Fossum sentenced in exploitation of Nfld woman
A Morristown woman who pled guilty to Financial Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult was sentenced yesterday in Dakota County Court. 53 year old Loretta Anne Fossum was accused of bilking an elderly Northfield woman out of thousands of dollars. She received a Stay of Imposition which means the court does not pronounce sentence but stays the imposition on condition the defendant complies with any conditions of probation. In Fossum’s case conditions include 60 days in jail, she must pay restitution, have no contact with the victim in any way, perform 30
hours of community service and remain in contact with her probation officer for a period of 5 years. As a convicted felon she is also not allowed to vote, unless and until conditions of her probation are successfully completed. The case will then be deemed a misdemeanor. Fossum will start serving her jail term November 11th.
Hold up – Nfld Council waits on NDDC vote
In a divided vote, the Northfield Council voted to postpone their decision on whether to fund the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation until staff had put together a contract. Administrator Ben Martig said that originally they had intended to have the full contract term would be available for consideration at this meeting. However, with the NDDC in transition due to the exit of Scot Covey as Executive Director, their request that the funding be halved as they search for a replacement and no formal contract written, Council voted 4 to 3 in favor of waiting on the vote. Martig explained that he hasn’t had a chance to sit down with the NDDC to discuss terms. Martig said the debate was whether they should give direction related to the budget contribution now without that or should they put it off and vote when they have the service contract in front of them. As it relates to the overall budget, martig said, it’s a “manageable amount”. The NDDC is requesting $17,500, half of what they’ve received the last several years.
A suspicious call turns up a felon with a shotgun
A Nerstrand man is in jail charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and giving a false name. While Rice Co. deputies were looking for a missing person last Friday morning, they got a call on a suspicious vehicle. They called Morristown Police who responded to a suspicious vehicle in the 2500 block of Jackson Ave. Sheriff Troy Dunn commented this morning that the officer found a van occupied by 4 people who were trying to hide under blankets and making “furtive movements”. He said one person took off running. Law enforcement found a shotgun in the car, people gave false information. The driver was later identified as 30 year old Jeremia Michael Roberts. The uncased shotgun was found behind his seat, unloaded, with a scope next to it. Dunn added that this is another situation where “we can’t say enough about people calling in when something just doesn’t look right”. In this case, this was someone who was on the run from a treatment center and started “participating in criminal activity”. The female passenger told officers that he put the shotgun in the vehicle the night before and they may have been “jacking cars.” They had stopped in the field to sleep. Roberts told police the shotgun belonged to the female. Officers also found drug paraphernalia, bolt cutters and marijuana contraband. Roberts next court appearance is November 10th. He’s facing up to 15 years in prison. He has a lengthy criminal history.
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