If you have a tip concerning a crime, call the Sartell Police Department at 320-251-8186 or Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 320-255-1301, or access its tip site at tricountycrimestoppers.org. Crime Stoppers offers rewards up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for a crime.
June 28
7:58 a.m. Gunshot. Victory Avenue. Officers were dispatched to a male party who stated he accidentally discharged a firearm while practicing his conceal and draw. The caller told dispatch no one was hit and it discharged out his window into a field. When the officer arrived on scene, the firearm had been placed back into the holster and was sitting on the counter. The officer could see a bullet hole in the window. The officer took two statements from the man and they aligned with what the scene showed. Apartment management was notified about the broken window. The gun, magazine, spent casing and holster were taken as evidence.
June 29
5:42 p.m. Community policing. 1 Street NE. The Sartell community service officer, a police officer and a reserve officer hosted Police Activities League at the park. They played dodgeball, kickball and had lots of fun with water balloons. There was a craft area for kids and a snack was dispersed at the end of the night.
June 30
2:14 a.m. Intoxicated persons. 15th Street N. Officers were dispatched for three juveniles who appeared intoxicated, stumbling and striking mailboxes. When officers located the juveniles, they noted they did not observe any signs of intoxication. The juveniles told the officers they were out searching for a lost dog. The officers confirmed one of the juveniles did punch a mailbox but they did not know which mailbox it was or if there was damage. The officer transported the juveniles home and warned them and their parents about curfew. The missing dog story was confirmed by parents.
July 1
3:54 a.m. Open door. Eighth Street N. Officers were dispatched to a complaint of a neighbor’s garage door being open; the caller wanted officers to close the door. The officer located the open garage door. No one answered the front door, garage lights were on and there was no sign of forced entry. The officer was unable to close the door due to items in the way of the door sensors. The officer did extra patrol the rest of the morning.
July 2
10:37 p.m. Intoxicated Person. Roberts Road. Officers were requested for a man who was intoxicated, being verbal, acting strange, and attempting to break property inside of an apartment where a small child was present. When officers arrived on scene, they were let in the patio door of the apartment. The officer tried getting the man to step outside to talk and he would not; a second officer arrived on scene and the man was escorted outside. The officers had to de-escalate the man numerous times while speaking with him. While speaking to all parties involved, it was found nothing criminal had happened. The female caller stated she only called to try and calm the man down and if he stayed calm, he could stay. Officers found the man had a misdemeanor warrant out of Dakota County. Dakota County requested a hold to be placed on the man. The officers arrested the man and transported him to Stearns County Jail without issues.
July 3
6:07 p.m. Suspicious person. Bellin Drive. Person called dispatch stating there was a man wearing dark- colored clothing and a backpack walking around the neighborhood for the past couple days. The man was located nearby by officers. The man admitted to the officers he was homeless and had been living in the tall grass for several days. The man told officers he was moving on and heading to Place of Hope.
July 4
7:45 p.m. Trespassing. 50th Avenue. Officers saw a vehicle near the property that was unoccupied and knew no one should be there. The officers found four juveniles from Becker; they were looking around the round barn property because they had seen other people do it on Instagram. They were cooperative with officers and were advised they needed to leave as they were trespassing. Their shoes were wrecked from the rain and mud from the new road being pushed through. They left without incident.
July 5
12:27 a.m. Noise. Ninth Avenue N. Officers were dispatched to a fireworks complaint. While officers were on scene, they observed underage individuals outside the residence who had been drinking. More people under 21 years of age were believed to be inside the home. The renters would not give the officer consent to search the home. A search warrant was applied for through Stearns County courts and was approved by a judge. The renters were shown the signed search warrant and officers entered the home. The officers issued nine underage drinking citations.
July 6
12:59 p.m. Ordinance. Terry Lane. The Sartell Police Department received a complaint about brush and weeds accumulating on a property. A Community service officer made contact with the homeowner and spoke about the complaint. The homeowner stated she would seek a compost sticker and get rid of the debris. The CSO will check the property in 30 days.
July 7
8:23 p.m. Shoplifting. CR 120. An officer was dispatched to a shoplifter; the suspect was a cooperative elderly woman. The officer arrived on scene and the woman told the officer she had dementia. The woman had been stopped by loss prevention for tag swapping and under-ringing merchandise. It was reported the woman had been in the store since 1:30 p.m. The store chose not to charge the woman but did ask her to leave the property. The officer assisted with the recovery of the merchandise and stood by while the trespass paperwork was completed.
July 8
6:44 p.m. Suspicious person. Riverside Avenue S. Officers were requested for two men who appeared to be under the influence, flailing around and trying to pump gas. The officer made contact with the driver and the other man was already walking away; the officer did not have reason to stop him. The driver exhibited behaviors similar to being under the influence, so another officer working Toward Zero Deaths offered to process the driver. As officers were going through the car, they found items similar to recent burglaries in the area, such as copper wires. At this point, the officers found the other man inside the store shopping and tried to identify him. The man became uncooperative and the officer handcuffed him behind his back and placed him in the rear of a squad. The man claimed he was hurt and an ambulance was called; ultimately the man was cleared. The driver was found not to be under the influence and was not able to drive because of his license being revoked. The business was unsure if they were going to issue trespass notices, so the officers allowed the men to leave.
July 9
4:39 p.m. Traffic stop. CR 1. While an officer was on patrol, they observed a vehicle in front of them and ran a routine license-plate check. The officer learned the registered female owner had a valid instructional permit, which would require her to have a passenger in the front seat with a valid driver’s license and over the age of 21. The officer did not observe anyone else in the vehicle while behind it, so the officer conducted a traffic stop. The officer confirmed the driver was the owner, the officer did find a person to be sitting in the passenger seat of the car however they did not have a valid driver’s license either. The officer issued the driver a citation and they called for a valid driver to remove the vehicle from the roadway.
July 10
8:37 p.m. Welfare. Sunburst Avenue. Officers were dispatched for a male party yelling “get outside, come at me.” The caller said it was coming from behind his address. The caller also informed dispatch there was a dog barking near the man. When officers arrived in the area, the yelling had stopped and the caller told the officer he had not heard it since he had called. The officer was unable to locate anyone in distress. Officers told the caller to call back if they hear it again.
July 11
12:24 a.m. Fire. Perimeter Drive. Officers were requested to respond to a possible building fire by dispatch. The caller told dispatch he was outside and thought he saw a bunch of smoke coming from somewhere. When officers arrived on scene, they noted the man had been drinking and were able to confirm the smoke was just heavy fog in the area. The Sartell Fire Department was canceled while in route.
July 12
1:48 p.m. Assist agency. Fifth Avenue NW. An officer heard Benton County dispatch asking for more officers to respond to a vehicle crash. A Sartell officer responded and on the way was informed the man was not complying with the officer and was very confrontational. When the Sartell officer arrived on scene, other Benton County deputies were arriving too. The man was still in the vehicle and refusing to get out. The man was assisted out of the vehicle and started kicking at officers. The man was placed in handcuffs and moved into the seated position. The Sartell officer was cleared at this time.
July 14
1:29 a.m. Suspicious vehicle. CR 120. While an officer was on patrol, they came across a vehicle parked at a city park after hours. The officer found the vehicle was unoccupied with the rear driver’s side window rolled down all the way. The vehicle was cold to touch and windows were fogged up. The vehicle appeared to have been in an accident because the air bags had been deployed and cut out of the vehicle. The officer ran the VIN to confirm everything matched and it did.
July 15
7:49 p.m. DWI. CR 120. An officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with malfunctioning lights and expired registration. As the officer explained the reason for the stop, they noted the driver had bloodshot eyes. The officer could smell alcoholic beverages emitting from the vehicle, and in plain view the officer could see a glass bottle of some kind of alcoholic beverage. The driver told the officer the bottles were empty beers from last weekend. From the officer’s observations, he had concerns about the driver’s ability to properly operate the vehicle. The officer ran a few field sobriety tests on the driver. The driver was cited for Driving While Impaired and released to a sober party.
July 16
1:39 a.m. Assist agency. Highway 15. Officers heard Benton County dispatch air a vehicle pursuit that was near the City of Sartell. Officers responded and took position and had spike strips ready to be laid out for the suspect vehicle. Before the vehicle reached the Sartell officers, the vehicle had come to a stop. Sartell officers assisted with the felony traffic stop on the vehicle. The officers assisted with clearing the vehicle and then were cleared from the scene.
July 17
9:51 a.m. Information. CR 120. An officer was dispatched to a vehicle that was parked in a grassy area, the vehicle was smashed up and a woman had her head outside the window, possibly unconscious. The officer arrived and recognized the woman from previous calls. The woman was conscious and making odd statements. The officer asked if she needed medical attention and she denied it. The officer asked if she needed help and the woman declined any kind of help. The officer told the woman to call if she needed any assistance.
July 18
9:26 p.m. Assist agency. CR 1. Officers were dispatched for a woman in the river tubing who was being swept away by the current. The tuber’s friend had called dispatch stating she had gone to pick up her friend that was tubing in the river, but the current swept her away. The last time she had seen her friend she was grabbing onto branches trying to not get taken further down the river. Stearns County deputies and Sartell and St. Cloud fire departments responded. As resources were entering the water, the friend’s phone rang and it was the tuber. The Sartell officer spoke to her and she did not appear to be in distress. The officer had her hang up and call 911 so they could pinpoint her location. The woman was in thick brush along a steep bank and was brought up safely. The woman was checked over by an ambulance. Stearns County Sheriff’s Office found the woman had two felony warrants out of Benton and Sherburne counties, and she was transported to the Stearns County Jail.
