Jury Acquits Northern Minnesota Priest In Sexual Misconduct Case
A jury in northern Minnesota acquitted a former priest Monday in a case where he was accused of molesting four girls.
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A jury in northern Minnesota acquitted a former priest Monday in a case where he was accused of molesting four girls.
A man wrongfully convicted of sexually abusing his stepdaughter will likely receive $475,000 from Minnesota taxpayers -- but the state legislature must still approve the award. In his attorney's office Wednesday, Roger Olsen described how he still has trouble getting a job even a decade after the conviction was tossed.
A 12-person panel comprised of doctors, lawyers and church laypersons will oversee any suspicions of clergy sex abuse in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It's part of a breakthrough settlement reached on Thursday with the Ramsey County Attorney to resolve a civil suit that was filed last June.
On Wednesday, Dec. 9, WCCO is hosting a phone bank as part of our "Trees of Hope" series. WCCO will be raising funds for Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. MnTC helps thousands of people overcome drug addiction and lead healthy and productive lives.
Two former student actors at the Children's Theatre Company have filed suit against the theatre, co-founder John Clark Donahue and Minneapolis businessman Jason McLean. The lawsuit alleges McLean sexually assaulted a female student in 1983, when she was 15 years old.
Friends and neighbors paint a dark picture of Danny Heinrich's past. He is the man in jail on child pornography charges and a person of interest in Jacob Wetterling's kidnapping. Born in 1963 at Paynesville Hospital, Heinrich grew up just south of town. He spent most of his childhood with his parents and two brothers in a home near Lake Koronis.
Tire tracks and shoeprints: Investigators have old evidence in the Jacob Wetterling case that links person of interest Danny Heinrich to the area where Jacob was last seen. According to a former U.S. Attorney, prosecutors need more.
It took a jury less than two hours Thursday to convict a two-time convicted sex offender of producing and distributing child pornography. The United States Attorney's Office says 52-year-old Rex Lee Furman, of Federal Dam, was convicted after a three-day trial of 13 counts of producing child porn, two counts of distributing it and one count each of receipt of child porn, possession of child porn and committing a felony while required to register as a sex offender.
A 66-year-old northern Minnesota man was convicted Friday of sexually abusing two women on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. The U.S. Attorney's Office says William Andrew Clark, of Blackduck, was found guilty of one count of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of sexual abuse in connection to two rapes on the reservation.
Pope Francis praised American bishops Wednesday for their "generous commitment'" to helping victims of clergy sex abuse, drawing an angry rebuke from advocates who said the bishops acted only under the threat of hundreds of lawsuits. Addressing church leaders in a prayer service at the Washington cathedral, Francis said they had faced the crisis "without fear of self-criticism and at the cost of mortification and great sacrifice."
A priest convicted of child sexual abuse is part of a group that is raising money to buy the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis' Chancery building.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has put a Roseville priest on leave after receiving what it is calling a credible allegation that he sexually abused a minor in the 1980s. The Rev. Robert Fitzpatrick is pastor at Corpus Christi parish and St. Rose of Lima parish and school.
St. John's Abbey Church stands unchanged on the campus of St. John's University. But within the walls, there is a shift in leadership. Father Tom Andert -- the monastery's prior, or second in command -- stepped aside for now following accusations he molested a former student.
Victims of alleged sexual abuse by clergy in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have filed more than 400 claims against the archdiocese in federal bankruptcy court, according to attorneys for victims and the archdiocese. The claims were filed by Monday, the deadline imposed by the bankruptcy court.
Two men are suing the Boys Scouts of America, claiming they were sexually abused as scouts by troop leaders in St. Paul. The plaintiffs' attorney say the lawsuits allege the Boys Scouts organization created a public nuisance by its negligence and concealment of abuse allegations and by failing to warn parents and others about the "prevalence" of abuse.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking the public's help to locate additional victims of a convicted online child predator who may have Lucas Chansler, 31, formerly of St. Johns, Florida, was sentenced to 105 years in prison after pleading guilty last August to nine counts of producing child pornography.
A former boy scout has come forward with claims his scoutmaster sexually abused him for years.
A retired St. John's Abbey priest accused of sexually abusing children is dead. The law office of Jeff Anderson and Associates announced Friday that Father Richard Eckroth passed away this week at the age of 88.
A former Hastings priest accused of sexual abuse was found not guilty on Tuesday. The 64-year-old was accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a former altar boy at a Hastings Catholic Church from 1989 to 1991.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis says it placed an active priest on a leave of absence after it received an allegation of past sexual abuse. Archbishop John Nienstedt says in a statement there is a "credible allegation" that the Rev. Gerald Dvorak sexually abused a minor in the 1970s.
A former St. Paul Public Schools custodian was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing several young children, including members of his family. Walter Johann Happel, 63, struck a plea deal in March after pleading guilty to one count of surreptitious invasion of privacy, after he spied on an 11-year-old boy in Linwood Monroe Arts Plus School student bathroom.
A judge says three people who claim they were sexually abused by priests can proceed with public nuisance claims against the Diocese of New Ulm in southern Minnesota. Brown County District Court Judge Robert Docherty dismissed some counts in the two lawsuits in a ruling dated March 27. But he ruled the public nuisance claims can go forward.
The Diocese of New Ulm has released the names of four priests accused of sexual abuse. St. Paul lawyer Jeff Anderson says that, of the four named, one has to his knowledge not been publicly named before -- Father Dennis Becker.
An attorney has released the names of 17 clergy members accused of sexual abuse or misconduct with a minor in the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis. St. Paul lawyer Jeff Anderson said Wednesday the clergy were identified in notice of claims submitted to the archdiocese and its insurance carriers.
The archbishop of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese says he has ordered a bankruptcy declaration because it's the fairest way to help victims of sexual abuse by priests.
The monthslong Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Minnesota has sparked ongoing protests, some measured tens of thousands of demonstrators, others just a few dozen.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid and Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye were ejected Monday night after an altercation early in the fourth quarter of Minnesota's 138-116 win.
Anthony Edwards scored 21 of his 30 points in the first half as the Minnesota Timberwolves used a dominant second quarter to cruise to a 138-116 win against the short-handed Atlanta Hawks.
A question for applicants wishing to fill vacancies in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota is sparking concerns from some attorneys who are concerned that politics is getting in the way of a once apolitical job.
Two Philadelphia-based men accused of traveling to Minneapolis after a friend told them the taxpayer-funded programs there presented "a good opportunity to make money," pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Monday.
A 20-year-old Minneapolis man on Monday pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a man in the Elliot Park neighborhood last summer.
A judge sentenced a man to nearly three years in prison for straw purchasing dozens of guns, some of which were tied to criminal activity across the Twin Cities, including the killings of two young girls in 2021.
The Minnetonka Skipperettes finished in a top-three spot in jazz, earning a ticket to the state tournament for the first time since 2005, after a 21-year absence.
Teenage brothers born in Minneapolis and now living in Chicago documented federal immigration agents in both cities for months.
The Minneapolis Fire Department says the pop-up nature of the blockades makes emergency response especially difficult.
January is typically a slow month at Frontiersman Sports, but employees at the St. Louis Park, Minnesota, gun shop said sales spiked 30% above normal for the month.
The daughter of a Minnesota gubernatorial candidate was killed Friday in an apparent attempted murder-suicide involving her husband.
Two Republican candidates in the 2026 Minnesota gubernatorial race have dropped out: one for a heartbreaking reason, while the other is entering a different race.
People describing themselves as constitutional observers tell WCCO that in the past week, reports of ICE agents disguising themselves have flooded in from the Twin Cities Metro and rural areas of the state.
Last month, congressional Republicans moved closer to lifting a 20-year ban on mining near Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, pushing a resolution to end the moratorium through the House.
Three people are dead after a house fire in a small western Wisconsin town early Saturday.
John Lauritsen shares the story behind a massive snow sculpture that's now become a winter destination.
A jury has found a Wisconsin man guilty of forging threats against President Donald Trump in an attempt to get a witness against him deported.
Minnesota and Wisconsin are among the 11 states reporting their first measles cases of 2026.
Hundreds of schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin have closed or shifted to virtual learning on Friday amid dangerous cold.
The ongoing presence of ICE and federal law enforcement in the Minneapolis area has kept many immigrants at home for fear of being arrested. Now, their neighbors are crowdsourcing to cover their rent.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations aren't only happening in the Twin Cities. Federal agents are also working in smaller towns, and in some, seeing similar resistance from the community.
While Operation Metro Surge continues in the Twin Cities, Minnesota's farm country is also feeling the impact. The major concerns for farmers and the trickle-down effect it could have on consumers.
Minnesota's governor spoke out Sunday afternoon following the shooting death of Alex Pretti by federal immigration enforcement agents. "What's the plan, Donald Trump? What is the plan?" Walz said. "Fear, violence and chaos is what you wanted from us, and you clearly underestimated the people of this state and nation."
A marching protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis Friday afternoon happened as a widespread work stoppage across Minnesota, as organizers called for a day of no work, no school and no shopping.
The monthslong Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Minnesota has sparked ongoing protests, some measured tens of thousands of demonstrators, others just a few dozen.
A Mexican immigrant working in Minnesota says federal officers arrested and beat him. Court documents detail a laundry list of head injuries that hospital workers called life-threatening, including eight skull fractures and five brain bleeds. Ashley Grams is learning more from those documents.
A question for applicants wishing to fill vacancies in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota is sparking concerns from some attorneys who are concerned that politics is getting in the way of a once apolitical job.
Teenage brothers born in Minneapolis and now living in Chicago documented federal immigration agents in both cities for months.
January is typically a slow month at Frontiersman Sports, but employees at the St. Louis Park, Minnesota, gun shop said sales spiked 30% above normal for the month.
January is typically a slow month at Frontiersman Sports, but employees at the St. Louis Park, Minnesota, gun shop said sales spiked 30% above normal for the month.
Amid ongoing immigration operations in Minnesota, a local company is filling a desperate need for on-demand legal help.
Outside the governor's mansion in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday, demonstrators, including many students and teachers, pleaded for Gov. Tim Walz to enact an immediate eviction moratorium to help families impacted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge.
It's part of broader protests calling on the Minneapolis-based retailer to respond more directly to immigration enforcement.
While Operation Metro Surge continues in the Twin Cities, Minnesota's farm country is also feeling the impact. The major concerns for farmers and the trickle-down effect it could have on consumers.
Two Philadelphia-based men accused of traveling to Minneapolis after a friend told them the taxpayer-funded programs there presented "a good opportunity to make money," pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Monday.
A 20-year-old Minneapolis man on Monday pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a man in the Elliot Park neighborhood last summer.
A judge sentenced a man to nearly three years in prison for straw purchasing dozens of guns, some of which were tied to criminal activity across the Twin Cities, including the killings of two young girls in 2021.
Teenage brothers born in Minneapolis and now living in Chicago documented federal immigration agents in both cities for months.
January is typically a slow month at Frontiersman Sports, but employees at the St. Louis Park, Minnesota, gun shop said sales spiked 30% above normal for the month.
Public health officials say a measles crisis has long been brewing in Minnesota.
Patients in Minnesota are canceling appointments and deferring critical health care needs because of fear of immigration enforcement as the federal crackdown continues, doctors say.
Children's Minnesota announced Tuesday it plans to pause some gender-affirming care for children amid "threats" from the federal government.
Nurses in Minneapolis doubted federal immigration officers' claims about a Mexican immigrant's severe injuries.
Minnesota and Wisconsin are among the 11 states reporting their first measles cases of 2026.
Bad Bunny says he wants to bring his culture to his 2026 Super Bowl halftime show Sunday.
Renowned comedian Dave Chappelle is set to return to the Twin Cities later this month to perform and "show a stand with a community at the center of events that should unite all Americans," show organizers said Monday.
Complete closure of the performing arts center in Washington, D.C., will start on July 4, Mr. Trump said. It's not yet clear how extensive the changes to the building might be.
Music's biggest night returned Sunday with the 68th annual Grammy Awards. Here is how to watch and stream and what to know.
In 1971, Demond Wilson appeared on an episode of "All in the Family," a role that led him to land a lead part in "Sanford and Son."
Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid and Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye were ejected Monday night after an altercation early in the fourth quarter of Minnesota's 138-116 win.
Anthony Edwards scored 21 of his 30 points in the first half as the Minnesota Timberwolves used a dominant second quarter to cruise to a 138-116 win against the short-handed Atlanta Hawks.
In a surprising move to some, the Wild have two goaltenders playing in the Milano Cortina Winter Games: Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt, who is in his first full NHL season.
The Minnetonka Skipperettes finished in a top-three spot in jazz, earning a ticket to the state tournament for the first time since 2005, after a 21-year absence.
Some 2026 Winter Olympics athletes say their winning medals are falling apart, coming detached from their ribbons.
The Republican Party endorsing convention is in May, and Demuth has said that if she doesn't win the endorsement, she will drop out, but several candidates are expected to continue to the August primary.
In a crowded field, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth had a very good caucus night; she won the straw poll by about 32%.
The state of Minnesota is vowing to continue the legal battle after it and 12 cities were denied a temporary restraining order that would have shut down Operation Metro Surge.
The state of Minnesota is vowing to continue the legal battle after it and 12 cities, including St Paul and Minneapolis, were denied a temporary restraining order that would have shut down Operation Metro Surge.
While Operation Metro Surge continues in the Twin Cities, Minnesota's farm country is also feeling the impact. The major concerns for farmers and the trickle-down effect it could have on consumers.
John Lauritsen shares the story behind a massive snow sculpture that's now become a winter destination.
Northland Arboretum was built half a century ago on top of what was once a city dump. But over time, nature carved its own path with a little help from a Zamboni.
St. James is a smaller town with a main street and a railroad running though. But inside a local building, the main street and the railroad are even smaller.
On Dec. 9, 1965, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" debuted on CBS, and it became an instant classic. Lee Jenkins' home is proof that the show is still a hit six decades later.
Holiday lights are on full display across the state right now, and just south of the Twin Cities you'll find a Christmas light show that's been around for more than half a century.
The monthslong Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Minnesota has sparked ongoing protests, some measured tens of thousands of demonstrators, others just a few dozen.
According to the Police Executive Research Firm, 82% of police departments in the United States equip officers with body cameras. That number comes from 2023, meaning it could be even higher by now.
With the new $2,600 stipend, DHS said the cost of a single self-deportation is $5,100. That's significantly less than the cost to arrest, detain and deport an undocumented immigrant, which DHS said costs more than $18,000.
It might be hard to believe, but it's gotten warmer outside over the past few days. The temperature is creeping above zero during the day, but the wind chill remains dangerously low. So, how is wind chill calculated?
Minnesota gun rights are in the spotlight after U.S. Border Patrol agents shot and killed a lawful gun carrier over the weekend.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Tuesday night.
A look at the newest addition to the polar bear population at St. Paul, Minnesota's Como Zoo.
From food shelves to school programs, our team is proud to serve where it matters most.
The Minnesota State Fair has unveiled its new food, drinks and vendors for 2025.
A suspect was taken into custody after an attack on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on June 1 in which there were 15 people and a dog who were victims. The suspect threw Molotov cocktails that burned some of the victims, who were part of a march for Israeli hostages.
WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows says above-average temperatures will continue through the entire week.
In Minnesota, weather can be all over the place. Here at WCCO, we want to give you what you need to prepare for what's happening next.
WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows says tomorrow will be breezy with a high in the mid-30s.
Light rain and snow will fall north of the metro Monday evening, says NEXT Weather meteorologist Lisa Meadows.
Tomorrow will be breezy with a high in the mid-30s, but warmer highs look to be moving in again by next weekend, WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak reports.
Chinese New Year is almost here and a local brewery wants you to join in on their celebration of the year of the horse. Reg Chapman and Adam Del Rosso are joined by Margaret Wong and Tim Naumann to learn more about this Lunar New Year festival
February is Black History Month and St. Paul Public Libraries is celebrating with a special event. Jenaya Myvett and Derek Francis talk more about it on WCCO Saturday Morning.
WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows says above-average temperatures will continue through the entire week.
The ICE surge in Minnesota has sparked ongoing protests. Some draw tens of thousands of demonstrators, others just a few dozen. The Trump administration claims money motivates critics to hit the streets. In Good Question, Jeff Wagner investigates if there's any truth behind the assertion that protesters get paid.
Target says it's going to add more staff to its stores because shoppers have reported sloppier shelves, longer checkout lines, and items out of stock.