n Jeremy Justin McKenna, 30, who is currently a prisoner at the correctional facility in St. Cloud for violating an order for protection, made a first court appearance Monday for violating another order for protection against a Willmar woman.
McKenna has been convicted four times for violating orders for protection in 1999, 2003, 2006 and in May of 2008. He is serving a 29-month prison sentence for the last conviction.
McKenna is accused of again violating an amended order for protection while in prison.
According to court records, McKenna instructed his mother to call the victim to tell her to send money to him.
The mother allegedly called the victim three times: on May 14, May 20 and June 10.
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The victim informed police June 13 of the communication. The order for protection prohibits McKenna from having direct or indirect contact with the victim.
The mother denied calling the victim.
The prison provided recorded telephone conversations between McKenna and his mother that allegedly included directions from McKenna for his mother to call the victim to ask for money, with a promise from the mother to do so.
During his court appearance, McKenna was appointed a public defender, released back into the custody of the Commissioner of Corrections, ordered to have no contact with the victim and ordered not to leave the state.
His next court appearance is set for Aug. 18.
- Marie Elena Gutierrez, 29, of Willmar, was arraigned Monday on a felony charge of second-degree drug possession for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and cocaine.
Unconditional bail was set at $250,000. Conditional bail was set at $125,000. She also faces a misdemeanor for driving after revocation.
According to the complaint, a Willmar police officer was on patrol around 12:40 a.m. Sunday when he observed a car along Trott Avenue that had expired registration. He followed it to a driveway and asked the driver for her driver's license. She said she didn't have her license with her and that it wasn't valid. Gutierrez also had a warrant for her arrest in McLeod County. She was arrested for driving after revocation. A search of the vehicle, before it was to be towed, revealed a cigarette box holding plastic bags that contained 5.6 grams of meth and 6 grams of cocaine and a glass pipe. A search of her criminal history shows a January 2004 conviction of fourth-degree drug possession.
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Her next appearance is Aug. 18.
- Yvette Marie Spears, 38, of Sauk Rapids, was sentenced Monday to five years of probation and a $50 fine on a felony charge of theft. She was also ordered to pay $6,747.72 in restitution.
She received a five-year stay of imposition on her sentence, and was ordered to serve 22 days in jail, with credit for 22 days already served. Additional conditions imposed include that she successfully complete inpatient treatment, followed by a halfway house and then follow aftercare recommendations. Under a stay of imposition, her felony conviction may be reduced to a misdemeanor if she complies with sentencing conditions.
As part of a plea agreement, a felony for financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult was dismissed.
The charges were filed after a county social worker asked Willmar police to investigate the financial exploitation of a Bethesda Heritage nursing home resident by a family member. The investigation revealed that Spears was handling the financial affairs of the resident, whose only income was from Social Security. She deposited the money into a joint account, but then withdrew it for her personal use. Between May and October 2007, the total taken for personal use was $6,747. As a result, the nursing home was left with an outstanding bill of more than $6,000. When contacted by county authorities, Spears made three payments of $3,650 to the nursing home. In an interview with police, she admitted to using the family member's money because of financial difficulty.
