New Market man jailed after standoff
Elko New Market Police and the Scott County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call late yesterday morning on report of an intoxicated male shooting a firearm into the ground at a residence in New Market. According to a press release, the male
then went back into the residence, an adult female left the house with her children. However, there was a 7 week old baby still inside the home. The Tri City Tactical Team responded along with a helicopter from the Minnesota State Patrol. Negotiators attempted to make contact with the man, identified as 32 year old Lucas Benjamin Bennett. When that didn’t work they breached the front door and used a robot to search the residence. Bennett was found sleeping on a couch and the child unharmed. She was reunited with her mother. Bennett was arrested and is charged with Second Degree Child Endangerment and Gross Misdemeanor Domestic Assault. He remains in the Scott County jail.
Dundas Council approves brewery
Dundas council met last night and had a full audience. The Meeting Hall brewery took up 2 hours as the public spoke on both sides of the issue, parking seeming to be the biggest issue. The brewery is on Hester Street where there are several houses. City Administrator John McCarthy said the brewery owners have an innovative idea to resolve any parking issue. They will offer a discount to anyone using the public parking lot just down the block or using any mode of transportation other than a vehicle including bicycles or even skateboards! Noise level was also a concern with some. Because of zoning in the area, the operation won’t be open after 10pm and most nights will shut down by 8pm. They’ll install decibel meters as well to document any concerns. The capacity of the building is about 20 patrons, an outside deck would accommodate the same number. The Council vote was 4 to 1 in favor of moving forward with a PUD. Staff will craft the documents, most of which are done but need language added per the decisions last night. Those documents should be brought back to Council July 25th. McCarthy’s full interview is online at kymn.net.
Fossum calls for filtering social media information
Rice County Attorney John Fossum spent 20 years as a defense attorney before becoming Rice County’s top prosecutor. He commented on the recent shootings saying that we should wait for all the facts to come in, not jump to conclusions or follow social media, adding, “you’ve seen a lot of information, some of it’s misinformation, some of it’s disinformation and a lot of it is just plain inaccurate”. He said we won’t know the truth until we get to it. He added that it’s tremendously sad when, “anyone loses their life as a result of contact with law enforcement. I think it’s a bad thing for the officer, it’s a bad thing for the department and it’s a bad thing for law enforcement”. He added that, “the idea that someone would then use that as an excuse to go out and murder 5 police officers is even worse”. He asked people to calm down and see where the facts lead them before leaping to a conclusion. Prosecuting a police officer requires finding that, “he did something that took them out of their role as a police officer, that they reacted in a way that was completely inappropriate for a police officer to react. And if you come across a situation with a person in a car with a gun, what is the appropriate action of the police officer and at what point do they draw their weapon?” The question is what is the appropriate reaction to the situation. In the case of Philando Castile, Fossum said, was it a mistake or an intentional act, that will be the hard part to get to.
Local man on America’s Got Talent tonight!
A local man is on America’s Got Talent tonight! Jonathan Wee, NHS class of 1984, and his comedy juggling partner, Owen, who call themselves The Passing Zone, have made it through the rounds to get on television sometime tonight between 7 and 9.
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