District Court, Kandiyohi County
- A Clara City man was arraigned Monday on drug and impaired driving charges.
According to the criminal complaint, Lance Joel Cameron, 23, was found sleeping behind the wheel of his vehicle parked in the Menard's parking lot in Willmar on Sunday morning. Customers called police about him.
A police officer came to the scene and tried to wake Cameron up by knocking on the windows of the vehicle, but he didn't stir.
Finally, the officer opened Cameron's door and had to shake him to wake up.
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His speech was slurred and spoke in incomplete sentences, the complaint says, but didn't have alcohol on his breath.
Cameron admitted to smoking pot earlier that day, the complaint says.
When the officer spoke with him, he was extremely drowsy and he kept closing his eyes.
He was unsure what day of the week it was, the complaint says. The officer also found more than $2,000 cash in Cameron's front pocket.
Cameron was put in the back of the officer's squad, where he immediately fell asleep.
In Cameron's vehicle, police found two bags with a total of 7.7 grams of methamphetamine and two small bags of marijuana, the complaint says.
Cameron later admitted that he'd used methamphetamine prior to parking and had driven under the influence, the complaint says.
A check into his criminal history found he had three prior DWI convictions in the past 10 years.
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He faces one count of first-degree felony DWI, one count of second-degree controlled substance crime and one count of possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle.
His next court appearance is set for Dec. 5.
- A Willmar man pleaded guilty to one count of certain persons not to have firearms Tuesday.
According to the criminal complaint, Jered Paul Haugen, 24, allegedly broke into a trailer parked on a Willmar lot on Oct. 24.
An employee at the Farm Service Elevator called police on Oct. 25 to say that a trailer and a building on the Farm Service Elevator property had been broken into, the complaint says.
The employee had seen Haugen drive toward the buildings on Oct. 24, he said. He got into his vehicle and followed Haugen. When he saw Haugen he told him they'd called police and Haugen fled, the complaint says.
A TV/VCR combination was stolen from the trailer. The cost of the TV/VCR is estimated at $100 and the cost of the damage is estimated at $800.
When police arrested Haugen, they found a long gun in his home which had been stolen, the complaint says. Haugen has a felony record, making possessing a gun illegal.
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One count of second-degree burglary, one count of first-degree criminal damage to property and one count of theft of property/services - under $250 were dismissed.
- A Raymond man pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of terroristic threats.
According to the criminal complaint, Leon Rene Otterness, 34, allegedly threatened another man on Oct. 23.
Two juveniles showed up at a Willmar man's home on Oct. 23 and began pounding on his door, yelling "Do you want to fight uncle Chico?" The man threatened to call police and the juveniles left.
However, after they left, the man found that his 12 disk CD player had been stolen, the complaint says.
He began walking around his neighborhood looking for the stolen property. While he was doing so, he noticed a black Dodge Neon was following him, the complaint says.
Then Otterness got out of the vehicle and a passenger handed Otterness a baseball bat, the complaint says. Otterness walked up to the man looking as if he'd swing the bat, but then noticed there were several witnesses and left, the complaint says.
Several witnesses corroborated the story.
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Otterness originally faced one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, which was later amended to terroristic threats.
He will be sentenced on Jan. 3.
Operation NightCAP nets 7 DWIs
WILLMAR -- A state-funded local law enforcement effort led to seven DWI arrests Friday night.
The Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office, the Willmar Police Department, the Minnesota State Patrol and the Atwater Police Department, stopped 76 vehicles and cited 24 drivers for traffic or equipment related violations, including seven DWIs, according to the Sheriff's Office.
There were 12 officers that worked the drunken driving enforcement.
Along with the 24 citations, there were also several warnings given out for speeding, seat belt violations, equipment violations and other miscellaneous offenses.
Vehicle recovered
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RAYMOND -- A vehicle that had been reported stolen in Willmar Friday was found Monday evening at the 600 block of Kandi-Chippewa Line Road Northeast. A CD player and CDs were missing.
Vandalism
RAYMOND -- Neil Motors, 13298 105th St. S.W. reported Monday afternoon that windows in two vehicles were broken out.
