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Teen Accused Of Fatal Punch Changes Plea To 2nd-Degree Murder

An 18-year-old Sauk Rapids man accused of a deadly assault has changed his originally plea of not guilty to 2nd-degree murder in a Stearns County court Friday morning. According to the Stearns County Attorney's office, Jesse Smithers amended his plea to 2nd-degree unintentional murder. In Sept. 2012, Smithers was riding in a car driving down a St. Cloud alley when he asked the driver to stop. He got out of the vehicle and approached three men nearby, including Colton Gleason. Smithers punched Gleason with a closed fist. He later died at St. Cloud Hospital from his injuries. Smithers was 17 at the time of the crime, and was charged as an adult.

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Police: Tip From Ex-Wife Led To Robbery Suspect

Authorities say a tip from an ex-wife pointed them to a Sartell man suspected in a string of armed robberies along Interstate 94 from the St. Cloud area to the Minneapolis suburbs. Police released a security video after a masked man robbed a Burger King in Maple Grove Wednesday. The ex-wife of 34-year-old Douglas Wayne Gravelle saw the video on the news and told police he wore the same clothes at a child support hearing. She said he's addicted to prescription drugs and unemployed.

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Police: Serial Fast-Food Armed Robbery Suspect Caught

Maple Grove Police have arrested a man suspected of a month-long armed-robbery spree that mostly targeted fast-food restaurants along the Interstate 94 corridor. According to authorities, Douglas Wayne Gravelle was taken into custody on Thursday. This arrest comes after a string of armed robberies which began in early September. Fast-food restaurants in Sauk Rapids, St. Cloud, Big Lake, Clearwater and Monticello were targeted. A Game Stop video game store in Monticello may also have been robbed by Gravelle earlier this month.

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