Red Lake Police arrest suspects in vehicle thefts

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

Dec. 29, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

Red Lake law enforcement officers arrested one adult and two minors in connection with four stolen vehicles in the Bemidji area Saturday and Sunday, according to Bemidji Police Detective Mark Nelson

The three were being held in custody on the Red Lake Reservation Tuesday, and charges should be filed in Beltrami County sometime this week, said Nelson, who investigates car thefts for the Bemidji Police Department and Beltrami County Sheriff's Department.

The three individuals reportedly admitted to stealing two vehicles within Bemidji city limits and two near Puposky, located in Durand Township about 20 miles north of Bemidji.

Nelson said the first car stolen was a Pontiac from the 100 block of Minnesota Avenue Northwest.

The owner, Donna Lee Peterson, said she parked the car near Summit Square Apartments on Minnesota Avenue Saturday night, and when she returned Sunday, only a pile of broken glass was left in its place.

The second car stolen was a Buick four-door, owned by Bemidji State University student Dana Lynn Cowles. It was taken Sunday from a BSU parking lot, and contained a number of valuable items, according to the police report.

The third and fourth vehicles both were taken from the Puposky area, according to Nelson.

David Hansen, who lives on Beltrami County Road 15, reported Monday that his 1986 Chevrolet pickup was stolen from his front yard sometime Sunday night.

And, Robert Binkley, who lives on a road which runs east of County Road 15 in the Puposky area, also reported his 1986 Ford Ranger stolen from his front yard sometime Sunday night. His pickup contained a number of tools.

All four vehicles were stolen by having the steering columns chipped.

Peterson's Pontiac was recovered in the ditch alongside County Road 15 one mile north of Beltrami County Road 202, but the other three vehicles were recovered on the Red Lake Reservation, Nelson said.

He added that a Red Lake conservation officer on patrol spotted the suspects. He said the conservation officer saw one of the trucks stuck on a road, with another of the vehicles pulled alongside it. When the suspects spotted the conservation officer, they fled on foot to a house, where they were later arrested.

"We are very grateful to the Red Lake Police Department," Nelson said. "They really helped us out on this one."