Loren James Smith Jr., 29, of Detroit Lakes, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony second-degree burglary and felony receiving stolen property.
According to court records, on March 25, he burglarized a home in Detroit Lakes, causing substantial damage to two doors he broke to gain entrance, and taking multiple items, including two jewelry cases and an electronic tablet, with a total value of more than $1,000.
He stashed the goods in a plastic garbage bag in a van parked in the driveway at a house nearby.
A woman who was sleeping in the van that night said Smith made multiple trips back to the burglarized house and returned with items he stashed in the van. An officer tracked his footprints from the burglarized house to the van.
Smith was also charged with felony third-degree burglary. According to court records, on Oct. 8, he was involved in a cart pushout theft at the Detroit Lakes Walmart. A shopping cart containing $485 worth of items was pushed out a fire exit and the goods were quickly loaded into a car. A Detroit Lakes police officer recognized the car and Smith on a store surveillance video.
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On Nov. 24, District Judge Peter Irvine issued a summons for Smith to appear in court on Jan. 4.
DL woman accused of stealing while working at JC Penney
Desi Rose Swanson, 19, of Detroit Lakes has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony theft.
According to court records, she stole $2,200 in cash from the Detroit Lakes JC Penney store while working there as a cashier between March and October of this year. She admitted to the theft and signed a confession in the police investigator’s presence, and is no longer allowed inside the store, according to the criminal complaint.
On Nov. 24, District Judge Peter Irvine issued a summons for Swanson to appear in court on Jan. 4.
Menahga man charged with assaulting man with baseball bat
Jacob Thomas Shepersky, 24, of rural Menahga has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony second-degree assault and misdemeanor fifth-degree assault.
According to court records, on Sept. 17, he hit a man in the back of the head with a wooden baseball bat, at least twice, after grabbing the bat from his vehicle during an argument. The man lost consciousness after being hit with the bat, and after he came out of it and got into his vehicle, Shepersky started punching him through an open window.
The man was interviewed by a deputy at the hospital, and had noticeable injuries to his face and the back of his head. Shepersky admitted to fighting the man, and a wooden baseball bat was seized from his vehicle.
On Nov. 24, District Judge Peter Irvine issued a summons for Shepersky to appear in court on Jan. 11.
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Man faces two felony counts of domestic assault
Keith Vernon Bigeagle, 33, of Mahnomen, has been charged in Becker County District Court with two felony counts of domestic assault.
According to court records, on Aug. 1 at a rural Becker County residence he got mad at his girlfriend, who is accused of cheating on him, and punched her multiple times in the face. She yelled for her mother, and Bigeagle fled out the back door. He was previously convicted of domestic assault in 2011 and 2015.
On Nov. 24, District Judge Peter Irvine issued a summons for Bigeagle to appear in court on Jan. 4.
Man charged with assault, carrying rifle in public
Chandler Austin Smith, 22, of White Earth has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony third-degree assault and misdemeanor fifth-degree assault.
According to court records, on Aug. 22 he got into a fight with another man at a residence on Bear Clan Drive. Others joined in, and at one point Smith was punching the man as he was being held down by another man. A police officer observed that Smith’s right hand was bleeding, and the man that had been held down had noticeable injuries to his face, including a large cut above one eye. His face was covered in blood.
In a separate incident, Smith was charged with felony obstructing the legal process and gross misdemeanor carrying a rifle in a public place.
On Oct. 31, officers were called to a residence on Bear Clan Drive on an assault report. They were told Smith had left the residence with a firearm. Officers found him on a roadway with a rifle pointed at his head. He ignored numerous commands to drop the rifle. An officer was forced to taze him, restrain him on the ground, and secure the rifle.
On Nov. 24, District Judges Peter Irvine and Galen Vaa each issued a summons for Smith to appear in court on Jan. 4.
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Fargo man accused of sexual misconduct
Skyler Scott Miller, 22, of Fargo has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
According to court records, on Sept. 6 he had intercourse with a girl under the age of 15 at a motel room in Becker County. He admitted it to a deputy who was investigating the case. The girl’s mother found out from a Snapchat video sent from the girl to her sister, saying that the girl was drinking and had had sex with a 23-year-old guy.
On Nov. 24, District Judge Peter Irvine issued a summons for Miller to appear in court on Jan. 4.
Man faces felony charge for 52 grams of marijuana
Randy Wayne Wadena, 21, of Naytahwaush, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime and gross misdemeanor fifth-degree controlled substance crime.
According to court records, on Oct. 26, he was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over by a trooper on Highway 59 for a burned-out headlight. The trooper smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle. A search revealed 52 grams of marijuana under Wadena’s seat, and he admitted the marijuana belonged to him, according to the criminal complaint.
On Nov. 24, District Judge Galen Vaa issued a summons for Wadena to appear in court on Jan. 11.
Battle Lake man accused of writing checks on closed account
Robert James Loots, 50, of Battle Lake, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony issuing a dishonored check.
According to court records, on March 17 he wrote a $791 check to Cheney’s auto repair in Detroit lakes for new tires and service on a GMC pickup truck.
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Ten days later, the bank notified Cheney’s that the check was “not authorized,” and had been written on an account closed a long time ago. Loots currently has charges pending in Morrison, Hubbard, Douglas, Becker and Otter Tail counties for similar conduct, according to the criminal complaint.
On Nov. 24, District Judge Galen Vaa issued a summons for Loots to appear in court on Jan. 11.
New York Mills woman charged with check forgery to tune of $2,600
Anna Teresa Johnson, 36, of New York Mills, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony check forgery.
According to court records, in November she wrote multiple checks on a woman’s checkbook, purchasing $2,623 worth of goods and services from businesses in Detroit Lakes, Frazee and Wadena. She was identified by store surveillance video.
On Nov. 24, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony set cash bail at $100 or bond at $3,000, with standard conditions of release, or bond at $10,000 without conditions.
