down the street multiple times before stopping next to two young girls who were biking. He then allegedly opened his driver’s side door and grabbed one of the girls, a 7-year-old, and engaged in sexual contact with her.

Shortly after he allegedly grabbed the girl, a neighbor yelled at Johnson, who then fled from the scene with his driver’s door still open, according to the complaint. The incident was captured by neighborhood surveillance cameras.

The neighbor then took the girls home and to safety.

Investigators used the surveillance video to track down Johnson, who was arrested on July 31. Police said he initially told them that he was not in Fridley on the day of the incident, but later admitted to having a problem and to having sexual contact with the girl against her will.

If convicted, Johnson could face up to 25 years in prison for each criminal sexual conduct charge.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 23-year-old Apple Valley man is charged with allegedly attacking a hospital employee while receiving care in Burnsville earlier this year.

According to the Dakota County Attorney’s Office, Hasanain Mousa Moha Al A Raji faces one count of fourth-degree assault, a felony, in connection to the Feb. 15 incident.

The complaint states that Raji, who was a patient at Fairview Ridges Hospital, became agitated and assaulted an emergency room technician. He allegedly struck the victim multiple times in the head.

The victim suffered injuries as a result of the attack, including a concussion and vision changes to his left eye.

If convicted, Raji could face up to two years in prison and/or a $4,000 fine.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The Ramsey County Attorney’s office has filed additional charges against a 51-year-old St. Paul man accused of leading police on a high-speed chase twice this month.

Jeffrey Groves faces an additional one count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle stemming from a Nov. 6 incident. According to the criminal complaint, two St. Paul police officers were on routine patrol when they investigated a vehicle with stolen license plates.

After officers ordered the driver of the car to step out, the man took off. The officers chased the individual before eventually calling off the pursuit.

The occupant of the vehicle was later identified as Groves.

Last Wednesday, MnDOT cameras caught Groves driving the wrong way on Highway 36 near Stillwater weaving around other cars and dodging officers trying to stop him.

The chase started in Newport after the U.S. Marshals Service tried to arrest Groves for a sexual assault earlier this month. The chase ended near Hudson, Wisconsin, when officers used a PIT maneuver on Groves’s truck, causing him to crash into an unoccupied vehicle.

RELATED: Charges: Jeffrey Groves, Who Led Police On Wrong-Way Pursuit, Raped & Robbed Elderly Woman

The suspect has four felony warrants out for his arrest in Ramsey County. He’s accused of violating a protection order and receiving stolen property, among other things. He also has a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions for domestic assault and a number of driving offenses.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) –  Gideon Erhabor – a former running back for Bethal University – has been charged with sexually assaulting three female students.

The 21-year-old, who is currently held in his hometown of McKinney, Texas, allegedly assaulted the women between Sep. 11, 2018, and Oct. 6, 2019.

According to the criminal complaint, on June 21, 2019, a 19-year-old woman reported to Ramsey County deputies that she had been sexually assaulted by Erhabor in a Bethel University dorm. They had met a few days before and had snapchatted for a couple of days when he asked her to come to his room and watch a movie. She said yes and went to his room, though she told him she did not want to have sex. However, he ignored her, forcing himself on and sexually assaulting her. When he was done, he took her back to her dorm.

In the second case, Erharbor sexually assaulted a 22-year-old Bethel student on Dec. 8, 2018 at a house party on Lexington Avenue. She had gone to the party with three of her friends at approximately 10:30 p.m. She remembered walking around for about half an hour before blacking out, waking at 11 a.m. the next day at her friend’s apartment.

When she woke, she recalled feeling groggy, queasy, and experiencing vaginal pain. The woman’s friends said she had disappeared for about an hour at the party and reappeared looking highly intoxicated. They brought her home around 1 a.m.

According to the complaint, she only has flashback memories of her time at the party, including a memory of Erhabor on top of her, and a memory of walking down a street alone. When she snapchatted him the next morning, asking “Did anything happen last night?” and “Do I need anything?” Erhabor responded: “I used a condom. You’re fine.” Ramsey County deputies received a report about this case on June 22, 2019.

In the third case, a 20-year-old Bethel student reported Erhabor had sexually assaulted her on Oct. 7, 2018, at a house party in Roseville. She drank two strawberry flavored drinks and went outside at 2 a.m., but was not clear on what happened after that. The next morning, she woke at her friend’s apartment, wearing only a T-shirt and no underwear.

On Nov. 30, 2018, Erhabor came to her room uninvited and climbed into bed with her. She told him she wasn’t going to do anything sexual with him, but then Erhabor added that it wasn’t like he had not seen “it” before.

When she asked him what he was talking about, Erhabor said they had sex in a bathroom on the night of the October party. He thought she didn’t like it because she had fallen asleep. The woman realized she had been unconscious and told Erhabor to get out of her room.

Ramsey County deputies interviewed Erhabor on Aug. 5, 2019, at an ice cream shop in McKinney.

He admitted to meeting the first woman and watching a movie together in his dorm. However he said they engaged in sexual foreplay but then stopped, offering to take her home. When she allegedly refused, they engaged in sexual activity.

When asked about the second incident, Erharbor said he was drinking before he got to the party and was approached by the woman. He said he had a condom and asked if it was alright to use it. According to the complaint, Erharbor said she consented and as they were having intercourse, she began to have second thoughts. He said he stopped, leaving her outside.

Erhabor said he met the third woman during their freshman year in the dining hall. He had seen her at parties and she always came onto him sexually. A number of times before the assault, he asked her to go out with him. However every time he asked her to have sex, she refused. He admitted to having sex with her at the October house party in a bathroom but denied she was asleep, claiming she was talking. He did not recall sending her a message saying she was asleep, charges said. If he did, he said it was a stupid thing to say and likely the result of his “dark sense of humor” and that “I make jokes like that.”

The second and third women filed reports with Bethel University against Erhabor in April 2019.

If convicted, Erhabor could serve 15 years in prison for each crime.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 30 year-old Minneapolis man has been charged with second-degree manslaughter of his infant daughter.

According to the criminal complaint, on Aug. 3, Minneapolis Police officers were dispatched to an apartment on the 3400 block of Central Ave NE in Minneapolis. They had received a report that a nine-week old infant was not breathing.

When they arrived, they were met by defendant Winston Hicks, the infant’s father. Though officers and paramedics attempted life-saving measures as soon as they arrived, she was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

The officers noted the apartment was dirty and unkempt; garbage, dirty dishes, dirty diapers, cigarettes, and clothing covered nearly every surface of the home.

Investigators then spoke with the infant’s mother. She was at home the night before with Hicks and another friend. She admitted they were drinking and smoking marijuana. Around 1:30 a.m., her baby woke up crying and she made her a bottle, changed her diaper, and put the infant back to sleep in a bouncer bassinet in the master bedroom. She then slept on the couch in the living room while Hicks slept in the bedroom with the baby.

According to documents, she woke around 8:30 the next morning to the sound of Hicks throwing up in the bathroom. When she went to check on her child, she saw a large, quilt-like blanket was balled up over her baby’s face. When she removed it, the baby’s mouth was foaming and she was not breathing. Her friend then called 9-1-1.

The defendant and the child’s mother claimed the nine-week old must have pulled the blanket down from the top of the nightstand during the night, causing her to suffocate.

However when officers reviewed the scene, they noticed the nightstand was cluttered with items and a glass of water. None of the objects were disturbed as one would expect if the blanket was pulled across the nightstand.

Officials then spoke with the friend who had been at Hicks’ home that night. The friend claimed the three of them had stayed up late drinking and using cocaine; Hicks, he said, was very intoxicated. He said Hicks had helped feed the baby around 1:45 a.m.

According to the friend, once police and paramedics arrived, he went outside the apartment with Hicks. Hicks told him he was drunk and he killed his baby because he put a blanket over the baby’s face because she was crying so much. Hicks also said he pushed clothes from the dresser onto the baby.

Later, a medical examiner determined the cause of death was asphyxia due to external obstruction of the airways.

If convicted, Hicks could serve up to 10 years in prison.

MANTORVILLE, Minn. (AP) — Sheriff’s officials in Minnesota have started the extradition process to bring a woman convicted of killing her look-alike in Florida back to the state to face charges in her husband’s slaying.

Lois Riess, 57, pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing Pamela Hutchinson in Florida. Prosecutors say the two women shared similar features and that Riess wanted to assume Hutchinson’s identity while on the lam following her husband’s death.

Sheriff Scott Rose in Minnesota’s Dodge County said on Facebook that the extradition process could take one to two months.

Riess, with her long, white hair, garnered national attention as the “fugitive grandma” who led authorities on a cross-country manhunt before she was captured in April 2018 in Texas.

Her saga began in March 2018, when her husband, 54-year-old David Riess, was found dead at the couple’s Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, home. Lois Riess forged checks to steal $11,000 from her husband’s account, traveled south to Florida and landed in Fort Myers where she met Hutchinson, prosecutors said.

Riess waived extradition after pleading guilty in Hutchinson’s death. She was sentenced to life in prison in that killing.

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 36 year-old St. Paul man faces serious charges after he allegedly shot multiple rounds at a bar in a Jan. 14 incident.

Taral Holmes has been charged in Ramsey County for attempted murder, possession of a firearm, and possession of ammunition.

According to the criminal complaint, officers responded to Born’s Bar in St. Paul at 10:15 p.m. on account of a shooting. When they arrived, they found three 9mm casings on the street in front of the bar.

Surveillance video showed Holmes entering the bar around 10 p.m. Holmes set off the metal detector, and while performing a pat-search, a bouncer found he was carrying a handgun. Holmes was then denied entry into the bar.

Outside the bar, Holmes through a punch at a man, hitting him in the head and neck. He then pulled out his handgun and shot multiple rounds in the direction of man, who had started to flee. The shooting target got up from the ground and did not appear to have been struck by gunfire. Nobody went to the hospital with gunshot wounds after the incident.

Taral Holmes (credit: Ramsey County)

Later, a St. Paul Police Officer looked up still photos of the suspect with the Gang Unit, and was able to identify him as Holmes. According to court documents, the bouncer then identified Holmes from a photo line-up.

On Jan. 22, Holmes was arrested in Burnsville. He was approaching a Buick LaCrosse when he saw the police coming; he then dropped a backpack he was carrying, which held a 50-round capacity drum machine. Inside the console of the car, officers found a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun.

The Buick’s owner, Homes’ girlfriend, told police there should not be a gun in her car. Though she had obtained a permit to purchase a handgun, but she had not yet bought a gun.

Holmes has four prior felony convictions including drug possession, assault in the second degree, and two possessions of a pistol by an ineligible person. The drug and assault convictions make Holmes ineligible to purchase firearms.

If convicted, Holmes could face up to 50 years in jail

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Braham couple who failed to pay taxes for five years now owe more than $18,700.

Kevin and Cindy Kangas have been charged in Chisago County with six felony counts of failing to file individual income tax returns and six felony counts of failing to pay income tax.

According to the complaints, the Kangas’ earned taxable income from their contracting business, Kangas Tank, but failed to file their state income tax returns and pay income tax between 2013 and 2018.

If convicted, they could face up to 60 years in prison.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Park High School resource officer has been charged for allegedly sexually harassing seven female high school students.

Adam Pelton, an officer with the Cottage Grove Police Department, was charged with three counts of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree and four counts of criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree. The 40-year-old man allegedly inappropriately touched the seven students between Sep. 1, 2018 and Oct. 4, 2019.

According to the criminal complaint, the students claimed Pelton repeatedly hugged them and touched their buttocks over their clothing.

Most of these incidents occurred in Pelton’s office: a private room within the school that did not have video surveillance. However, investigators later found video of Pelton initiating hugs with female students in school hallways.

The students reported Pelton would call them “beautiful” or “sweetheart.” He also told one student he would date her, if he were her age. The same student then received Snapchat messages from him; in one of those messages, he made lunch plans with her for the summer.

Another student reported receiving three Snapchat messages in which he asked her to send nude photographs. The student never sent him any.

When he was questioned during the investigation, Pelton denied touching any student’s buttocks. He initially denied asking for nude pictures, but later admitted he asked one student for nudes after she graduated, “as a joke.”

Pelton has been on administrative leave since the investigation began in October of 2019.

At the time these alleged inappropriate sexual touching occurred, three of the students were between the ages of 13 and 15; four were 16 to 17 years old.

Pelton made his first court appearance on these charges Tuesday in Washington County District Court. His bail is set for $150,000 without conditions. His next court appearance is set for March 2 in Stillwater.

If convicted, Pelton could face up to 115 years in prison.

On Tuesday, Cottage Grove Public Safety Director Pete Koerner issued a statement in a Facebook video.

“The Cottage Grove Police Department is aware of the charges filed by prosecutors. As soon as allegations were brought forth, CGPD responded immediately with a preliminary investigation. Within 24 hours, the case was turned over to an outside agency to conduct an independent investigation. The Cottage Grove Police Department will be unable to comment on the case until it is resolved in the court system,” Koerner said.

Park High School Principal Todd Herber also released the following statement:

Dear Park High School Families,

I am writing to let you know about a situation that affects our school community.

Yesterday, the Dakota County Attorney’s Office charged a former school resource officer with criminal conduct. Though the officer is employed by the City of Cottage Grove, I wanted to share this information because the officer served as our school resource officer from Sept. 2018 until Oct. 3, 2019.

I understand that this news is both surprising and upsetting. At Park High School, our first priority is the safety and wellbeing of the children you place in our care.

Due to privacy laws, I am unable to share any additional information. For further questions about the criminal charges, please contact the Cottage Grove Police Department. If you have any questions that you believe I can answer, please call me at 651-425-3700.

Thank you for supporting your child and Park High School.

Apple Valley Police Department is conducting the investigation to avoid conflict any conflict of interest with the Cottage Grove Police Department or Washington County Attorney’s Office.

MINNEAPOLS (WCCO) — The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office has charged seven teenage boys who allegedly stole a St. Paul man’s car with his 8-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter in the back seats.

A criminal complaint shows that the car owner’s family was about to go out to eat to celebrate their son’s 8th birthday on Sunday.

Instead, police say the father was “clotheslined” while adjusting his child’s car seat — leaving him with contusions and abrasions on his head, hands, face and leg. His wallet was stolen during the beating.

One of the suspects then drove the man’s van to the intersection of Sherburne Avenue and Virginia Street, before getting out of the car, getting into another vehicle, and leaving the scene.

St. Paul police officers later found the suspects at a Target store on University Avenue, in the process of using stolen credit cards to buy gift cards. The boys “had hoods pulled up over their heads,” as they unsuccessfully tried to make the purchase. When confronted, some of them ran from the police, but seven were eventually arrested.

Four of the boys are over the age of 16. Three are 15 years old.

The Audi Q7 and Toyota Corolla that the group had driven to the Target had also both been reported stolen in Minneapolis.

Witnesses later identified some of the boys as the suspects who had driven to the crime scene and assaulted the car owner. The man who was assaulted told police officers that he was able to identify one of the boys with “100% certainty.”

Each boy has been charged with one count of first-degree aggravated robbery and two counts of kidnapping.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Almost a year after her body was found in a ditch in southern Minnesota, Neolani Robinson’s father, Dariaz Higgins, has been charged with her death.

Higgins faces a felony charge of second-degree murder, court documents filed this week in Mower County say.

Two-year-old Robinson’s body was found next to the road in Steele County. An off-duty public works employee was driving past the intersection of Highway 218 and Highway 30 when he noticed her body and called the police.

According to criminal charges, 35-year-old Higgins stayed at the Rodeway Inn Motel in Austin with Robinson between Feb. 6 and March 10 of 2019. When questioned, Higgins said his daughter fell off the toilet seat and died. He then wrapped her body in blankets and left her on the motel room floor for a couple of days.

Then Higgins left the hotel and went to Milwaukee, returning with a car. In the early hours of March 10, he drove towards Minneapolis with an adult woman, Deloise Lipsey. They drove through a blizzard and stopped by the side of the road, where Higgins put his child’s body in the ditch.

After an autopsy, officials determined Robinson died from non-accidental blunt force trauma to her head. The injuries that contributed to her death did not match Higgins’ version of events.

Higgins was arrested in Milwaukee on March 13 for shooting and killing Robinson’s mother, Sierra, two days earlier.

If convicted of the charges in his daughter’s death, Higgins could face up to 40 years in jail.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A school bus driver who allegedly hit and killed a woman on Monday has been charged with her death.

Jason Rynders, 33, faces a charge of criminal vehicular homicide, court documents in Hennepin County reveal.

According to the criminal complaint, around 6:50 a.m. on March 16, Brooklyn Park Police responded to a call at Humboldt Ave. N. and Meadowwood Dr. They had received a report of an unconscious person lying in the road and a school bus leaving the area.

They spoke to the man who had called 911. He had been driving to work along Humboldt Ave. when he felt his car hit something on the road. A school bus was stopped on the side of the road nearby. The man got out and saw he had hit a person and called at Rynders – who was standing outside the bus – to call 911. However, Rynders allegedly got back into the bus and drove off, leaving the man to call 911 on his own.

Officials canvassed the neighborhood and came upon a house which had a video surveillance system that captured the crash. The video shows a bus turning on to Meadowwood Dr. and the sound of an impact. The bus stops, and Rynders gets out, running towards the collision site. A person, believed to be the man who called 911, can be heard yelling. Then Rynders runs back towards the bus and leaves the area.

Children appeared to be riding the bus.

Officials spoke with Rynders, who is a driver and trainer for NorthStar Bus Company. While they were speaking, Rynders admitted to hearing a noise and exiting his bus but did not think he hit anyone.

Officers reviewed the bus’ surveillance SD card, which shows three camera angles. According to the footage, at 6:41 a.m. the bus appears to shudder or hit something. The driver then dropped off the students at 7:25 a.m.

If convicted, Rynders could face up to 10 years in prison.