Stillwater police are investigating the July 15 burglary of the Stillwater Marina gas dock that resulted in the theft of $5.75 in quarters and $15-worth of candy bars.

Police believe that sometime between 10:15 p.m. July 15 and 5:50 a.m. July 16, the suspects entered through an unsecured window. When employees of the Stillwater Marina opened for business July 16, they arrived to find the back door open. The cash register desk was a mess, and the cash register was open and empty.

Employees stated that the cash from the register was moved to a bank bag and placed in a separate location the previous day, and the only money in the cash register was $5.75 in quarters and a $5 bill that was left as a tip for an off-duty employee. The suspects rummaged through the register desk, moving and throwing items on the floor.

The bank bag was in the cashier area, but police believe the bag wasn’t found because it was dark. The bank bag contained $485.55 in cash.

When the suspects were unable to find more money, police reports say, they took a cooler from inside the gas dock building and filled the cooler with candy bars, ice cream, potato chips and soft drinks. However, at some point the suspects abandoned the cooler, because it was found floating near P.D. Pappy’s with the stolen items floating in the water. The $5 bill was also found in the river.

Police took photographs of the crime scene and the cooler. No items were found that could be used to find fingerprints.

Due to the suspect’s response of taking the candy and soft drinks, police believe the suspects are likely young.

There were no surveillance cameras in or around the gas dock, and the were no signs of forced entry. Employees told police that they believe the latch on the open window was not secure the night before, and there was a little damage to the window frame. The suspects exited the building by unlocking the back door.

Police have no suspects.

The pastor of an Oak Park Heights church wants the community to know he doesn’t support the message vandals wrote on his church’s sign earlier this week.

Around noon on July 22, police responded to an anonymous report of an inappropriate message on the sign at  Calvary Assembly at 5805 Osgood Avenue in Oak Park Heights. The sign, which once read, “God bless Oak Park Heights,” had been changed to read, “God bless the KKK.”

“We have nothing to do with that,” Pastor John Kuruvilla Kaiyalethe said. 

Kaiyalethe was driving from his Minneapolis home to the church — he usually comes in around noon — when he got a call from an officer about the sign.

“He called me and said, ‘Pastor, we have a problem,’” Kaiyalethe said.

According to the police report, it appeared letters had been rearranged, but none was damaged or missing.

“We changed it right away back to what it was,” Kaiyalethe said. “I’m not a sympather of any kind of bigotry, because I’ve been a victim.

Kaiyalethe, who comes across as polite and soft-spoken, was born in India but is now an American citizen. While he was going to college in the South in 1963, he said, he received threats against him from the KKK. Even so, he’s willing to pray for Klan members, but doesn’t condone their racism.

“I think they could use a little more prayer,” he said.

Kaiyalethe isn’t sure why the church was targeted, but he doesn’t think it has anything to do with his name, which is listed on the church’s website as “KK John.”

“Most people know me as Pastor John,” he said.

His last name is a little more than 2,000 years old, and he nearly changed it after coming to the U.S., but was convinced otherwise.

Kaiyalethe says the recent incident with the sign grieves him because it seems to have offended families in town.

“I want to apologize if this has hurt anyone, even though we had nothing to do with that,” he said.

This isn’t the first time the church has dealt with vandalism.

“A couple of times we have had people changing signs to ridiculous things,” Kaiyalethe said. “This has happened a few times, not much.”

A few years ago, someone changed the sign to say “Dog bless America.” Kaiyalethe discovered it himself and found a ladder to change it immediately, despite a heart condition that limits his physical activity.

He said the church has also had its windows shot with a BB gun, and earlier this year someone drove on the grounds and tore up the lawn.

Police asked him to report any further suspicious activity near the church.

Contact Jonathan Young at jonathan.young@ecm-inc.com

A 30-year-old Oak Park Heights inmate received 36 months in prison after a March 13, 2013, felony second-degree assault when he stabbed a fellow inmate 14 times with homemade weapons. Manuel Chima Najera will serve the three year sentence concurrently to his sentence.

According to the criminal complaint, an altercation took place in the Complex One at Minnesota Correctional Facility – Oak Park Heights. The Office of Special Investigations reviewed the surveillance video which showed the Najera attack another inmate by swinging and punching him. During the assault, Najera used two homemade weapons made with razor blades and stabbed the inmate approximately 14 times before another inmate intervened and protected the inmate from being punched and stabbed. Security staff responded to the situation and separated the offenders.

As a result of the assault by Najera, the victim received numerous puncture and laceration wounds on his neck, chest, back and arms. The inmate was transported by ambulance to Regions Hospital to be treated for his injuries. Both of the weapons were recovered near Najera, and the entire assault is captured on video.

Najera is currently serving a 25 year sentence for a 2001 gang-related second-degree murder.

Authorities are seeking suspects in a hit-and-run accident that injured two bicyclists near Wendy’s in Oak Park Heights just before midnight Aug. 2.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, two bicycles were traveling west on the 14000 block of the frontage road north of Highway 36 in Oak Park Heights, when they were struck by a motor vehicle, which then left the scene.

The victims were identified as 37-year-old E Xiong of St. Paul and 35-year-old Mai Yang of Minneapolis. They were taken to Regions Hospital.

The morning of Aug. 5, Xiong was listed in fair condition, and Yang was listed in critical condition.

According to Oak Park Heights Police Chief Brian DeRosier, the department has been working with a state patrol investigator to canvass local body shops, but had no leads on the vehicle the morning of Aug. 5.

He said authorities are asking anyone with information to call the state patrol or Oak Park Heights police.

The Oak Park Heights police can be reached at 651-439-4723. The public can also leave anonymous tips through the city’s website at bit.ly/1qVpoXQ.

Contact Jonathan Young at jonathan.young@ecm-inc.com

Jack Ariola Erenberg

James Ariola, whose son died in 2012 after swimming in Lily Lake, wants his lawsuit against the city of Stillwater, Washington County and the Minnesota Department of Health to go to trial. Whether it should have that chance is now up to a three-judge panel of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which heard oral arguments July 31.

Jack Ariola Erenberg died at age 9 of a rare amoebic infection known as primary amoebic meningocephalitis, after swimming in Lily Lake in Stillwater. His death came two years after the death of 7-year-old Annie Bahneman, who also contracted the disease after swimming in several bodies of water, including Lily Lake.

According to Ariola’s attorney, Roger Strassburg, after Bahneman’s death the government tested Lily Lake, Little Carnelian Lake and the St. Croix River, the three bodies of water where she swam. He said only samples from Lily Lake contained the amoeba.

At that point, he believes, the city had the responsibility to take action, and the county had a duty to ensure it did so.

Scott T. Anderson, the attorney representing the county, said the arguments for the defendants remain the same as before. The public entities have claimed they’re not liable because the amoeba occurs naturally in the environment and because they’re protected under the state’s recreational immunity statute. That statute provides protection from much of the potential liability associated with operating parks and recreational areas. Anderson said the county and state also argued that the applicable state health laws are meant to protect the public as a whole and do not create a specific duty to any individual.

District court judge Susan Miles dismissed the lawsuit in December 2013, noting in a memorandum that recreational immunity bars lawsuits in such cases in order to promote the development of areas open to the public for enjoyment without leaving state and local governments responsible for naturally occurring issues.

“Governmental immunity, when applicable in any of its several forms, is an absolute bar to suit,” Miles’ memo stated.

Strassburg disagrees, saying he believes this case fits the exception to state immunity law.

“We believe that the exception to immunity for recreational users applies and requires a duty on the part of the city to warn the public with the same kind of warnings … put up about a year after Jack’s death,” he said. “They put up a sign that said ‘swimmer advisory’ and explained that two people had died … We think that the defendants had an obligation to put that sign up before Jack died.”

Strassburg hopes this case will set a precedent. He said his goal is “to establish in Minnesota that governmental entities that operate improvements at public parks and come into actual knowledge of (serious hidden) dangers in those parks … those governmental agencies have a duty to disclose to the public, in warnings, that information.”

The three judge panel — consisting of Natalie Hudson, Larry Stauber and Michael Kirk — has 90 days after the arguments to issue a decision. It could uphold, in part or in whole, Miles’ decision to dismiss the case, or it could overturn the decision entirely.

Contact Jonathan Young at jonathan.young@ecm-inc.com

One of the two bicyclists struck in a hit-and-run near Wendy’s in Oak Park Heights over the weekend has died.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, two bicycles were traveling west on the 14000 block of the frontage road north of Highway 36 just before midnight Aug. 2, when they were struck by motor vehicle, which then left the scene.

The victims were identified as 37-year-old E. Xiong of St. Paul and 35-year-old Mai Yang of Minneapolis. They were taken to Regions Hospital. Yang later died. Xiong’s condition was listed as fair the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 7.

According to Oak Park Heights Police Chief Brian DeRosier, the department has been working with a state patrol investigator and is asking anyone with information to call the state patrol or Oak Park Heights police.

The Oak Park Heights police can be reached at 651-439-4723. The public can also leave anonymous tips through the city’s website at bit.ly/1qVpoXQ.

A 34-year-old homeless woman has been charged with the July 5 felony robbery of the Oak Park Heights McDonald’s on 60th Street.

Disguised with blue face paint, a camouflage face mask, a blue hooded sweatshirt and goggles, Neya Serene St. Clair entered the fast food restaurant through the drive-through window at approximately 4:29 a.m., according to the criminal complaint. The doors of the building were locked, because the lobby would not open until 6 a.m., and only the employees were inside at the time.

Employees told Oak Park Heights police officers that St. Clair did not have a weapon during the incident, but did take money from the cash register next to the drive-through window. Money was also taken from a deposit envelope next to the cash register, as well as the car keys and other personal items of the two employees.

While the robbery was taking place, a customer came up to the McDonald’s drive-through and placed an order. St. Clair allowed the employees to complete the order, and the customer left, the complaint says.

St. Clair allegedly instructed the employees to wait in the bathroom while she left the scene on foot. Another customer came up to the drive-through with a meal order, and employees told the customer they had just been robbed.

When police arrived, one employee noticed his car was no longer in the parking lot.

The store manager retrieved the surveillance video from the incident, and the video showed St. Clair walking around the building trying the doors on each side before the robbery, the complaint says. The doors were locked and did not open. The video showed the suspect standing outside the drive-through window looking inside and wearing the hooded sweatshirt, glasses and mask from the employees’ description, as well as gloves. At the time, the workers were in the back of the store cleaning and did not see the suspect at the drive-through window. The suspect was seen entering the store by climbing through the drive-through window.

The employee’s stolen vehicle was abandoned a short distance away, on 40th Street just west of Oakgreen Avenue. The other employee’s car keys and purse were not in the stolen car. The employee’s stolen shoes were not found in his car.

It was determined that $321.29 was missing from the cash drawer, and an additional $295 in cash was missing from the deposit envelope.

On July 28 at about 2:28 a.m., an Oak Park Heights police officer was dispatched to 14936 58th Street North on a noise complaint. While responding to the area, he turned from 60th Street North onto Osgood. As he passed the Holiday Gas Station, he observed one or two persons crossing Osgood from 58th Street. As he approached, he observed one person walking in the grass toward Andersen Windows, which is near the McDonald’s. The person was a female, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, a hat, and gray face paint. The female matched the description of St. Clair from the robbery at McDonald’s on July 5.

St. Clair stated she was homeless and sleeping in her car but she would not say where her car was or where she had been. While talking with St. Clair, the officer observed her reaching in her pockets, under her sweatshirt and in the waistband of her pants. Gloves were later located in the waistband of her pants. While St. Clair was in the back of the squad car, she was observed moving around and concealing something in the seat, the complaint says. The officer located a pair of sunglasses pushed down in the seat. The glasses had gray face paint on them, consistent with the paint on St. Clair’s face.

St. Clair agreed to speak with an investigator. According to the complaint, she stated that she had no permanent address and had been living in her car. After talking about her life and the hard times she had been having, St. Clair admitted that she had robbed the McDonald’s on July 5, the complaint says, and she also stated that she had been on her way back to McDonald’s to rob it again when she was stopped by the officer. St. Clair told the officer she used the money she stole for gas and food.

She told the officer she was going back because she needed money for an application for a residence in Osceola, Wis., and for a down payment on a place so she could get settled, get a job and try to get her 10-year-old daughter from Florida and enroll her in school. St. Clair told the officer she was not a bad person, she was just sick and tired of living like she had been. She stated that she figured everyone else gets away with it so why couldn’t she just one time to get some money, the complaint says.

St. Clair is charged with one count of felony robbery with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and $20,000. Her first court hearing is set for Aug. 13.

Stillwater police responded to an assault in progress downtown just before 1 a.m. Aug. 9. Police say the assault involved a group from the Hells Outcasts biker gang.

When officers arrived on scene, a group of men were gathered on the Mulberry Street roundabout near the entrance to P.D. Pappy’s. According to police reports, at least four men were wearing shirts or vests with Hells Outcasts logos. The first officer on the scene reported that minutes after he arrived, he heard yelling coming from the yard surrounding the bar, and when he looked to investigate, he witnessed a male, later identified as Christopher Erickson, strike another male in the face.

The officer ran over to Erickson, instructed him to stop and handcuffed him before searching and arresting him.

The officer then asked the victim what had happened. According to police reports, the victim said a friend had been assaulted by Erickson and alleged members of the Hells Outcasts gang prior to police arriving. The victim said he was unhappy that the gang had assaulted his friend, and he confronted Erickson. The incident the officer witnessed resulted from the confrontation.

At the time of the incident, Erickson was not wearing an item of clothing that would identify him as a member of the Hells Outcasts. According to police, the victim stated that Erickson had removed his vest before the incident.

An officer noted in his report that he had been informed during police training that motorcycle gangs, like the Hells Outcasts, will remove their gang-affiliated clothing before engaging in a fight so that it is not confiscated by police upon arrest.

Erickson was transported to the Washington County Jail, where he was booked and released. A citation was issued for fifth degree assault and disorderly conduct.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Milwaukee, is reporting the indictment of several individuals allegedly involved in a home invasion robbery in West Lakeland in 2013.

On July 8, 2013, a female victim reported that four unknown males forcibly entered her home, bound her hands and feet with zip ties and stole numerous items from the residence. During the crime, a black handgun was brandished. As part of the initial investigation, authorities say physical evidence was recovered from the scene which identified an individual out of the Milwaukee area.

During the course of the last year, a cooperative investigation with Brown County Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office, the Milwaukee Police Department, The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Metro Regional Information Collaborative, resulted in the identification four males allegedly responsible.

Authorities say the investigation has revealed that these individuals are part of a group responsible for similar type robberies in both Wisconsin and Minnesota.

An indictment is not a conviction. It is a finding by a grand jury that there is sufficient evidence for a criminal case to move forward.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Milwaukee has issued indictments in the West Lakeland home invasion for the following individuals: Jarold Cruz, 29; Siphanh Phongsavath, 35; Luis Antonio Ortiz, 21; and David Vega, 25.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office case remains open as it continues to assist in the federal prosecution of this case.

An argument over a social media post at the St. Croix Recreation Center in Stillwater ended when a 20-year-old man was arrested for making felony terroristic threats with a knife. Gabriel Preston Larson of Stillwater was arrested on suspicion of making threats with a pocket knife to two juvenile males around 4 p.m., Aug. 13, at the St. Croix Recreation Center, 1675 Market Drive.

According to police reports, Larson and a juvenile male approached two acquittances sitting in a grassy area on the west side of the rec center who were waiting for their parents to pick them up. The two males, identified in police reports as juveniles and brothers, were smoking cigarettes. Larson and the juvenile reportedly approached the two males, asking why they were smoking and mentioning seeing a photo on Instagram, a social media photo sharing app, depicting one of the males smoking marijuana. The two brothers became agitated when questioned on the photo, and the conversation reportedly escalated into an argument.

Two 10-year-old boys were waiting nearby for their parents to arrive to pick them up from the rec center and became involved with the argument, reports say. According to police reports, Larson told the boys to leave the area, and when the two boys said that they didn’t have to leave, Larson said that “they have knives.” Larson allegedly pulled a knife from his back pocket, and the two boys ran back inside the rec center.

According to police reports, Larson began to chase them with the knife. The two boys ran inside the rec center and hid, and Larson allegedly began to ask others in the center for the location of the two boys. The boys were able to get back out of the center, and were both visibly frightened when their mothers arrived shortly after.

According to police reports, one mother confronted Larson after hearing about the incident from her son. Larson was stated to being belligerent and confrontational to the mother. Larson, his friend and the two boys from the original argument left the area and were seen going in the direction of the McDonald’s across the street.

After police gathered information from the two boys, their mothers and other witnesses at the rec center, police were able to locate Larson and questioned him. Police say they found a pocket knife in Larson’s pocket.

Larson was charged with felony terroristic threats and placed in the Washington County Jail. He was placed on a 36 hour hold in jail, and was released the next day.

The maximum potential sentence for the charge is five years in jail and a fine of $10,000. The police report states that Larson has had several other contacts with the Stillwater Police Department, and has a past history of assault and violence.

A 40-year-old inmate incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Oak Park Heights pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder for the Dec. 2, 2013, strangulation of a fellow inmate.

Benjamin H. Beck was sentenced to the statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in prison for the murder of Shane Copper. The sentence is to be served consecutively to his current 11-year sentence. Beck has served seven years of his 11-year sentence for a 2006 first-degree aggravated robbery and first-degree burglary while possessing a dangerous weapon. He will be 84-years-old when his sentence has been served.

According to the criminal complaint, Beck was seen on surveillance cameras entering Cooper’s cell with a shoelace he had taken from a pair of tennis shoes. The video showed him come up behind Cooper, wrap the shoelaces around Cooper’s neck and strangle him with the shoelaces, the complaint says. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be ligature strangulation. Beck’s identification card was found in Cooper’s cell, and Beck admitting to the crime when he was questioned, the complaint says.

“When violence like this enters our prison system, though unusual, it has to be met in the strongest of terms,” Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said. “The maximum sentence of 40 years serves that purpose.”

Judge John McBride of Washington County District Court was the sentencing judge. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Washington County Attorneys Tom Wedes and Jessica Stott.

Ashlee Steele

Kacee Tollefsbol

The victims of a double homicide in Fitchberg, Wis., will be laid to rest later this week. The funeral for Stillwater natives Ashlee (Putnam) Steele, 39, and Kacee (Putnam) Tollefsbol, 38, is planned for Friday, Aug. 29, in Stillwater.

According to police reports, Steele and Tollefsbol were alledgedly shot to death by Steele’s husband, Andrew Steele, 39, on Friday, Aug. 22, in the Steele’s suburban Madison, Wis., home. Police say that Steele, a former Dane County Sheriff’s deputy, was found in the home with the bodies of his wife and sister-in-law, Tollefsbol. Steele was arrested as a suspect for the double murder Aug. 23.

Police say the investigation is ongoing, and no additional information related to the investigation is available at this time.

Andrew Steele had retired from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office after he was diagnosed in June with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and his family had begun raising funds to pay for medical bills related to the disease through GiveForward.com and a Facebook page with the slogan, “Tough as Steele.”

A little over a week before the alleged murders took place, Steele appear on Madison’s NBC station as part of a story on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge fundraiser to talk about his diagnosis and the support he had received.

At the time of the alleged murders on Friday, the family had raised $23,000 for Steele’s treatment and medical equipment. By Monday, both the fundraising site and the Facebook page had been taken down.

Steele and Tollefsbol are better known in their hometown of Stillwater by their maiden name, Putnam. The two sisters attended Stillwater Area High School in the early 1990s. Their parents, Mike and Diane, still reside in Stillwater.

Steele leaves behind two children, Jack, who turns 13 this week, and Rachael, 10. Tollefsbol leaves behind her husband of four weeks, Mark, of Lake Elmo, and her four children: Ava, 12; Jacob, 11; Ella, 11; and Jed, 9. They are also survived by siblings, Brad Putnam and Hailee Meisterling.

The funeral service will take place 2 p.m. Friday, Aug, 29, at the Church of St. Michael, 611 S. Third St., Stillwater.

Contact Alicia Lebens at alicia.lebens@ecm-inc.com

Kacee Tollefsbol

Ashlee Steele

Andrew Steele, a 39-year-old Wisconsin man, was charged on Aug. 29 with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the Aug. 22 murder of his wife, Ashlee Steele, and sister-in-law, Kacee Tollefsbol.

According to the criminal complaint, police were dispatched to the Steele home in Fitchburg, Wis., at 12:55 p.m. Aug. 22, in response to a call that there was a individual with a gunshot wound in the basement of the residence. The female caller reported to 911 that “Andy Steele had shot her in the back,” the complaint says.

When police approached the basement of the residence, they observed smoke and heard a constant beeping sound like a smoke or carbon monoxide detector, according to the criminal complaint. They heard a female voice calling out, saying, “I am dying, I am dying.” The woman, later identified as Kacee Tollefsbol of Lake Elmo, was found lying in the doorway with a gunshot wound to the torso. Officers asked Tollefsbol who had shot her, and she responded, “My brother-in-law,” the complaint says.

Officers picked up Tollefsbol and placed her in an ambulance, and she was taken to the University of Wisconsin Madison Hospital and received care from the trauma team. Tollefsbol was declared deceased at 1:50 p.m.

According to the criminal complaint, the Dane County Tactical Response Team began their search of the home, where they discovered the body of a woman in the main floor bedroom. She was later identified as Steele’s wife, Ashlee Steele, and the criminal complaint states that officers found the woman dead of a single gunshot to the head.

According the criminal complaint, officers continued to search the home, and they found a man in the laundry room. The room was extremely warm, officers said, and the running clothes dryer vent was diverted from the outside of the home to the inside of the room. A small charcoal grill was burning, and the carbon monoxide detector had been set off, the complaint says. Officers found a man lying on the floor who was armed with a 9 mm handgun. According to the complaint, the officers recognized the male as Andy Steele, who had previously worked with them as a Dane County Sheriff’s Deputy and had retired due to a terminal illness.

Steele will appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday, Sept. 4. He is held in the Rock County Jail with a $1 million bail.

Steele and Tollefsbol are better known in their hometown of Stillwater by their maiden name, Putnam. The two sisters attended Stillwater Area High School in the early 1990s. Their parents, Mike and Diane, still reside in Stillwater.

The funeral for Ashlee Steele and Kacee Tollefsbol was held in Stillwater on Aug. 29.

Contact Alicia Lebens at alicia.lebens@ecm-inc.com

Formal charges are expected against a 28-year-old Stillwater man suspected of fifth-degree assault. According to police reports, Anthony Christopher Eichten assaulted a 25-year-old friend in the parking lot of Lily Lake Elementary on the 2000 block of Willard Street West early in the morning Sept. 1.

Police were called to Lakeview Hospital when a patient reported he had been assaulted earlier in the morning. The victim told police he had known Eichten for approximately two years, and that they had meet in jail. According to police reports, the victim knew Eichten was having problems with his family and had no place to stay. The victim told police he offered Eichten a place to stay and said the two could sleep in his vehicle parked in Lily Lake Elementary School parking lot on the evening of Aug. 31.

The victim told officers that Eichten had procured a bottle of liquor and had been drinking from it throughout the evening. According to police reports, in the early morning of Sept. 1, the victim was sitting in the driver’s seat of the car, and Eichten was in the passenger seat. The victim reportedly told Eichten that he was tired and wanted to go to sleep, and Eichten said that he was not tired and wanted to go climbing on a nearby structure.

The victim told police that Eichten became enraged when the victim told him to just go to sleep. Then Eichten allegedly punched the victim in the face several times. Eicthen allegedly got out of the car, went to the driver’s side door and pulled the victim out. According to police reports, Eichten dragged the victim from the vehicle to some trees, where he continued to assault the victim.

Police took photographs of the injuries, and advised the victim to contact police if medical tests showed more injuries.

Around 6:15 a.m., police received word that Eichten had arrived at his home.

According to police reports, Eichten was holding a cold compress to his left eye and had visible scratches on his body. He told police that he ran into the victim at a party in Hudson, Wis., and that the victim agreed to be a sober driver when he returned to Stillwater. Eichten told police that he later believed the victim was impaired based on his poor driving ability, and there may be some damage to the Stillwater Lift Bridge.

Eichten told police the victim drove to Lily Lake Elementary School and told Eichten that he had nowhere to stay in Stillwater and that they had to sleep in the car. Eichten said the victim tried to convince him to remain in the car through the night. Eichten reportedly told the victim that he lived a few blocks away and that he would just walk home.

Eichten told police that when he asked the victim to unlock the doors, the victim refused and Eichten became afraid. He told police that he was defending himself when he began to punch and hit the victim. Eichten said that when he got out of the car, he ran away. When questioned by police, he later said the victim had gotten out of the car and began to chase him.

Eichten denied having any alcohol or narcotics in his system, but refused to take a blood alcohol test.

Based on the statement taken from the victim and observing his injuries, Eichten is being charged with fifth-degree assault.

A Stillwater man and former Grantsburg, Wis., history teacher pleaded guilty Monday, Sept. 15, to two counts of felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Matthew Robert Koenen, 37, admitted to having a sexual relationship with two of his former students in August 2012. Both girls were 16 years old at the time of the incidents.

According to the criminal complaint, Koenen used three different email addresses to communicate with the girls and had two cell phones after his wife became suspicious of the communication on his primary cell phone. A forensic examination of the email accounts and cell phones revealed numerous conversations between Koenen and girls, many of which were romantic in nature.

Koenen and his wife were both history teachers at Grantsburg High School, where Koenen had first met one of the girls when she was in seventh grade. According to the criminal charges, Koenen invited the first girl to his home on 1300 block of Benson Boulevard East in Stillwater on Aug. 7, 2012. When she arrived, the charges say, Koenen invited her into his home and then put his child down for a nap before having sex with the girl.

According to criminal charges, the girl broke off the relationship with Koenen in November 2012 after she decided it was wrong.

As Stillwater officers were investigating Koenen’s relationship with the first girl, they learned several other juvenile females had been to the Koenen’s residence while his wife was away, authorities say.

The second girl, the criminal complaint says, was a student in Koenen’s history class. Koenen addressed the girl about her slipping grades in May 2012, and she confided in Koenen about her personal issues and concerns, the complaint says. According to the complaint, Koenen then gave the girl his personal cell phone number.

The two communicated regularly for weeks, and on Aug. 28, 2012, the second girl drove to Koenen’s residence, where they also had sex, the complaint says. According to the criminal charges, the relationship continued until May 2013, when the investigation into Koenen’s relationships with his students began.

Because Koenen pleaded guilty to both charges, the girls will not be required to testify in a criminal trial.

Defense attorney Tina Appleby said that, at the time of the incidents, Koenen was undergoing medical treatment.

“This happened over two years ago when he was going through a difficult time,” Appleby said. “The events were exacerbated by medication he took to deal with it.”

Appbleby said that Koenen’s doctor will be present at sentencing to explain why he was taking medication, and what he believes its effects were on his behavior.

Sentencing has been set for Dec. 10. According to court documents, Koenen was ordered to undergo a psychosexual examination before sentencing.

The maximum possible sentence for felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct is 15 years in prison and a fine of $30,000.

Contact Alicia Lebens at alicia.lebens@ecm-inc.com

Police and court reports

• A 44-year-old Stillwater resident was taken into custody Sept. 15 by Stillwater police for an outstanding 2007 warrant for burglary, criminal trespassing and theft from Philadelphia County, Penn. The suspect, Terrance Fields, appeared in Washington County Court Sept. 16 and is charged with one felony count of being a fugitive from justice from another state. A nationwide body-only warrant was issued for Fields on Dec. 10, 2007. Stillwater police confirmed the warrant, and Fields is expected to be extradited.

• Several neighbors of an auto body shop on the 800 block of Laurel Street West have complained of strong paint smells. Police were called around 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 to investigate if proper ventilation was used. An officer spoke with the manager and inspected the painting area. All equipment appeared to be in working order, and the manager said he would work with employees to paint during the day when the neighbors are away from home.

• A 24-year-old Bayport man appeared in Washington County Court Sept. 18, charged with one count of felony bribery of a public officer. On June 11, Kyle Anderson submitted to a drug urinalysis in the community corrections bathroom in Stillwater as part of his sentence of supervised felony probation for a previous controlled substance offense. The agent conducting the test observed the sample test positive for cocaine. When the agent completed the documentation, Anderson allegedly took money from his pocket and offered it to the agent, saying “Bro, just let me dump it.”

Anderson met with his probation officer on July 30 for another drug test, at which he admitted to using cocaine a few days prior, the criminal complaint says. According to the complaint, he also admitted to attempting to bribe the agent during his test in June. Anderson could face up to 10 years in prison or a $20,000 fine.

• Employees at Victorianos Pizza, 402 N. Main St., Stillwater, were victims of a scam that resulted in the loss of $900. The original scam took place Aug. 1, but the business reported a second attempted scam Sept. 16.

According to police reports, the owner was away on business Aug, 1 when employees received a phone call claiming to be a representative from Xcel Energy. The caller said they needed to pay $900 or the power to the building would be immediately shut off. The employees were unable to contact the owner because he was on an airplane. The caller advised them to go to a drugstore and purchase a prepaid credit card, and then transfer the funds via phone. The employees did not realize it was a scam, and called a friend of the owner to borrow the money.

On Sept. 16, a similar phone call was made claiming to be a representative from Xcel Energy. Again the caller advised employees that $900 was needed or the power would be shut off. The owner was present at the time and knew it was a scam, so did not provide the money. The owner call police and was able to give officers the phone number of the caller. Police identified the phone number as a Seattle area code and believed the number originated from a location outside the United States.

The owner did not suffer a loss on the second transaction, but the $900 from the first transaction is not expected to be recovered.

BY JONATHAN YOUNG

THE GAZETTE

A former St. Croix Orthopaedics employee has pleaded guilty to felony drug possession after being accused of calling in and filling fraudulent prescriptions from the clinic to the Walmart pharmacy in Oak Park Heights.

Originally charged with third-degree possession, Jennifer Marie Bowers, 40, of Somerset, Wis., pleaded guilty to one count of fifth-degree drug possession Sept. 29.

According to Bowers’ defense attorney, Rebecca Waxse, the plea agreement states that Bowers will receive a “stay of imposition” at sentencing, which means she will go on probation, and if she successfully completes probation, the charge will drop to a misdemeanor on her record.

“This is a situation where somebody was affected by a serious addiction,” Waxse said. “She’s working hard to turn her life around. … I’m confident she’ll be successful on probation.”

The human resources department at St. Croix Orthopaedics said Bowers is no longer employed at the clinic.

According to the criminal complaint, a pharmacist at Walmart reported alleged prescription forgeries to Oak Park Heights police in January.

An investigator determined that 11 fraudulent prescriptions had been called in, between Oct. 23 and Dec. 24 last year. Each prescription in questions was for 60 hydrocodone tablets and 60 acetaminophen tablets.

Police obtained video footage of a person identified as Bowers picking up the prescriptions on eight occasions.

Investigators learned that Bowers was both an employee and a patient at St. Croix Orthopaedics, and that she had surgery there. A doctor at the clinic had called in a legitimate prescription for 60 hydrocodone tablets and 60 acetaminophen tablets Oct. 7, 2013. According to the complaint, the other prescriptions called in for Bowers falsely alleged that the same doctor issued them.

When police met with the human resources director at St. Croix Orthopaedics, they learned Bowers had worked for the business more than 10 years and served as a patient services representative, setting schedules and making appointments. The director told police that Bowers had been working on the days the alleged fraudulent prescriptions were called in. Human resources records also identified Bowers as the individual obtaining the prescription from Walmart, the complaint says.

Sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 20.

Contact Jonathan Young at jonathan.young@ecm-inc.com

A garage fire on the 14800 block of 56th Street North Oct. 12 left an Oak Park Heights man in critical condition. (Gazette staff photo by Jonathan Young)

An Oak Park Heights man is in critical condition after a garage fire Oct. 12 left him with burns on more than 50 percent of his body.

Bayport Fire Chief Mark Swenson said the man was working on equipment in his garage on the 14800 block of 56th Street North the morning of Oct. 12, when a flammable liquid ignited.

The Bayport Fire Department brought the blaze under control in about 45 minutes. The victim was transported to Regions Hospital, where Swenson said he was in critical condition Oct. 14. Swenson could not identify the man at this time.

The single-car detached garage and its contents were a total loss, but the fire did not spread to the house.

Contact Jonathan Young at jonathan.young@ecm-inc.com

Police are seeking a suspect in the Oct. 16 theft of a bicycle worth nearly $12,000 from the Chilkoot Cafe and Cyclery in Stillwater.

The theft was reported just before 6 p.m. Oct. 16. The suspect was described as a white male around 20 years old with a darker complexion and blemishes on his face. He was reportedly wearing a long white T-shirt and short light gray pants.

According to police reports, Chilkoot owner Lee Stylos, was working in the bike shop around 5:25 p.m. when the suspect entered and said he wanted to purchase a bike. When the suspect walked over to a Cannondale bicycle, Stylos attempted to steer him away from the bike, which was valued at approximately $11,920. The bike had a black mat finish and was made of carbon fiber.

After directing the suspect to a less-expensive, aluminum-framed bicycle, Stylos went to help other customers. Eventually Stylos went to a back room to retrieve an item to help another customer. He told police that before leaving the room, he noticed the suspect was still in the shop.

When Stylos returned to the sales floor, he saw the rear door of the business on the west side was open, and the keys usually kept in the door were also gone. Then Stylos noticed the suspect had also disappeared, as well as the expensive bike he’d asked about, the police report says. Stylos told police he was only in the back room a short time and that the stolen bicycle was the only one in the business that had pedals put on the bike.

Stylos told police the suspect looked like a “drug addict” and that he had thought the man looked suspicious. Police searched the area but could not locate the man.

The business does not have surveillance footage, but the suspect left another bicycle, as well as what appeared to be a blue tablet case, a black cell-phone case and a tape of some sort, the police report says.

Police confiscated the bike as evidence and took DNA swabs for analysis by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The case remains under investigation.  Anyone with information can call the Stillwater police at 651-351-4900.

Contact Jonathan Young at jonathan.young@ecm-inc.com

Brett Olson found about a dozen pumpkins carved by his children smashed in his yard Oct. 16. (Gazette staff photo by Alicia Lebens)

When Brett Olson woke up on Oct. 16, he expected to see his front yard filled with grinning faces of the pumpkins his children and grandchildren carefully carved. What he saw instead were the smashed remains of his dozen pumpkins littering the quiet street outside his house.

“I believe it was between 10:30 p.m. and sometime this morning that they came to destroy the pumpkins,” Olson said.

For the past 10 years, the Olson family has filled the front yard with decorations and effects for the trick-or-treaters who come to the house on Oct. 31. The kids in the Croixwood neighborhood know this home on the 100 block of Maryknoll Drive as the house with spooky music and fog that billows around the lit jack-o-lanterns.

“We do it every year, and the kids look forward to it,” Olson said.

Olson’s daughter, Sophie, said she heard noises outside last night. Olson said he also heard the noise and assumed it was neighbors bringing the garbage out for pickup in the morning.

“This has never happened to us before,” Olson said. “Sure, there are teenagers that come by after Halloween to smash the pumpkins, but never before the little kids get to see them.”

Olson said he filed a report with the police department, but also plans to put a sign up in the front yard about what happened to his pumpkins.

“I’m going to offer a $100 reward to find out who is responsible,” Olson said. “It’s just a silly thing, but the pumpkins and the decorations are for the little kids that come by for Halloween.”

Not deterred from providing a fun time for the neighborhood kids on Oct. 31, Olson said he plans to find more pumpkins to put out in his yard.

“What do you think, Sophie? Let’s do twice as many pumpkins — two dozen this time,” Olson said. “Just to show them they can’t win.”

Anyone with information about this act of vandalism is encouraged to contact the Stillwater Police at 651-351-4900.

Contact Alicia Lebens at alicia.lebens@ecm-inc.com