Court news: Man sentenced on felony cruelty to animals charge

Emilio James Bunker, 29, of Ogema has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony cruelty to animals.

According to court records, on Oct. 9, 2021, police officers responded to a report of a dog that was abandoned in an apartment in Detroit Lakes. The reporting party stated the dog was in very bad shape. The landlord told an officer that the apartment was being rented by Bunker and a woman who was also charged in the case.

Tenants reported that they had not seen Bunker or the woman at the apartment in at least a month. The landlord said their rental agreement had expired.

Officers entered the apartment due to the emergency of the malnourished dog. Upon entry, the smell of urine was almost unbearable. A black Labrador retriever was on the couch. Officers could see every rib bone of the dog and its bones were protruding.

Dog feces was throughout the apartment. There was no food or water found in the apartment for the dog. The dog was transported to the Marshmallow Foundation and was later seen by a veterinarian, who concluded the dog was emaciated and very malnourished.

The dog weighed 36 pounds, but a normal dog of that type should weigh 65 pounds. The veterinarian told police the dog likely would not have survived another week, according to the criminal complaint.

A number of continuances were granted and three arrest warrants were issued in the case before District Judge Michael Fritz ordered Bunker held without bail on Jan. 17.

On Jan. 24, District Judge Michelle Lawson sentenced Bunker to 161 days in the Becker County Jail, with credit for 161 days served.

He was fined $500 plus $150 in court fees, and was placed on supervised probation for four years. Successful completion of probation will result in a misdemeanor conviction.

He was ordered to complete a comprehensive assessment and a diagnostic assessment and follow the recommendations, including aftercare.

He is not allowed to have ownership, custody or control of a pet or companion animal without prior permission from his probation officer.

Brandon Roger Wiehoff, 30, of Alexandria, Minn. has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony first-degree controlled substance crime.

According to court records, on Jan. 23, 2021, in Becker County he sold a large amount of methamphetamine to a confidential reliable informant with the West Central Minnesota Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.

A week later, law enforcement pulled him over on Highway 10 in Becker County and found 510 methadone pills and 6.91 grams of meth on his person.

On Jan. 11, District Judge Michelle Lawson sentenced him to 75 months in prison at St. Cloud, stayed six years – a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines.

He was fined $1,000 plus $150 in court fees, and was ordered to serve 180 days in jail, with credit for 10 days served.

If he doesn’t serve his time in Becker County, he must complete the Enhanced Supervision Program through Stearns County, if he qualifies and is accepted into the program.

He was ordered to complete a comprehensive assessment and a diagnostic assessment and follow the recommendations, including aftercare.

A felony fifth-degree drug charge was dropped in a plea agreement.

Ryan Daniel Goroski, 41, of Audubon has had several criminal sexual conduct charges dismissed in Becker County District Court because he is deceased.

He was charged with three counts of felony fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and a misdemeanor count of indecent exposure.

He died Jan. 23 after being hit by a train on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line between Audubon and Detroit Lakes.

Kevin Jerome Basswood, 46, of Ponsford has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony DWI and felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

According to court records, on the evening of Jan. 23, a White Earth police sergeant pulled him over near the intersection of County Road 14 and County Road 21 in Becker County. Basswood said that his driver's license was canceled and he admitted to being on parole.

When a special agent arrived on scene and asked Basswood to step out of the vehicle, he sped off at a high rate of speed. Law enforcement pursued him north on Becker County Road 21 at speeds of up to 120 miles per hour. Stop sticks were deployed and Basswood’s vehicle slowed significantly.

An officer did a PIT maneuver and forced Basswood's vehicle to a stop on Becker County Road 34. A search turned up a small plastic baggie of meth underneath the driver's seat. At the jail, Basswood was unable to complete field sobriety testing because he felt he was going to fall over. A sample of his blood was sent to the Minnesota BCA for testing and analysis.

On Jan. 25, bail or bond for Basswood was set at $50,000 with standard conditions of release, or $100,000 with no conditions. His request for a public defender was approved.

An omnibus hearing is set for Feb. 13 before District Court Judge Gretchen Thilmony.

James Thorpe Beaulieu, 55, of rural Waubun has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime.

According to court records, on June 8, 2022, White Earth police officers executed a search warrant on an Ogema residence. Beaulieu and a woman (who was also charged) were in a west bedroom, where officers found three paper bindles in a plastic baggie and another paper bindle by itself. A powdery substance was inside one of the bindles which later field-tested positive for fentanyl. Due to the danger of fentanyl exposure, it was not weighed but estimated to be approximately one gram and sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for testing.

On Jan. 25, District Judge Gretchen Thilmony sentenced Beaulieu to a year and day in prison at St. Cloud, stayed one year and one day.

He was ordered to serve 226 days in jail, with credit for 226 days served, and ordered to pay $125 in fines and court fees. He was placed on supervised probation for an indeterminate period of time.

May Gabriella Durant, 49, of Park Rapids has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for felony fifth-degree controlled substance crime.

A felony charge of second-degree controlled substance crime was dropped in a plea agreement.

According to court records, on Jan. 7, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant on a residence in Ponsford. In the basement, officers located Francis Edward Durant (who was also charged) and May Durant.

Francis Durant had an active warrant and was placed under arrest. A Smith & Wesson .45 caliber handgun was in a jacket pocket belonging to him. Ammunition was also found throughout the residence.

In a basement bedroom, multiple bags containing a total of 28.5 grams of meth were found. A person at the residence told officers that both the Durants stay in the west basement bedroom. A large amount of U.S. currency was also found in the basement, including in May Durant's purse. In a post-arrest interview, Francis Durant admitted to ownership of the meth and the firearm found in the search. He said he sold meth and that May Durant was aware of that.

On Jan. 27, District Judge Michael Fritz issued a stay of adjudication and placed May Durant on supervised probation for five years. She was ordered to serve 30 days in jail, with credit for five days served. Work release was authorized.

She was fined $1,000 plus $150 in court fees, and must complete a comprehensive assessment and follow the recommendations, including aftercare.