A Faribault man is in jail charged with sexual assault Faribault police received a call Saturday night about a woman asking for help saying that a man pointed a gun at her. 37 year old Jason Richard Larson was arrested without incident after officers spotted his vehicle in the 1100 block of Kingswood Crescent. Larson had a black AR-15 rifle lying on the back seat. He appeared intoxicated. He told officers the woman was never in his home, they were only acquaintances and he felt threatened by her so he took his rifle with him. The woman met with Officer Alexander who noticed her clothing was disheveled. She was pacing, crying
and hyperventilating in Larson’s driveway. According to the criminal complaint, they had some drinks, he got “touchy” with her and she told him no, don’t do that. She then locked herself in the bathroom for an hour. She reports that Larson told her to call the cops, he was holding a long black gun, he loaded it and said he’d shoot her. Initially the victim told police she wasn’t hurt but when asked if they could take her to the hospital for suspected sexual assault, she became very emotional. She told the nurse that she was forced to have sex with Larson. He’s charged with 4 felonies including 1st degree criminal sexual conduct which carries a maximum 30 year sentence. Bail was set at 60,000 with conditions. His initial court appearance is March 29th. Larson complaint
Nfld Shares looks to the future with first Executive Director
Northfield Shares was founded from a combination of 5th Bridge and the Northfield Area Foundation to advance philanthropy, inspire volunteerism and promote collaborative leadership in Northfield. It operates as both a community endowment and a hub for volunteerism. They’ve hired their first Executive Director. Mike Krance joined the organization a month ago. He comes with a Public Relations background in corporate charitable branches and non-profits. The endowment side is new for him. He said he’ll use his experience in fundraising to listen to people, find out their needs and how their needs and passions connect with the community that can help build the endowment to grant money to more local organizations. Northfield Shares just awarded 16 grants to 15 different organizations totaling nearly $69,000. Northfield Shares is in the final stages of bringing a variety of funds “home” from the Minnesota Community Foundation. Right now they’re managing $1.8 million in assets, they hope to be up to $3 million by the end of 2017. They’re also talking to local non-profits whose endowments are managed outside of the community. Carlson Capital Management in Northfield is providing pro-bono services which saves money which means more into the community. Krance says they’ll continue to work on building the endowments and build operating funds. Further down the road they want to be the organization to facilitate the discussions that affect the community, bringing in the non-profits together and maybe bringing in national speakers and having trend talks. His full interview is on kymn.net.
Council votes on public comment
The NAFRS Board approved 4 contracts last Thursday regarding the renovation of the Fire Hall including with the Architect, the Construction manager, two with the City of Northfield including the management of the construction and pre-construction costs. Northfield Council will vote on those same contracts tonight. They’re listed individually on the Consent Agenda, in case a Council member wants further discussion. Among items on the regular agenda is a review of the Ice Arena Market study, and approval of their Rules of Business, which includes public comment. Council meetings begin at 6pm and are streamed live on their website. Mayor Pownell and Administrator Ben Martig will be in studio at 7:20 tomorrow morning with a recap.
