n A plea agreement has been reached for Julian Flores-Reyes, who is charged with wrongfully obtaining public assistance, forgery and identity theft.
The terms of the agreement, signed July 31, allow Flores-Reyes, 35, of Willmar to avoid additional jail time. Additional charges of forgery, giving a false name and two counts of perjury have been dismissed.
Sentencing is pending.
According to court documents, Flores-Reyes and his wife applied for welfare benefits for their children on Nov. 28, 2004, and stated they were unemployed.
The couple continued to reapply each year, claiming each time that they were unemployed. An investigation revealed, however, that both of them -- who were in the United States illegally -- had obtained jobs under false names and had been employed for the entire time they were receiving welfare benefits for their children.
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Court records said they received almost $22,000 worth of benefits to which they weren't entitled.
Flores-Reyes also was convicted under his assumed name, Alexsander Santos-Rodriguez, in February 2007 of driving without a license.
- An 18-year-old youth has been ordered to spend 15 days in juvenile detention and serve 90 days of probation in connection with the theft last summer of a neighbor's pickup truck.
Joel David Peterson of Svea, who was 17 when he was arrested last summer, was adjudicated July 31 before Judge David Mennis.
Mennis also ordered him to serve 84 hours of community service and write a letter of apology.
Peterson was stopped early on the morning of July 24, 2007, by a Willmar police officer who was on routine patrol and saw him driving north on First Street. The officer became suspicious after noticing that Peterson and a passenger, a 16-year-old friend, both had hooded sweatshirts pulled up over their faces and heads in spite of the fact that it was a hot, muggy night.
The youth first claimed the truck belonged to his grandfather. But when he stepped out of the truck at the police officer's request, a checkbook belonging to the truck's owner fell from the seat. Authorities called the owner and learned the truck had been stolen from the rural Svea home within the previous hour.
Under questioning, Peterson admitted that he took the truck, picked up a 16-year-old friend and drove to Willmar to visit friends. No charges were filed against the friend, who told police he didn't know the truck had been stolen.
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- Maria Rita Velasquez, 47, of Willmar was arraigned Tuesday on two counts of fourth-degree assault against a police officer and disorderly conduct.
Judge Donald Spilseth allowed her to be released on her own recognizance, under condition that she report immediately to probation. Unconditional bail was set at $12,000.
Willmar police were called on the morning of April 3 to a disturbance reported in the neighborhood of West Litchfield Avenue and 11th Street. Two officers found Velasquez out in the yard, crying and wearing only a T-shirt, and claiming that someone stole her pants and some money.
She appeared disoriented and tested positive for alcohol, and the officers brought her to a detoxification center. Court records said Velasquez was verbally abusive and threatened one of the officers with the "Texas Mafia." She also dug her nails into the officer's hand and spit at the officer.
- Jesse Allen Shoutz, 28, of Willmar was arraigned Tuesday on a bad-check charge.
He was released on his own recognizance by Judge Donald Spilseth, on condition that he report immediately to probation. Bail was set at $10,000.
Shoutz was supposed to appear April 3 in Kandiyohi County Court for bouncing a $997 check at a New London-area business. When he failed to show up, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
