Northfield Police are reaching out to the community after a slew of thefts from vehicles. Deputy Chief Mark Dukatz said it’s important for the community to contact police if their vehicle was broken into. The suspects were found with a lot of property that they’ve yet to connect with thefts. He said, “we’ve recovered a lot of items, some little, some are just power cords/accessory cords, but it helps us determine how many vehicles these two may have actually accessed”. It also helps them determine all the areas of town the suspects may have hit AND makes a difference in how the suspects are charged.
He said they could tie all these together and aggregate them into one charge. Rice County Attorney John Fossum explained that if a person has stolen, over a period of 6 months, $500 or more then it’s charged as a felony. If they’ve stolen $20 from various cars/people, each of those is a misdemeanor theft, but if enough of those together add up to a felony, then they can charge that person with a felony. Dukatz added that they’ll wait a few days to allow time for people to assess what they may be missing. He also said that it’s very important for the public to call in suspicious activity. Dukatz said, ‘We’re here 24/7 and we have officers here, at least 2 working and that’s one of the reasons why it’s important to call”. Because after 2 or 3 in the morning, there are only 2 officers patrolling. Dukatz said, “the eyes of the public is extremely important for us, it’s a lot more coverage than we can do with just 2 officers”. Call their non-emergency number, 507-645-4475 if you’re vehicle was tampered with or broken into. You can also report suspicious activity that way or call 911 if you see something happening.
Meth, a Bowie Knife and a high school parking lot
Faribault police, on Tuesday, responded to report of a man sleeping in his vehicle in the staff parking lot of Faribault High School. Officers found 33 year old Taylor Peter Bossmann unresponsive in his running SUV. A meth pipe was visible. An officer started opening the door, when he saw a gun near Bossmann. He retrieved it without waking the man. Bossman was detained in a squad car. A search of the SUV produced, among other things, a large Bowie style knife. In his wallet were 6 counterfeit $20 bills. The gun was a BB gun made to look like a real weapon. Bossman’s charged with 3rd degree drug possession in a school zone and a possession of a dangerous weapon on school property. That is the Bowie knife. His initial court appearance is January 24th. The most serious charge carries up to 20 years. Bossmann 68
Mayor to form “Advisory” committee on NW land development
Northfield Council discussed the formation of a Northwest Area Land Use Consultant and Process Advisory committee. Discussion on this area near the Hospital has been going on for years under several Mayors and Administrators. In line with Council’s adopted Strategic goals of economic development, it was suggested an advisory board be created. Administrator Ben Martig said the advisory board would be temporary, “just to look at the process standpoint working with the Mayor and other coordinated staff on this discussion”. The board would be 5 to 7 members including someone from the EDA, the Planning Commission, the HRA, the Hospital, council liaison and local property owners, specifically St. Olaf. They’re also considering hiring a consultant, something DeLong pointed out has already been done. Martig said that study and all other information connected to the property would be considered. In particular, the Senior Housing project proposed on North Avenue across from the hospital. The addition of a housing area changes the ‘landscape’ and allows for other possible opportunities. Mayor Pownell will bring forth names for appointment. This committee cannot make decisions, only provide guidelines for the PROCESS.
