WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 118 NO. 37 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: OHS SOFTBALL OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT. PAGE 12
Decision will wait in Osceola attempted homicide charge BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Judge Jeffrey Anderson heard testimony last Friday concerning a request to dismiss a charge of attempted second-degree intentional homicide in an Osceola case, but won’t announce his decision on the matter for another month. The charge stems from a February incident, when police found a man severely beaten in Paul Krueger’s apartment, apparently the result of a drunken fight. Krueger was arrested and later charged with attempted homicide, aggravated battery, dealing marijuana and resisting or obstructing authorities. His attorney, Kate Murtaugh, has challenged the attempted homicide charge, saying it is not supported by accurate information. “The defendant has the
SUZANNE LINDGREN |THE SUN
Paul Krueger and attorney Kate Murtaugh at the April 8 hearing, where the defense argued that the attempted homicide charge against Krueger should be dismissed. right to accurate evidence presented to support the bind over,” she said at an April 8 hearing. “The information (the state presented) is not only false, it shows
a reckless disregard for the truth.” She tried to prove that statement to the court, calling Osceola Police Chief Ron Pedrys to the stand for questioning.
Pedrys had testified at the preliminary hearing, at which the judge found enough evidence to bind Krueger over SEE KRUEGER, PAGE 2
Patrols to increase with traffic on Highway 35 BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Drivers can expect an increase in law enforcement along Highway 35 this spring and summer, due in part to increased traffic along the route currently acting as a detour for Highway 8. Highway 8 closed from Taylors Falls to Franconia Township on March 22. According to timelines from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, it will remain closed through October. In Dresser, where Police Chief Ryan Haass has increased patrols along Highway 35, more traffic has not meant more offenders. “With the volume that high, if one person slows down they all slow down,” said Haass. “It’s heavy volume but there aren’t many violators coming through that I’ve seen.” Although Osceola police are not likely to add patrols in response to the detour, according to Police Chief Ron Pedrys, the department had already planned on increasing its watch for seat belt violations from May through September, thanks to a $7,500 grant. They’ve also been awarded a $10,000 grant to enforce overall highway safety. But special events combined with extra traffic might create a need for increased policing on a few weekends, Pedrys noted. “We may have to add cars come Wheels and Wings or Rhubarb Days,” he said. “We’ll take that on a case by case basis.” Both Haass and Pedrys reported that state law enforcement have already increased their presence along the corridor. Specifically, Pedrys said, the state’s commercial motor vehicle inspector has increased local patrols.
Few upsets in county board election
Incumbents take Dresser election
BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
The roster of the Polk County Board remains much the same after last week’s election. However, the board lost its lone female representative — incumbent Patricia Schmidt lost a close race to Doug Route in District 2. Kathryn Keinholz and Marilynn Nehring lost races in districts 4 and 6, respectively. In the final contested race, District 13, incumbent Russell Arcand took
BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
In Dresser, three candidates competed for four trustee seats. Incumbents Darron Nelson, Cathy Frandsen and Elina Kuusisto won the race. Challenger Jeff Gutzmer, who had hoped to develop a more business-friendly village board, was just 17 votes behind Kuusisto. The election drew 206 voters in Dresser. Candidates Darron Nelson Cathy Frandsen Elina Kuusisto Jeff Gutzmer
THE SUN
SEE ELECTION, PAGE 22
Votes 129 124 107 90
Based on unofficial election results reported by Polk County.
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