For those who choose to ring in the New Year with alcohol, Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze reminds them to do so responsibly – and plan ahead. He says people are welcome to celebrate how they choose, but if you’re drinking, you should find a sober driver or spend the night at your party location.
Sheriff Cruze says if you’re at a party and you see someone trying to drive their vehicle who’s had too much to drink, take away their keys or call law enforcement, and if you see a vehicle swerving on the road, call 911. He says if you get arrested for driving while intoxicated and/or get in an accident, the costs can be staggering and it can drastically alter your life and the lives of those you may injure.
Sheriff Cruze says the numbers of DWIs for 2024 is about the same as the previous year, but motorists are speeding more, and speed can also play a role in deadly crashes. He says traffic fatalities in Minnesota so far in 2024 are at 455 – much higher than 2023’s total of 402.
Sheriff Cruze also reminds everyone to be safe on the ice as the ice conditions on our lakes have deteriorated with the mild weather. He says the ice is never 100% safe and you should always check ice depths, especially if you are on a lake outside of your normal area.
On Monday afternoon at 5:50, the Renville County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an overdue hunter near Renville County Road 12 and 810th Avenue – about 3 miles southeast of Sacred Heart in Sacred Heart Township. The caller reported 70-year-old James Knutson and his dog did not return home from pheasant hunting after sunset.
Friends and law enforcement located Knutson’s vehicle near the Sacred Heart Waterfowl Protection Area. Public hunting land in that area totals more than 700 acres. At approximately 6:25 p.m., several gunshots were heard and believed to be Knutson signaling for assistance. About ten minutes later another gunshot was heard which helped narrow the search area.
A ground search by foot and ATV began. Emergency personnel converged on the area and were able to make voice contact with Knutson. At 6:55 p.m., Knutson and his dog were located and found to be in good health. Assisting the Renville County Sheriff’s Office were the Sacred Heart Fire Department, Sacred Heart First Responders, Renville Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, and Granite Falls Ambulance.
The Minnesota State Patrol responded to a couple of crashes in the area over the weekend. One of the accidents occurred on Sunday morning at 9:43 on Highway 12 at 735th Avenue in Dassel Township in Meeker County. A 2013 Hyundai Sonata was westbound on Highway 12, and a 2021 Jeep Compass was eastbound on Highway 12. The vehicles collided in the intersection.
The Jeep was driven by 26-year-old Edward Ivan Martinez of Atwater. He received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital in Willmar. The Sonata was driven by 23-year-old Carlos Humberto Rodriguez of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Meeker Memorial Hospital in Litchfield. The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office and Dassel Fire Dept. responded to the scene.
Another crash occurred on Saturday afternoon at 3:49 on Highway 55 at Lake Avenue in Paynesville in Stearns County. A 2007 Honda Accord was southbound on Lake Avenue, and a 2011 Chevy Impala was northbound on Highway 55, and the vehicles collided in the intersection.
The Impala was driven by 33-year-old Michael Allen Porter of Blue Earth. He received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the Paynesville Hospital. A 7-year-old passenger in Porter’s vehicle – Pruitt Porter – was not injured. The Honda was driven by 22-year-old Khue Xiong of Brooklyn, MN who was not injured. Also responding to the scene were Paynesville Fire Dept. and CentraCare Ambulance.
2024 has been a busy year for the City of Litchfield with several projects taking place and other issues being addressed. One of the on-going projects will be improvements to the wastewater treatment facility.
Mayor Ron Dingmann says the facility has been operating at full capacity with First District Association’s expansion and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has more stringent permit limits, so the City, FDA and MPCA have been working together to establish a plan to keep the them compliant. He says a facility plan has been adopted, and FDA is building a pretreatment facility.
Mayor Dingmann says the Litchfield Area Recreation Center has been another big project with ground being broken this past fall and the facility – along with improvements to the Civic Arena next door – should be completed in the fall of 2025. He says an improvement project was completed at the Litchfield Public Library this year, as well as a rehabilitation project at the airport terminal building.
Mayor Dingmann says the City will be selling the golf club house to Parlil Holdings on a contract-for-deed on May 15th of 2025, and a street improvement project will begin in 2025 for Johnson Drive and 260th Street. He says the sale of cannabis has been another big issue for the City of Litchfield this past year, and the City will defer registration and enforcement to Meeker County, and amended the city ordinance to allow sales in B4 districts with a 700-foot school buffer zone.