courts

The following cases were heard by Beltrami County District Judge John Melbye: Daniel Vincent Bellino, 52, of Bemidji was sentenced on Tuesday for felony possession of marijuana in the fifth degree. He was placed on supervised probation for five years, and must pay a $1,000 fine. Michael...

BEMIDJI – A Bemidji man who threatened a pregnant woman carrying his child with a knife and held the weapon to her throat and face will be sentenced Feb. 11 for the act of violence. William Gerald Desjarlais, 27, of Bemidji utilized a Norgaard Plea and was convicted of felony...

The following cases were heard by Beltrami County District Judge Paul Benshoof on Dec. 11: Alexander Allen Gehlert, 21, of Kelliher, was sentenced for gross misdemeanor obstructing the legal process. He was sentenced to one year in jail, with 355 days stayed for two years. He is...

The following cases were heard Dec. 17 by Beltrami County District Court Judge Shari Schluchter: -- Carolyn Annette Jones, 24, of Duluth, Minn., was sentenced for gross misdemeanor giving a peace officer a false name. She was sentenced to one year in jail with 223 days stayed for...

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A dispute over access to records kept by a private contractor doing public work is headed to the Minnesota Supreme Court. The high court intends to review a Minnesota Court of Appeals decision that ruled a small-town newspaper could get access to contractor...

The following cases were heard Dec. 17 by Beltrami County District Court Judge Shari Schluchter: -- Daniel Benjamin Fineday, 28, of Cass Lake, was sentenced on two court files. For gross misdemeanor DWI, he was sentenced to one year in jail with 275 days stayed for four years. He...

BEMIDJI – A 40-year-old Hill City woman has been sentenced for stalking a man with whom she’d had an affair. Rhonda Jean Hjelden was sentenced Dec. 10 by Beltrami County District Judge John Melbye for gross misdemeanor stalking. She was given a one-year jail sentence with 362...

By Mark Stodghill, Forum Communications DULUTH — A former Minnesota Power official pleaded guilty Tuesday to the theft of corporate property and agreed to pay $150,000 restitution. Susan Kay Thompson, 54, entered the plea before Judge John DeSanto in State District Court in Duluth....

The following cases were heard Dec. 10 by Beltrami County District Court Judge John Melbye: -- Zachary Ryan Swaser, 20, of Coon Rapids, Minn., was sentenced for felony fifth-degree drug possession. He was given a statutory stay of adjudication; successful completion of his probation...

BEMIDJI – An 18-year-old woman who worked for a local convenience store is accused of illegally obtaining about $2,400 in fraudulent lottery winnings. Payton Lynzee Church has been charged with felony state lottery fraud, claiming a prize by fraud/deceit. She is scheduled to appear...

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Another former University of North Dakota student was sentenced this week to years in federal prison in the Grand Forks-based synthetic drug conspiracy blamed in the deaths of two teens. U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson on Monday sentenced Peter Jevning Hoistad...

BEMIDJI – A Beltrami County judge on Monday will hear from attorneys on a motion to dismiss the charges levied against a former Bemidji business owner. Margaret Jo Hirt, 52, of Bemidji, the former owner of Dewey Furniture, now faces revised charges. She currently faces four counts...

The following cases were heard Nov. 20-27 by Beltrami County District Court Judge Shari Schluchter: -- Joseph Dale Sargent, 42, of Bemidji, was sentenced for gross misdemeanor second-degree DWI. He was sentenced to one year in jail with 320 days stayed for four years. He must serve...