Court news: 3 face felonies for Highway 34 burglaries

Three people face felony burglary charges involving two residential properties in Becker County.

In the first case, William Brandon Annette, 39, of rural Ponsford and Nicole Grace Jackson, 26, of rural Waubun, each are charged with felony second-degree burglary after trail cam footage showed them moving items using a wheelbarrow and a winter sled on Sept. 19 at an unoccupied residence.

Alarms at the front gate and at the residence alerted deputies, who found the front door of the house had been broken to gain entry, and another building on the property had items displaced, according to property owners. Annette and Jackson were not found on the property, but were arrested a few days later, according to court records.

In the second case, on Sept. 22, a special agent was monitoring a car driven by Terry Ray Price Jr., 51, of Alexandria, because people arrested for burglary a few days earlier had said that Price had dropped them off at the burglary site.

The special agent saw Price stop at a secluded house in a heavily wooded area off Highway 34, and a short while later the vehicle traveled to another secluded property off Highway 34. The vehicle then left and was stopped by a deputy on Highway 34, who found two chainsaws, a power washer, a propane heater and a framed picture in the back seat.

A pry bar was found in the vehicle, and Annette and Jackson were also in the vehicle.

The items were found to have been taken from the two properties. The front door latch of a house had been pried open at one site and glass had been broken in a shed door at the other site.

Annette, Jackson and Price were all charged with felony second-degree and third-degree burglary in that case.

On Sept. 24, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony set cash bail for Annette at $500 or bond at $5,000, with standard conditions of release, or bond at $10,000 without conditions.

Cash bail for Jackson was set at $300, or bond at $5,000, with standard conditions of release, or bond at $10,000 without conditions. Price was released without bond, under standard conditions.

Kevin Jerome Basswood, 43, of Ponsford, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and driving after his license was revoked.

According to court records, on Sept. 24, a White Earth tribal police officer saw a vehicle speeding on Pine Point Road near Becker County Road 37. The officer pulled over the vehicle, driven by Basswood, who looked back at the officer and asked “why are you stopping me?” before driving off northbound on County Road 37, and then eastbound on County Road 58. He stopped to let out a passenger, then took off again, and the pursuit continued on County Road 58 until Basswood went into a ditch and the pursuing squad car made contact with Basswood’s vehicle, ending the chase. Basswood’s driver’s license had been canceled as inimical to public safety.

On Sept. 25, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony set cash bail for Basswood at $100 or bond at $1,000, with standard conditions of release, or bond at $10,000 without conditions.

A felony charge of fifth-degree controlled substance crime has been dismissed in Becker County District Court against Jordan Eugene Albright, 27, of Detroit Lakes , because he has met the conditions laid down by the court.

According to court records, on Dec. 14, 2018, his vehicle was stopped by a state trooper in Detroit Lakes for a dark tint on the driver’s side window. The trooper saw a razor blade, digital scale and one-hitter pipe on the center console, and a search turned up 0.4 grams of meth in the vehicle and 0.1 gram of meth in his wallet.

On Sept. 8, the charge was dismissed because he successfully met court conditions, including paying a $1,000 fine and $1,075 in court fees, serving 30 days in jail, with credit for four days served, and successfully completing the requirements of supervised probation.

Edward Jonathan Beaulieu Jr., 26, of Detroit Lakes, has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

According to court records, on Jan. 17, a Detroit Lakes police officer tried to pull over the vehicle he was driving because of a non-functioning headlight. Beaulieu didn’t pull over, and drove through Detroit Lakes, passing several vehicles and failing to stop for several stop signs and traffic flights, while the officer followed with emergency lights and siren activated. He eventually stopped and fled on foot, before giving up and being arrested.

On Sept. 9, Becker County District Judge Mike Fritz sentenced him to a year and a day in prison at St. Cloud, stayed four years.

He was ordered to serve 58 days in jail, with credit for 58 days served. He was fined $1,000 plus $1,150 in court fees, and must get a chemical dependency evaluation and follow the recommendations, including aftercare. Beaulieu was placed on supervised probation for four years.

A misdemeanor charge of fleeing a peace officer on foot was dropped in a plea agreement.

Dennis Frank St. Clair, 55, of rural Ogema, has been sentenced in Becker County District Court on a gross misdemeanor charge of interfering with a 911 emergency call.

A felony charge of domestic assault by strangulation and a gross misdemeanor charge of domestic assault were both dropped in a plea agreement.

According to court records, on May 25, he assaulted his girlfriend, punching her four or five times, then choking her with both hands to the point where she was gasping for air and afraid she would die. The two had been dating for one year. While she was calling 911 for help, he struggled with her and tried to take her phone away, according to court records.

On Sept. 8, Becker County District Judge Gretchen Thilmony sentenced him on the gross misdemeanor to a year in jail, with 258 days stayed two years, and credit for 107 days served.

He was ordered to get a domestic abuse evaluation and a chemical dependency evaluation and follow the recommendations, including aftercare. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim.