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.

• Nov 8, 2013

Family Balances Closure, Grief After Mandy Matula Found Dead

The family of Mandy Matula is spending Monday balancing a sense of closure with unspeakable grief. After months of wondering what happened to her, they're spending the day visiting the site where her body was found.

• Oct 28, 2013

Human Remains Found In Stearns County Park May Belong To Mandy Matula

Human remains were found in a Stearns County park on Saturday afternoon. According to authorities, the remains were found in a shallow grave by a hiker shortly after 1 p.m. at Mississippi County Park. The identity and gender of the remains are unclear. The Stearns County Sheriff's office is working with Eden Prairie Police and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to determine if the remains are those of 24-year-old Mandy Matula, who went missing back in May.

• Oct 26, 2013

Authorities: Teen Injured In Duck Hunting Accident

A Sauk Centre teenager was taken to the hospital after being shot in the back by another teen while duck hunting Sunday afternoon, according to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office.

• Oct 20, 2013

Police Identify 2 Suspects In Stearns Co. Shooting

The two people arrested after a 33-year-old man was shot in St. Augusta, Minn. earlier this week have been identified. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says 30-year-old Erik Magnuson and 21-year-old Jerod Jakel went to the residence to collect money owed to them.

• Oct 18, 2013

Cops: 2 Men Arrested In Connection With St. Augusta Shooting

Police have arrested and charged two men with first-degree assault after a St. Augusta victim was shot in the victim's home earlier this week. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office said on Wednesday, Erik Magnuson, 30, of St. Cloud, and 21-year-old Jerod Jakel, of Sauk Rapids, entered a home on the 23000 block of 69th Avenue in St. Augusta.

• Oct 18, 2013

2 Arrested, 1 Injured In Stearns County Shooting

A 33-year-old man is in the hospital and two people have been arrested after a shooting in St. Augusta, Minn. late Wednesday morning, according to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office.

• Oct 16, 2013

DNR Specialist: 1st Confirmed Case Of Zebra Mussels In Stearns Co. Lake

A chain of lakes in Stearns County are now deemed infested waters after the DNR confirmed recent reports of zebra mussels on a swimming equipment in one of the lakes.

• Oct 3, 2013

Farm Worker, 69, Killed In Stearns County

A 69-year-old Greenwald, Minn. man has died after being struck by a large front loader on a central Minnesota farm Wednesday morning, according to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office.

• Sep 25, 2013

Bicyclist Hit By Car While On MN Cycling Tour

In the midst of his "Bicycle Around Minnesota" tour, Gerald Johnson was hit by a car outside of Paynesville, Minn., and airlifted to the hospital. While driving a her car at 9:12 a.m. Friday at the intersection of County Road 16 and 293rd Avenue -- 2 miles north of Paynesville, Minn. -- Josie Magnan drove through without stopping at the stop sign, according to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office.

• Aug 16, 2013

Health Concerns Closing Fair Petting Zoos

When you head to the fair, there are some guaranteed things you'll enjoy -- the food, carnival games and the livestock.

• Jul 30, 2013

Minn. Highway Stretch Takes Name Of Slain Officer

An 11-mile stretch of state highway officially gets designated the "Tom Decker Memorial Highway" next week in honor of the slain Cold Spring police officer. The tribute is among the batch of new laws taking hold on Thursday.

• Jul 27, 2013

Armyworms Turn Up In Central Minn. Cornfields

Armyworms are being blamed for damaging a number of central Minnesota cornfields in recent days, though experts aren't sure about the extent and severity of the infestation.

• Jul 25, 2013

Barn Remains A Growing Symbol For Troop Support

The Fourth of July weekend is a time to give thanks to the men and women serving our country. No one knows that better than a family from Holdingford. Last year, while Christine Schreiner's son, Lance Cpl. Andrew Schreiner, was serving in Afghanistan, she started a message board for him on her horse barn. That giant message board was a popular stop before our story aired last July. And the family says afterwards, it really took off.

• Jul 5, 2013

Dayton Declares State Of Emergency In 26 Counties

Gov. Mark Dayton has declared a state of emergency in 26 counties after storms and flash flooding last month. The executive order will allow the state to call for federal disaster assistance in the areas hit hardest by storms.

• Jul 5, 2013

Age-Enhanced Photo Released For Man Missing For 10 Years

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has released an age-enhanced photo of a man who went missing from St. John's University over 10 years ago.

• May 8, 2013

Volunteer Finds Bullet In Eden Prairie Missing Woman Search

In Eden Prairie friends and family aren't giving up the search for Mandy Matula after coming up empty over the weekend. Mandy was reported missing after she didn't show up to work last Thursday.

• May 6, 2013

Finding Minnesota: The State's 1st Legal Whiskey Distillery

Eighty years after the end of prohibition, there's a company distilling whiskey legally in Minnesota.

• Jan 22, 2013

Sauk Rapids Teen Charged As Adult In One-Punch Killing

A 17-year-old Sauk Rapids boy has been charged as an adult in the deadly assault of a man in St. Cloud, the Stearns County Attorney's Office announced Monday.

• Jan 7, 2013

Troubling Details Emerge In Cold Spring Officer's Killing

When 34-year-old Ryan Michael Larson was released from custody, Stearns County officials said they lacked evidence of probable cause. At that moment, the Nov. 29 killing of Cold Spring police officer Thomas Decker became an even more troubling mystery. If Larson wasn't responsible for the cold-blooded killing, who was?

• Dec 14, 2012

Mike Max Vs. Geese: The Ultimate Showdown

December represents a Minnesota tradition - the late goose hunt. Since there are so many, I joined Pete Schmitz this week for a journey into the field.

• Dec 8, 2012

St. Cloud Man, 23, Gets Life Sentence For Torture, Sex Assault

A 23-year-old St. Cloud man has received a life sentence in prison for torturing and sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman, according to the Stearns County Attorney's Office.

• Nov 1, 2012

Vandalism Spree Hits Stearns Co.

At least twenty cases of vandalism have been reported in Stearns County just this past week, according to authorities.

• Oct 26, 2012

Man Charged With Intentional Murder In Rockville Fatal Shooting

A 28-year-old Walker man has been charged with allegedly shooting a man multiple times, killing him, before being shot by a deputy, according to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office.

• Oct 25, 2012

Police Investigate Drive-By Shooting With Baby In Vehicle

Police are investigating a drive-by shooting in St. Joseph Township that allegedly involved a vehicle carrying an infant. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says the shooting happened along County Road 160 on Wednesday afternoon.

• Oct 4, 2012

Show More