Beltrami County Fugitive Arrested

On Thursday morning, August 18, 2011, Lucas Wayne French, 29, was arrested by South Dakota DCI Special Agents and Brookings, SD, Police Officers on an Escape Charge from Beltrami County.  French was being held at the Beltrami County jail on assault charges and maltreatment of a child, stemming from an incident involving sword fighting on July 12, 2011 in rural Beltrami County. 

 

French had been given "Huber" (work release) privileges by the court and was working at a local business when he left on a break and didn't return to work.  It was discovered that French had also taken money from his employer before disappearing.   French's companion Carmen Faye Monroe, 31, of Bemidji, was arrested in South Dakota on Charges of Aiding and Abetting the escape.  French and Monroe left Bemidji with two children who they did not have legal custody of and these children were recovered unharmed by the police.

 

French was located by Beltrami County Sheriff's Investigators with assistance from several law enforcement agencies including the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Brookings, SD Police and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.

 

Sheriff Phil Hodapp

Beltrami County Sheriff's Office

 

Submitted by:

 

Mrs. Beryl Wernberg

911 Communications Supervisor/

                        Emergency Management Director

Beltrami County Sheriffs Office

613 Minnesota Ave NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

218-333-8320 or fax 218-755-9322

Pager:  218-759-7560

beryl.wernberg@co.beltrami.mn.us

There is no path- follow your heart

 

 

 

 

Change to signal lights at junction of Hwy 71 and Hwy 2 south of Bemidji starting today- and change to the roadway

            The construction continues from the junction of Hwy 2 and Hwy 71 south of Bemidji to the county line of Hubbard and Beltrami. 

Today, August 3, 2011, Wednesday there will be temporary stop signs set up in lieu of stoplights.   These will be in place while construction crews switch the driving lane from the old Hwy 71 to the new lane on Hwy 71.  As soon as the switch is accomplished temporary stoplights will be in place until such time as both lanes are up and running.

Use caution and drive slowly through this area.

 

 

 

Mrs. Beryl Wernberg

911 Communications Supervisor/

                        Emergency Management Director

Beltrami County Sheriffs Office

613 Minnesota Ave NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

218-333-8320 or fax 218-755-9322

Pager:  218-759-7560

beryl.wernberg@co.beltrami.mn.us

There is no path- follow your heart

MISSING PERSON FOUND SAFE

MISSING PERSON HAS BEEN LOCATED

At JULY 9th, 2011 9:10AM emergency responders located the missing 76 year old male and he was found to be in good health.  At this time we are standing down all resources and the call for volunteers can be disregarded.  The subject who suffers from advanced dementia went missing in rural southeastern Beltrami County, a heavily wooded wetland area. 

We sincerely appreciate all the support and assistance volunteers, private citizens, and assisting agencies provided us during this search.

 

 Mrs. Beryl Wernberg

911 Communications Supervisor/

                        Emergency Management Director

Beltrami County Sheriffs Office

613 Minnesota Ave NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

218-333-8320 or fax 218-755-9322

Pager:  218-759-7560

beryl.wernberg@co.beltrami.mn.us

There is no path- follow your heart

The following request for volunteer help had been issued earlier:

 

"The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office is requesting assistance from volunteers in a search for a missing 76 year old male who suffers from advanced dementia.  Volunteers that are able to assist must be at least 18 years old, dressed appropriately for weather conditions, and prepared to walk with appropriate shoes or boots.  Mosquito repellant may also be beneficial.  Volunteers should respond to the intersection of Wood Duck Rd and Birchmont Beach Rd, and they will be taken by bus to the scene.  That intersection is 15 miles east of Bemidji Rd or 4 miles west of Scenic Highway on Birchmont Beach Rd.  Numerous agencies are assisting in the search, additional volunteer resources are needed to cover the large wooded area.  Aerial support has also been dispatched.

 

A 76 year old white male with advanced dementia wandered away from a resort on the southeast side of Pimushe Lake (eastern end of Beltrami County off of the Scenic Highway) Friday, July 8, 2011.  He is described as 5' 10",  220 lbs with shorter grey hair parted on the right, thinning on top, receding hairline, no hat; no glasses, walks with a limp due to recent knee surgery on right leg; wearing navy blue dress pants, red short sleeved cotton shirt. Is in good health otherwise.  His name is Donald."

 

 

 

 

Beltrami County Roads have New Speed Limits

Beltrami County has received authorization from the Minnesota Department of Transportation to post new speed limits on four County roads.  The new speed limits are the result of recent speed studies completed by MnDOT at the County's request.   The Beltrami County Highway Department will be installing new speed limit signs within the next couple weeks.

The affected roads are County Road 402 ( Oak Hills Rd SE), Co Rd 46 (Oak Hills Rd SW), Co Rd 20 (Birchmont Beach Rd NE), and Co Rd 19 (Lake Ave NE and New Bass Rd NE).  Please watch for the newly posted speed limits along these sections of roadway.

The Beltrami County Highway Department would like to remind drivers that it is each person's duty to drive with due care.  No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than what is reasonable and prudent under the conditions.  We are asking motorists to use caution on the newly assigned speed zones during the transition.

Please contact us at 333-8173 if you have any questions.  Thank you for your cooperation.

FROM THE BELTRAMI COUNTY HWY DEPT

Bruce Hasbargen, County Engineer

Press Release July 6, 2011

Speed Limit Changes on Some County Roads

 

Please post, broadcast, share and print. Thank you.

 

 

 

Mrs. Beryl Wernberg

911 Communications Supervisor/

                        Emergency Management Director

Beltrami County Sheriffs Office

613 Minnesota Ave NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

218-333-8320 or fax 218-755-9322

Pager:  218-759-7560

beryl.wernberg@co.beltrami.mn.us

There is no path- follow your heart

 

 

Beltrami Co Sheriff: State Shutdown Information

Today, the state has shuttered many of their services, including state parks, DNR operations, etc.  Public Safety Operations at the state level have been deemed essential and will continue to operate.

 

The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office members and 911 Communications Center have been fielding many questions from citizens about matters regarding affected state services.  County Public Safety operations are not affected by the state shutdown.  The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office is continuing work as always. 

 

If you have questions about state services that no longer are available such as Driver License updates to suspensions or revocations, Fishing license purchases, or anything else; please contact your local State Representative, Senator or Governor.  Their contact information is listed below.

 

Sheriff Phil Hodapp

 

 

SUBMITTED BY:

Mrs. Beryl Wernberg

911 Communications Supervisor/

                        Emergency Management Director

Beltrami County Sheriffs Office

613 Minnesota Ave NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

218-333-8320 or fax 218-755-9322

Pager:  218-759-7560

beryl.wernberg@co.beltrami.mn.us

There is no path- follow your heart

 

 

 

 

Kevin Ayotte missing person case

On September 30, 1982, a three year old child by the name of Kevin Jay Ayotte went missing from his family's residence in Sugarbush Township, in Beltrami County.  At that time (29 years ago) an exhaustive search and investigation was undertaken by then Sheriff Tom Tolman and members of the sheriff's office with assistance from other state and federal agencies.   That investigation did not succeed in finding Kevin or even determining the exact nature of his disappearance.  This case has continued to haunt the Ayotte family, retired law enforcement officials involved in the investigation and active members who have come on the sheriff's department, since.

A few weeks ago, Beltrami County Sheriff's Investigator Scott Hinners reexamined the Kevin Jay Ayotte Missing Person case from 1982 and began running names from the case file through investigative databases.  During this search, the investigator located an individual in Michigan using the same name, date of birth and social security number assigned to the missing Kevin Jay Ayotte from Beltrami County.  Additional assistance was sought by Investigator Hinners from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, VA.  As investigator Hinners continued his investigation he learned that Kevin's mother and father also were living in Michigan in a town in the same region as the person using Kevin Jay Ayotte's name.

Last week, Investigator Hinners , accompanied by a Special Agent  from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, travelled to Michigan and began searching for the subject.  With the help of local Michigan authorities, Beltrami County Investigators located an individual who had stolen and assumed the identity of Kevin Jay Ayotte and used this new identity for financial purposes.  

As it turned out, this suspect was known to local authorities in Michigan.  The suspect was interviewed by law enforcement authorities and admitted to the identity theft.  The Identity theft investigation was left in the hands of Michigan authorities and remains under investigation.  Beltrami investigators returned to Bemidji after they made contact with Kevin Ayotte's parents in Michigan to discuss these developments in the case.  Investigators determined it was a coincidence that Kevin's parents were living in such close proximity to the suspect in the case.

This Missing Person Case remains open and under investigation with ongoing assistance from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Sheriff Phil Hodapp

Crackdown on Impaired Boaters coming to Beltrami County

Field Sobriety Test Newly Validated for Use on the Water

Beginning June 24 and running through June 26, 2011,  the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office will participate in the Operation Dry Water program and will be out in force looking for boaters whose Blood Alcohol Content exceeds the state limit of .08%.  Operation Dry Water will include increased patrols and breathalyzer tests as well as boater education.  Impaired boaters can expect penalties to be severe.  In Minnesota they include fines, jail and loss of boating or even driving privileges.

"We intend to stop intoxicated boaters and to educate as many boaters as possible about the hazards of Boating Under the Influence (BUI)," says Deputy Brian Birt, spokesperson for Operation Dry Water.  

A boat operator or passenger with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit runs a significantly increased risk of being involved in a boating accident. When impaired by alcohol, boating accidents are more likely and more deadly for both passengers and boat operators, many of whom capsize their vessel or simply fall overboard.  

BUI is a primary contributing factor in nearly 1 in 5 boating fatalities nationwide and Minnesota has gotten tougher in recent years in enforcing laws against this high-risk behavior.  Boaters found operating a recreational vessel with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or higher will find their voyage terminated and may have their watercraft impounded.

Operation Dry Water (ODW), a multi-agency, education and enforcement initiative Operation Dry Water (ODW), a multi-agency, education and enforcement initiative launched by NASBLA in 2009 in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, puts thousands of local, state and federal marine law enforcement officers on the water nationwide the last weekend in June to give BUI enforcement high visibility during the peak boating season.

"There will be arrests this weekend, and some boaters will face the consequences of boating under the influence," says Deputy Birt.  "We want recreational boaters to enjoy themselves, but there will be zero tolerance for BUI."

Operation Dry Water is a joint program of MN DNR, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, and the U.S. Coast Guard and.  For more information, visit www.operationdrywater.org.