Court news: Becker County man gets 26 months for domestic abuse

Marcus Ryan Maurstad, 46, of rural Ponsford, has been sentenced in Becker County District Court on two felony counts of domestic abuse, involving separate cases.

According to court records, on Aug. 15, 2020, in a domestic incident he threatened to shoot a woman with a BB gun. She left the residence with her three children, and officers that responded to the home found Maurstad had burned her clothes and the children’s clothes in a bonfire outside the residence. He had barricaded the doors, but officers were able to enter the house, where they found him in a back room and arrested him.

On Sept. 8, 2020, he assaulted his wife and brought a gas can into the house, threatening to burn it down, with her in it, if she didn’t leave. He threatened to wrap a vacuum cleaner cord around her neck, while she was tending to their minor children who were crying in the living room. Another woman in the home called 911, and Maurstad left when told that law enforcement was on its way.

Because of a two-year order for protection issued Aug. 24, 2020, he was prohibited from any contact with the victim and must stay at least 500 feet away from the residence. He has four prior domestic abuse-related convictions, one in 2013 and three in 2015, according to the criminal complaint.

On Feb. 9, Becker County District Judge Michael Fritz sentenced him on both counts to 26 months in prison at St. Cloud, and ordered him to pay a $50 fine and $125 in court fees. The prison sentences will be served concurrently.

Three felony charges of domestic assault and a felony charge of making terroristic threats were dropped in a plea agreement.

Katrina Marie Elmore, 27, of Detroit Lakes, has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony domestic abuse, violating an order for protection.

According to court records, on April 28, 2020, Detroit Lakes police were called to a disturbance at a Detroit Lakes motel room and found Elmore and the victim together in the room, arguing.

An order for protection for the victim was issued Dec. 1, 2019, by a magistrate in Iowa. Elmore was previously convicted of domestic assault in 2015 and violating a no-contact order in 2016.

On Feb. 11, Becker County District Judge Gretchen Thilmony stayed imposition of sentence and placed her on supervised probation for five years.

She was ordered to serve 45 days in jail, with credit for five days served, and was fined $500 plus $650 in court fees. She must do 120 hours of community service work.

Elmore was ordered to get chemical dependency and domestic abuse evaluations and follow the recommendations, including aftercare. A second felony domestic abuse charge was dropped in a plea agreement.

Craig Anthony Crosby, 42, of rural Detroit Lakes has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime.

According to court records, on April 28, 2020, he was in a vehicle pulled over by a state trooper in Detroit Lakes. The officer smelled marijuana in the car, and Crosby pulled a grocery bag out of his backpack containing two plastic baggies of marijuana. A search of Crosby and the vehicle turned up a hypodermic needle in his sock, which he said was for meth, and an aluminum Sprite can with a concealed screw-off lid that held about two-thirds of a gram of meth.

Also found was a glass smoking pipe, .21 grams of marijuana, Jolly Ranchers marijuana edible candy, marijuana wax, unused syringes and other items.

On Feb. 11, Becker County District Judge Gretchen Thilmony stayed adjudication and continued the case.

Crosby was ordered to serve a day in jail, with credit for one day served, and was fined $500 plus $575 in court fees. He was ordered to get a chemical dependency evaluation and follow the recommendations, including aftercare, and was placed on supervised probation for five years.

Two misdemeanor drug charges were dropped in a plea agreement.

Kevin Jerome Basswood, 44, of Ponsford, has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

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.

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 Feb. 16, Becker County District Judge Gretchen Thilmony sentenced Basswood to 20 months in prison in St. Cloud, to be served concurrently with another case. He was ordered to pay a $50 fine and $125 in court fees from his prison earnings. A gross misdemeanor charge of driving after his license was canceled was dropped in a plea agreement.

RELATED: Read more Becker County District Court news

• Michael John Hebert, 54, of rural Detroit Lakes, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony being a fugitive from justice from another state. According to court records, on Feb. 4 he was arrested on unrelated charges in Becker County. The officer found that an arrest warrant had been issued for him on Dec. 20, 2019, in Cass County, N.D., for delivery of a controlled substance (50 grams of meth) and failure to appear in court. On Feb. 9, he waived his right to an extradition hearing.
• Jordan Christopher Myers, 39, of Moorhead, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony being a fugitive from justice from another state. According to court records, he was arrested Jan. 31 in Becker County. Before he was released from jail, a routine check showed he was wanted on a fraud charge in Cass County, N.D. On Feb. 9, he waived his right to an extradition hearing.
• Geeziss Equay French, 41, of Mahnomen has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony being a fugitive from justice from another state. According to court records, on Feb. 5 he was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over for a broken taillight in Becker County. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt, and the officer found that an arrest warrant had been issued for him on Oct. 15, 2019, in Travis County, Texas, for a parole violation. On Feb. 11, he waived his right to an extradition hearing.