Court news: Detroit Lakes man sentenced on gun, burglary charges

DETROIT LAKES — Derrick Thomas Yoder, 33, of rural Ogema has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony illegal possession of a firearm and third-degree burglary.

A felony charge of receiving stolen property was dismissed in a plea agreement.

According to court records, on Oct. 27, 2022, White Earth police officers were dispatched to Becker County Road 21 after burglary suspects fled the scene when the property owner confronted them.

A trail camera on the property showed a Ford F-150 pickup truck, belonging to Yoder, arriving at 12:51 a.m. and leaving seven minutes later with a cutting torch, tanks, and a battery charger, along with other items taken from inside a shop building on the property.

Stolen items were recovered in a search of Yoder’s residence that were connected to the burglary – as well as a .22 caliber long rifle and a 20-gauge shotgun taken during a burglary that had occurred a few weeks earlier.

Two .22 caliber cartridges were found in Yoder's pants pocket. He was convicted of a burglary-related charge in 2010 and is prohibited from possessing guns or ammunition.

On April 13, Becker County District Judge Gretchen Thilmony sentenced Yoder on the gun charge to 60 months in prison at St. Cloud, stayed five years.

He was ordered to serve 135 days in jail, with credit for 135 days served, and was fined $1,000 plus $150 in court fees.

On the burglary charge, he was sentenced to 21 months in prison, stayed five years, and to be served concurrently with the first charge.

He was ordered to abstain from drugs and alcohol, get a complete comprehensive assessment, and follow the recommendations. He was ordered to successfully complete Drug Court, and was placed on supervised probation for five years.

The sentence is a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines, and was granted because he was found to be particularly amenable to probation and chemical dependency treatment, and because of successful participation in the Becker County Drug Court program.

Michael Stephen Pajari, 33, of Detroit Lakes has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony possession of pornographic works – minor under 14.

A felony charge of possession of pornographic work was dismissed in a plea agreement.

According to court records, on April 1, 2022, a Becker County law enforcement investigator was advised by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on an Internet Crimes Against Children tip that their agency had received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip came from Dropbox, Inc.

It was reported that on Dec. 15, 2021, two video files were uploaded that contained child pornography, and Pajari was later determined to be associated with the account.

In an interview with the investigator, Pajori said he had been struggling with meth use for several years and that he has a porn addiction. He acknowledged he has downloaded lots of nudes and that he used Dropbox for a "little bit."

In February, he pleaded guilty on a Norgaard basis, which essentially means he does not remember committing the offense, but admits the evidence against him would result in a conviction. The sentence is the same as it would be under a regular guilty plea.

On April 12, District Judge Michelle Lawson stayed imposition of sentence and placed him on supervised probation for five years. Successful completion of probation will result in a misdemeanor conviction.

He was ordered to serve 60 days in the Becker County Jail, with Huber work release privileges authorized. He was fined $1,000 plus $150 in court fees.

Pajari was ordered to successfully complete an outpatient ex-offender program, not possess pornography, not not use any phone sex lines, dating services, social networks or enter any strip clubs or adult book stores or similar businesses, and have no contact with persons under age 18 . Predatory offender registration is required.

He must attend all mental health appointments and follow all mental health recommendations, submit to polygraph examinations, complete a psycho-sexual assessment and a comprehensive evaluation, and follow all the recommendations.

Cheri Lee Mayberry, 57, of rural Frazee has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime

A misdemeanor theft charge was dismissed in a plea agreement.

According to court records, on Feb. 5, 2022, a Detroit Lakes police officer responded to Walmart in Detroit Lakes on a shoplifting report. An employee directed the officer to the self-checkout where Mayberry was suspected of bar-code swapping.

The officer noticed the price on the checkout screen was considerably less than the items Mayberry had in the bagging area. She tried to pay $34.42 for $448.24 worth of merchandise.

Inside her purse, the officer found a pouch containing field-tested methamphetamine, short straw, and hypodermic needle. The meth weighed 0.79 grams.

On April 12, District Judge Michelle Lawson issued a stay of adjudication and placed her on supervised probation for five years. Successful completion of probation will result in a dismissal.

She was ordered to serve 20 days in the Becker County Jail, with credit for six days served. Huber work release privileges were authorized.

She was fined $500 plus $75 in court fees.