Court news: Hitterdal man charged in crash that seriously injured woman

Kyle Scott Jacobson, 35, of Hitterdal, has been charged in Becker County District Court with four felony counts of criminal vehicular operation.

According to court records, about 2:21 a.m. on Feb. 20, he was involved in a two-vehicle crash near County Road 7 and County Road 16, about five miles east of Ulen in rural Becker County, that seriously injured a woman.

Jacobson was southbound on Becker County Road 7 in a Chevy Tahoe, and a witness said he watched the Tahoe begin sliding as it approached the intersection. The Tahoe went through the stop sign and struck a white Dodge minivan that had been pulled out of a snowbank there.

The witness, who had pulled out the stuck minivan, estimated the Tahoe was still moving about 30 miles per hour at impact. The witness added that the visibility was okay at the time and was not a "white out" as Jacobson claimed.

The minivan had significant damage to the front passenger side door area. The Tahoe had significant front end damage, and the airbag had deployed. When the deputy arrived, Ulen Fire and Rescue was already on scene and providing medical care to a woman in the Dodge minivan. She was extracted from the vehicle using the jaws of life and transported to Fargo with critical injuries. Her name was not included in the criminal complaint.

On the morning of Feb. 21, the deputy spoke to the woman’s husband, who said that he had limited information, but that she had internal bleeding and a laceration to her liver. The husband also added that it was very likely that she would require surgery due to the injury to her liver.

When the deputy talked to Jacobson at the crash scene, he detected the strong odor of alcohol and observed that Jacobson had watery eyes, exhibited slow movements, and his speech was slow and slurred.

Jacobson said he was driving from Flom, Minn., and admitted to consuming alcoholic beverages. The deputy saw unopened beer cans on the ground outside the Tahoe's driver's door, on the front dash, on the front passenger floor and in the rear of the vehicle, and also saw an empty glass bottle on the passenger floor. A preliminary breath test showed .22% blood alcohol content, nearly three times the legal limit.

A blood sample was taken from Jacobson at about 4:42 a.m. at Essentia Health St. Mary's hospital.

Jacobson was previously convicted of DWI in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

On Feb. 23 he posted a $10,000 bond and was released, under a number of conditions. A court appearance was set for March 7.

Justina Ellen Gilbertson, 29, of Audubon, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony dishonored check.

According to court records, between Sept. 21 and Sept. 23, 2021, she wrote three bad checks totaling $636.30 at Menards in Detroit Lakes.

On Jan. 18, a Detroit Lakes police officer contacted her and explained the checks were returned as non-sufficient funds. He explained that a demand for payment had been sent to the address on the checks. Gilbertson acknowledged no longer living at that address and asked if she could set up a payment plan with Menards. The officer advised her to contact them before further action was taken.

On Feb. 15 a summons was issued for her to appear at a remote hearing April 14.

Lucas Matthew Hartwig, 28, of Park Rapids, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony third-degree assault.

According to court records, on Feb. 17, a Becker County deputy met with the victim of an assault outside of the emergency room at a hospital in Park Rapids.

The man reported that when he left the bathroom inside Osage Bait & Tackle, Hartwig was waiting for him and punched him in the face. The man suffered a broken jaw and lost one of his teeth as a result of the punch. The man reported Hartig was upset because he was with Hartig's ex-girlfriend. In a SnapChat message between Hartig and another person, he admitted to punching the man twice, and described the bathroom as looking "like a murder scene."

On Feb. 18, cash bail was set at zero, with standard conditions of release, or $15,000 bail or bond with no conditions. An omnibus hearing was scheduled for April 11.

Dustin Robert Hagel, 35, of Fort Yates, North Dakota, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony third-degree burglary.

According to court records, on Feb. 10, Hagel pushed a cart full of high-value items totaling $1,485 out of the Detroit Lakes Walmart to a waiting black Lexus passenger vehicle.

Hagel was accompanied by an unidentified man. They were not apprehended at that time. On Feb. 16, Walmart identified Hagel through its computer system, because he was involved in another theft at the Dilworth Walmart on Feb. 7.

During that incident, Hagel was wearing the same Vikings hat and left in the same black Lexus. Hagel was prevented from completing that theft and was issued a no-trespass order applying to all Walmarts. On Feb. 13, in Fargo, Hagel was a passenger in the same black Lexus, was arrested on an outstanding warrant out of Scott County, Minnesota, and is currently in custody there. On Feb. 18, a warrant was issued in Becker County District Court.

According to an amended criminal complaint filed Feb. 28, Walmart later reported that it had identified via surveillance footage that Hagel had also stolen about $827 worth of merchandise on Feb. 3 using the same strategy. He is now in the Becker County Jail on the warrant from the original complaint.

Jayson Robert Annette, 33, of Ponsford has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony violating a no-contact order within 10 years of the first of two or more convictions.

He was charged Feb. 19, but details of the criminal complaint were not available online.

On Feb. 22, cash bail for Annette was set at $1,000, or bond at $10,000 with standard conditions of release, or $30,000 bail or bond with no conditions. His request for a public defender was approved. He remained in jail as of March 5.

Thayian Christopher Greenfeather, 18, of Ponsford, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime and misdemeanor DWI.

According to court records, at about 2:45 a.m. on Feb. 19, a Becker County deputy received a traffic complaint on Highway 59 near Callaway: A white 2010 Chevrolet Impala was driving at varying speeds between 40 to 70 mph, and had traveled about four miles in the wrong traffic lane.

The deputy followed the car south on Highway 59 and saw it drive onto the fog line, drive approximately halfway into the turn bypass lane and then drive over the fog line again.

The car was pulled over and Greenfeather was found to be the driver, with two passengers in the back seat. The car smelled strongly of marijuana, and Greenfeather was arrested on a warrant. He performed poorly on field sobriety tests, a search warrant was obtained, and a blood draw was conducted about 5 a.m.

During a search of the vehicle, a glass pipe with marijuana residue was found at the driver's door. In the front passenger seat, a blue pill, stamped with “M 30” and suspected to be fentanyl, was found along with a fanny pack containing small baggies of material that field-tested positive for methamphetamine. Each baggie weighed 2 grams, for a total of 8 grams, including packaging.

On Feb. 22, Greenfeather posted $100 cash bail and was released under standard conditions.