Mike Longaecker
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Mike Longaecker is the regional public safety reporter for RiverTown Multimedia. His coverage area spans St. Croix and Pierce counties. Longaecker served from 2011-2015 as editor of the Woodbury Bulletin. A University of Wisconsin-River Falls graduate, Longaecker previously reported for the Red Wing Republican Eagle and for the Forum Communications Minnesota Capitol Bureau. You can follow him on Twitter at @Longaecker
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- 5 years 4 months
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A suspiciously low selling price for a used Cadillac triggered a chain of events that ultimately led to the arrest of a Twin Cities man. The suspect, 39-year-old Timothe Bolle, is accused of stealing his former employer's vehicle and attempting to sell it through the website Craigslist.com. His attempt was foiled in Woodbury after a would-be buyer puzzled by the unusually low asking price investigated the vehicle and learned it had been stolen. Washington County prosecutors charged Bolle, of Hopkins, with one count of receiving stolen property, a felony. The incident began unfolding Oct.
A four-month long Woodbury drug sting culminated this month when a 24-year-old man was arrested after allegedly making numerous cocaine deals with a police informant. Washington County prosecutors charged Lorinza Foster, of St. Paul, with one count of first-degree cocaine sale. A second person, 20-year-old St.
A Woodbury man convicted of felony cocaine possession must now keep his nose clean for 20 years, a Washington County judge ordered. Thomas Redmann, 55, was sentenced Nov. 10 to 20 years on probation and 42 days in jail - time he has already served.
The Royals kicked off the 2011-12 season in convincing fashion, compiling six goals in two games to win the annual Thanksgiving tournament at Bielenberg Sports Center. Woodbury topped Chisago Lakes 3-0 on Saturday after defeating Coon Rapids 3-1 on Friday. Senior forward Chase Myers-Beck scored two goals and one assist against Chisago Lakes. Fellow senior Evan Erickson recorded one goal and one assist in the game, while freshman defenseman Hayden Shaw scored two points on two assists. Woodbury goaltender Josh Erickson stopped all 11 shots he faced.
Police and federal agents this month arrested a Woodbury man accused of participating in a mortgage scheme that prosecutors say bilked a lending company out of millions of dollars. Jared Rothenberger was taken into custody by FBI agents and Woodbury officers Nov. 15 at his home. He is charged in U.S. District Court with conspiracy and two counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud. Federal Magistrate Judge Jeanne Graham set Rothenberger's bail at $25,000. According to a federal indictment unsealed Nov.
Unseasonably warm weather and hot deals on electronics drove Black Friday shoppers out by the thousands in Woodbury, opening the floodgates for the holiday retail season. Most of the shoppers in line at local retailers had one item in their crosshairs - televisions. Woodbury resident Todd Carlson was among the scores of people lined up outside the Oakdale Best Buy counting down the minutes until the doors opened at midnight there. He and his friends had a distinct advantage over those lined up behind them, however: they were first.
Felony charges were filed earlier this month against a Maplewood man accused of brutally assaulting a woman for hours on end at her Woodbury apartment. Washington County prosecutors charged Francis Albert Campbell, 39, with one count of terroristic threats and one count of domestic assault by strangulation - both felonies. He is also charged with gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor counts stemming from the incident. Campbell, who was released from Washington County jail Nov. 14 on $40,000 bail, is accused of beating the woman for hours and threatening to kill her 5-year-old daughter.
A Woodbury teenager allegedly had more bicycle than he bargained for. Eighteen-year-old Dylan Fye is accused of trying to pawn two bicycles so suspicious, a Wisconsin pawnbroker wanted nothing to do with them. Each of the two bicycles was valued at $10,000 apiece. The pawnbroker made contact with police, who caught up with Fye 10 days later in Woodbury and arrested him during an Aug. 22 traffic stop. Washington County prosecutors later charged Fye with one count of aiding and abetting theft, a felony.
As stovetops and ovens prepare to go into overdrive with the holidays approaching, local public safety officials urged caution in the kitchen. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, cooking fire incidents spike during Thanksgiving and Christmastime. Woodbury firefighter and EMS worker Russ Hawkinson said the department has responded to six such fires over the past two years. He said the best precaution cooks can take is to be mindful of their surroundings.
A north metro man accused in numerous Twin Cities fraud cases was charged in Washington County after allegedly attempting to dupe a Woodbury business owner. John Berken Jr., 43, makes his initial court appearance Dec.