Willie Rydell Wright Of 2401 Ilion Ave. N. Is In Custody, JNS Blog Believes This Is Second Suspect In Ilion Ave. N. Shooting...

Creative stock photo, blog post by 

Willie Rydell Wright of 2401 Ilion Ave. N. is in custody in the Hennepin County Jail. JNS blog believes Wright is the second suspect in the homicide of Landon J. Peterson, click here for previous story.

Wright (DOB 6/10/84) was picked up on a felon in possession of a firearm charge but that charge expired after 36 hours. He's now sitting in jail on a Department of Corrections hold. Wright has a laundry list of...

"To who this may concern," Two Turd Burglar Apology Letters Sent To Hillside Ave. N. Burglary Victim...

Photos, blog post by John Hoff

When it comes to the Thanksgiving Day Turd Burglary, it would appear everything is finished but the paperwork...

Tariq Khan, Accused Of Bizarre "Chasing With An Axe" Incident, Professes His Innocence To JNS Blog, Others...

Stock photo, (post June 21 storm cleanup) blog
post by John Hoff

JNS blog previously reported upon an allegation that Tariq Khan was accused of chasing somebody with an axe. JNS blog also speculated this might be a property owner protecting his home in the aftermath of downed trees and storm damage. Many homeowners were out in their yards with axes and chainsaws, including the author of this blog. (Note photo, above) Therefore, it was my position I would "withhold judgment" on this incident.

Tariq Khan has emailed this blog professing his innocence and forwarding another email which, again, professes innocence. The emails are reproduced below...

More On Meranda Jean Erickson, Suspect In A Shooting On Ilion Ave. N. At (Surprise, Suprise!) Yet Another Mahmoud Khan Rental Property...

Creative stock photo, graffiti near Oklahoma City Bombing
Memorial, blog post by John Hoff

This blogger would have written more about Meranda Jean Erickson, suspect in the shooting of DOC fugitive Landon J. Pederson, but I had to rush off to a meeting about Level Three Sex Offender concentration in North Minneapolis. A blogger's work is never done. JNS blog still had the name before any other media entity.

In fact...let me check something, here...

Yes, this blog is still the only media entity to publish her name, other than half a dozen "mug shot" websites, none of which actually has her mugshot. Some of those sites do have some interesting details, however, about a previous arrest...

Alleged Serial Robber Of Cab Drivers Was Identified By Prints On A Bottle, Was Arrested This Morning...

Old bottle at site of a former prison camp for 
Germans, blog post by John Hoff

Tonio Weaver, the subject of a previous blog post and the father of at least three small children, is now in custody. He is accused of robbing a number of cab drivers with a knife. The Hennepin County Jail Roster shows he was taken into custody at 10:38 this morning. He has a hearing tomorrow at 1:30 PM. His bail is set at $100,000.

The criminal complaint against Weaver came into my hands, click here, and it provides some interesting details on the charges...

Tarius Greshem Accused Of Abducting A Woman At Gunpoint And Raping Her Between Two Houses...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

Tarius Gresham, facebook photo used under First
Amendment Fair Comment and Criticism 

Do you ever wonder where little Level Three Sex Offenders come from? What is the moment they are created? How do they replace their numbers after becoming old and gray and dying off, friendless and alone and without a valid driver's license?

Tarius Gresham, DOB 12/3/89, may provide answers to this mystery. Click here for criminal complaint. 

See that area between the two houses? This is what the kids who play online games would call a "spawning point." This is where the monsters are born.

This is the place where, on September 26, 2012, Gresham is accused of raping a woman that he abducted at gunpoint from the area of Broadway and Emerson. He allegedly made the woman go a short distance away, specifically the space between the houses at 2218 Emerson Ave. N. and 2222 Emerson Ave. N., and raped her. Then he took her cell phone. At some point the woman was able to run away. She hid until Gresham left.

The woman was unknown to Gresham and was reportedly walking home from work when she was abducted. She went to the door of a stranger and asked somebody to call 911. Police recovered the woman's purse from the space between the two houses.

Luckily...

The Electricity Is Out Again, But JNS Blog's Computer Is At 88 Percent Battery Power...

Photo taken June 21, depicting previous power
outage, blog post by John Hoff

It is around 4 in the morning and the power is out again. I know my house is out on the 2200 block of Bryant Ave. N. and it appears to effect all the houses around me. I placed a call to NSP like a good citizen should. I learned the outage effects some 3,000 customers and is believed to be a "main circuit breaker." Right now a "standard computerized estimate" says power will be restored at 11 pm. The operator tells me it will probably be sooner. Crews just need to find the main circuit breaker. 

Digging Into The Story Of This Morning's Shooting On Ilion Ave. N.

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

The female suspect in this morning's shooting on Ilion Ave. N. is Meranda Jean Erickson, DOB 2/11/84. Her address on the jail roster is 2401 Ilion Ave. N., which is the 2400 block, and so presumably the address where the shooting took place.

The man who died was Landon J. Pederson, a fugitive from Appleton, Minnesota. In the Star Tribune, a relative tried to cast Pederson as the hero and tragic victim of this incident, supposedly intervening in a domestic dispute...by kicking in a door and rushing upstairs.

More details to follow soon. 

Details Are Fuzzy After Shooting At Penn And West Broadway...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

A local television station is reporting there was a shooting yesterday at "Penn and West Broadway. JNS blog was on the ground near there and thought the crime scene tape seemed to be surrounding an area all around the entrance to Olympic Cafe Plus, usually referred to as Olympic Cafe Two by local residents.

The tape remained up for several hours and police were at the scene as late as midnight, leading Northsiders to believe a fatality or serious injury was involved. There was also a homicide on Ilion Ave. N. last night. JNS blog doesn't have the details, yet, but an examination of the jail roster would lead me to believe the woman has not yet been charged and it is possible she's not in jail. 

Alleged Knife-Wielding Serial Robber Of Cab Drivers Is On Facebook And JNS Blog Has A Special Message Specifically For Him...

Facebook photo used for First Amendment Comment
and Criticism, blog post by John Hoff

Tonio Weaver is the subject of recent news coverage on Fox 9. He has allegedly robbed five cab drivers at knife point in two days and, as I write these words, is apparently still wanted by the police. One of the robberies happened in North Minneapolis.

Looking at his face on the Fox 9 story, I thought Tonio appeared young and I wondered if he was on Facebook.

Yes. He is...

At Least Three "Level Three" Sex Offenders Reported To Be Living At 3415 Logan Ave. N., Owned By Albert Miller Of St. Louis Park...

MN DOC Photo, therefore public domain

A participant in a North Minneapolis chat room reports a dangerous concentration of Level Three sex offenders is living at 3415 Logan Ave. N., a rental property owned by Albert Miller of 2631 Quentin Ave. S. St. Louis Park.

The participant reports he can identify residents of the property as Alex Diamond Cassidy, pictured above, as well as Reginald Hampton and rapist/murderer Russell Eugene Hyatt. (Check out this case with details about his sex murder)

Also, it is reported that...

Accused Robber And Shooter Malik El-Amin Appears Related To Well-Known North Minneapolis Imam Makram El-Amin Of The Famous El-Amin Fish House...

Facebook photo used under First Amendment Fair
Comment and Criticism, bite me. 

A commenter on a previous story about Malik El-Amin, charged with a boatload of serious criminal activity, asked whether young Malik was related to the folks who run the famous El-Amin fish house in North Minneapolis.

After a little bit of digging, I think it is safe to say...

Yes.

ASSUMING Malik is listed at the address where he REALLY lives and he didn't falsely put forth the address of some well-known people named El-Amin, then I can say with certainty Malik El-Amin is related to the folks who run El-Amin fish house.

Here are the facts I unearthed with not very much effort:

The name of the guy who owns the house where young Malik claims to live is "Makram El-Amin." That is the same name as...

Tariq Khan Accused Of Threatening To Cut Somebody's Head Off With An Axe Yesterday, JNS Blog Withholding Judgment On This Incident Given How Many No-Accounts Are Trying To Take Advantage After Tree-Downing "Summer Solstice Storm"

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

According to an MPD action alert email that was forwarded to me, a guy named Tariq Khan (relation to anybody else named "Khan" unknown) is accused of threatening to cut off somebody's head with an axe. This was an actual axe he had in his hands, allegedly, as he chased the two victims on foot. The two victims got in a car and then, presumably, made a police report.

The incident happened at 3434 Penn Ave. N. or near that location. That is Khan's address, where he lives in a homesteaded property.

JNS blog will be trying to obtain a criminal complaint for this incident if it goes forward to that stage. I will say it is unknown what, if anything, the victims did to provoke this incident however, given the incredible amount of storm damage and downed trees, it is not the least bit unusual for a Northside homeowner to have an axe in his hands or, for that matter, a chain saw.

Also, there are a lot of no-accounts out there trying to take advantage of the situation following the bad Summer Solstice Storm on June 21. The author of JNS blog has been dealing with various storm related issues for a couple days and I have seen some bad behavior with no-accounts approaching property owners to "help" with storm damage. An epic tale will be written, later, when I have time to write the tale.

So, all in all, I'm withholding judgment on this incident until there are more facts available. 

Malik El-Amin Charged With Two Armed Robberies And A High Speed Chase In March, But Let Loose To Shoot A Man At Pizza Luce In June, ALLEGEDLY...

Stock photo, vehicle accident in North Minneapolis
in winter, this is not the incident described in story

According to three, count 'em, THREE criminal complaints filed against Malik El-Amin, DOB 4/27/93, this man went on a robbery spree in March which ended after a high speed chase. But, incredibly, he was out on the streets in June when he is accused of shooting a man at the Pizza Luce in downtown Minneapolis.

(In keeping with JNS blog policy about hyphenated surnames, this no-account will henceforth be referred to as "Elamin")

On March 22, 2013, according to the first criminal complaint, click here, Elamin walked into MGM Liquor Warehouse at 7704 Olson Memorial Highway and robbed the store at gunpoint. He left with $1,849.63 in a Wells Fargo bank bag, which was described as being made of...

Number Of Level Three Sex Offenders In 55411 Zip Code Hits (Apparent) All Time High Of Thirty-Five...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

It was late April of this year when the total number of "known and counted" sex offenders in the 55411 zip code hit an (apparent) all time high of thirty-four, click here. I say "known and counted" because a document recently came to my attention which outlines how there are sex offenders not listed on the DOC website who are in programs like 180 Degrees and Damascus Way. 

So the actual number is higher. But the "known number" now stands at 35, a new all time record.

To celebrate this dubious achievement, JNS blog will be publishing the photo of...

Footnotes To Hennepin County "Shot Across The Bow" Letter On Level Three Sex Offender Concentration...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

In two previous postings (click here and also here) I republished a letter sent by the chair of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners to the State Department of Corrections. The letter concerned the unacceptable concentration of Level Three sex offenders in Hennepin County (particularly North Minneapolis) and has been described by a high-ranking government source as a "shot across the bow" letter.

Well, what do you know? My bad. The letter includes three footnotes and I forgot to include them. It turns out those footnotes have quite a bit of pithy and pointed substance. What more can I say except here they are...

A Stolen Gun, A Fractured Skull, And A Stripper Baby Mama Named "Exotica"

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

Career criminal Tafari Duffers has already been written up once by JNS blog, and it was just about a year ago that it happened, click here, when he was sitting in jail charged with robbery. Those charges were still pending against Duffers while he was out on the streets, committing more bad deeds, allegedly.

The latest criminal complaint against Duffers reads like a script from a Quentin Tarantino movie...

Accused Burglar Reggie Cundiff Was Identified By His Distinctive Tattoo, Allegedly...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff,
this is not the tattoo described in the story

Reggie Cundiff has to be one of the dumbest criminals that ever lived. He went to all the trouble of putting on a face mask during a terrifying burglary in broad daylight where a victim was present at the house. But as Cundiff was leaving the home, he removed the mask. The victim caught sight of a distinctive face tattoo, which linked Cundiff to the burglary and then a latent fingerprint slammed the cell door shut.

Click here for the criminal complaint. 

"WHERE'S THE CASE?!" one of the burglars demanded of the victim. They were looking for the safe. The safe with the money. The burglars, two black males, had a handgun which was pointed around liberally. One of the burglars had a crowbar. The victim in the house was a juvenile male. The juvenile was sleeping in a bedroom when the burglars entered the house...

Sheriff's Department Showing Off New "War Wagon" Vehicle This Morning...

Contributed photos, blog post by John Hoff

A reader of JNS blog emailed me, sending the photos above which were taken this morning. I'm told the sheriff's department was driving to various parks and taking publicity photos. My reader asks, "What the hell does the sheriff need that war wagon for? You can see they are equipped with combat gear also...is our government getting read for something only the government knows about? John, did our troops drive those war wagons around when you went to war?"

In answer to my reader's questions...

Remaro C. Smith, Reportedly One Of The Last To See Annshalike Hamilton Alive, Incarcerated In Illinois For 30 Month Stretch...

IDOC mug shot, therefore public domain,
blog post by John Hoff

This blog has long tracked the doings of Remaro C. Smith, reportedly one of the last people to see murder victim Annshalike Hamilton alive. Click here for previous story in which the mother of Annshalike Hamilton states her belief that Smith murdered her daughter. The murder of Hamilton remains unsolved and there is a reward being offered.

Now word comes that Smith is incarcerated in Illinois, serving a 30 month stretch in Macon County on a charge of "Obstruct Justice/Destroy Evidence."

Oh, my. I wonder what THAT was about? I'll see if I can get more details to share. 

Judge William Koch, Mush-Headed Judicial Friend Of Northside Playground Shooters...

Photo from state courts website, therefore public domain,
blog post by John Hoff

Judge William Koch, who claims (dubiously) that his surname is pronounced "Cook," was the judge who recently sentenced playground shooter August Fleming to one year of in jail and probation, provoking an outcry from the prosecutor and the general public. And this blogger.

August Fleming fired numerous shots at Folwell Park when children were present. A much stiffer sentence was expected. It doesn't seem likely that bribery was involved so simple judicial mush-headedness is the only plausible explanation.

For those who would like to familiarize themselves with what, exactly, August Fleming did, click here for the criminal complaint. 

By the way, the complaint notes that Fleming is a resident of...

Gregory Davis Goes On Trial Today For Murder Of Brianna Jones, Who Apparently Interrupted His Burglary...

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

It's a story that has gotten short shrift from the mainstream media: Gregory Davis, accused of murdering a woman who interrupted his burglary, goes on trial today. I hear that jury selection has already started.

Davis sort of knew the victim. He was dating her boyfriend's mother. The murder happened at 1518 Emerson Ave. N. 

An Interesting North Minneapolis Connection With Kao Xiong, Father Of 4-Year-Old Who Shot 2-Year-Old Brother...

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

Most JNS blog readers have heard about the sad case of Kao Xiong, the father of a 4-year-old boy who shot and killed his 2-year-old brother with a weapon left in the home, unsecured. The incident happened in a town home in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. I've never thought of the story as connected to North Minneapolis.

Until tonight, when I was looking at the jail roster...

What Has Become Of Vietnam-Hong Kong International, The Most Mysterious Store In North Minneapolis?

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

Vietnam Hong Kong International of 404 West Broadway has been a mystery to many on the Northside. Even people who drive by the place twice daily seldom know what's within. A friend of mine once told me he thought it was a bar, "the scariest bar in the world, where they would kill you just for walking in the door."

No. It's a grocery store. Or it was.

Well, it's...kind of a grocery store, I guess.

Or it was.

But now it seems to have expired while nobody was watching...

Minnesota Court Of Appeals Rules First USA Title Must Post Bond For "Too Little, Too Late" Appeal In Mortgage Fraud, Identity Theft Judgment...

Contributed photo, 1564 Hillside Ave. N. at the time it
was sold for a small fortune by slumlord Keith Rietman,
blog post by John Hoff

JNS blog has been following the "progress" (if that's the word) of a post-eleventh hour, beyond-the-last ditch appeal of a massive judgment against First USA Title, et al.

Click here for previous blog coverage.

First USA Title didn't bother to show up in district court and fight a lawsuit regarding its negligence in a massive mortgage fraud/identity theft scheme which wiped out the credit of John Foster. A house at 1564 Hillside Ave. N. was involved in the scheme. Larry "Maximum" Maxwell went to prison as a result of the fraud. 

The civil suit which came out of the Maxwell case resulted in a judgment of more than $800,000. It is expected the judgment will be quite difficult to collect, and that has certainly been the case so far...

Corey Davis, Jr., Arrested For Being A Prohibited Person In Possession Of A Gun IN HIS CROTCH...

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

Pictured above, a World War Two-era German flare pistol. Probably one of the last pistols on earth you'd want to hide IN YOUR CROTCH.

This was NOT the weapon Corey Davis, Jr. was accused of hiding IN HIS CROTCH, click here for criminal complaint. 

But actually, we don't know what type of weapon it was. The criminal complaint isn't specific. It doesn't matter, though, because...

Steven Creamer and Aaron Jerome Williams Accused Of Involvement In Multiple Robberies And Then Standing At A Bus Stop Like Dummies Where They Were Spotted By Alleged Victims...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

In late March, police received reports of "multiple robberies at gunpoint" around the 900 block of Oliver Ave. N. One of the victims reported the robbers were standing at a bus stop in front of 923 Penn Ave. N., according to a criminal complaint.

When police showed up, they arrested Steven Creamer and Aaron Jerome Williams. A cell phone belonging to one victim was found in the pocket of Creamer's pants. There's no mention in the criminal complaint that a tracking device on the phone helped to locate the robbers but, well, one wonders.

A realistic-looking BB gun was found in the vicinity and Creamer pretty much admitted he'd handled the gun. He's prohibited from having guns due to a prior conviction. Yes, even a BB gun.

On the criminal complaint, Creamer's home address is listed as 3743 Logan Ave. N., a property owned by A Vision LLC with the taxpayer listed as Bruce D. Barron of Savage, MN.

The name "A Vision LLC" keeps coming up in association with dubious people in North Minneapolis...

Police Investigating Guns Sold To Gang Members Arrest Jiyaad Jamaal Copeland Of 2518 4th St. N., Featured In MPR Story About Gun Crimes...

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

When I saw the name "Jiyaad Jamaal Copeland" on the jail roster, the first thing I wondered was whether this guy is related to Donquarius Copeland, accused of murdering Rayjon Gomez. Are they brothers? Half brothers? Cousins? Or is the last name merely a coincidence?

So far, I've been unable to link the two Copelands, whose names sit side-by-side on the Hennepin County Jail roster. Donquarius was born January 10, 1995, and his home address is listed as NPA. (No permanent address) Jiyaad Copeland was born June 14, 1991, which makes this blog posting his belated birthday present.

Happy birthday, Jamaal!

Anyway, Jamaal's address is listed on the jail roster AND the criminal complaint as 2518 4th St. N., a rental property owned by Paul Bertelson which I have been unable to link to anybody else. (Yes, the owner is listed as Mission Inn Mn Inc., but that's Paul Bertelson) The address also comes up as the location of a "shot spotter activation." The address also merited a mention on the North By Northside blog, click here.

Anyway, on to the nuts and bolts of what Jiyaad Jamaal Copeland did...

Rick Clark Briggs Accused Of Raping Woman He Met At A North Minneapolis Bar...(UPDATED, JULY 9, 2010, JNS BLOG HAS LEARNED CHARGES WERE DROPPED)

Creative stock photo, Cuban rum for
sale in Germany, blog post by John Hoff

UPDATED, JULY 9, 2013, THE CHARGES WERE DROPPED AND RIGG CLARK BRIGGS IS LEGALLY INNOCENT)

Rick Clark Briggs is accused of picking up a woman at a bar on Lyndale Ave., bringing her to a home at 4651 Queen Ave. N., raping her, then sending her away in a Blue and White taxi. Taxi records linked the incident to the house at 4651 Queen Ave. N. and the victim was able to identify the suspect.

Reading the criminal complaint, click here, it's like a textbook example of date rape. The disturbing details are in the complaint and I'll not replicate them here. But please note there is a typo in the complaint. Briggs' address is "Minneapolis," not "Minnetonka."

Looking more deeply into the address where the incident reportedly happened, 4651 Queen Ave. N. does not appear to be a problem property based upon my internet search. There is quite a history of yard sales at the property, often involving the sale of plants. The home is owned by a woman with the same surname as Rick Clark Briggs. So when Briggs told the victim they were going to his mama's house, well, that part was apparently true.

But, according to the criminal complaint, mama wasn't home.

And while mama wasn't home, Briggs allegedly...

Well, um, read the criminal complaint. 

Wayne Barlow, Accused Of Being The "Parking Garage Bandit," Is Reportedly A Resident Of The Address Pictured Below, JNS Blog Says "Not Likely"

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

The house at 2619 Newton Ave. N. doesn't look like this anymore. It was torn down not long ago, as reported here on JNS blog. The house had sustained tornado damage and reportedly looked WORSE than the photo above.

Currently, another house is being built there. A permit was pulled not long ago to "rough in" the plumbing, so I doubt the house is ready for anybody to live there.

And yet Wayne Barlow, accused of stealing a woman's car from a downtown parking garage, is listed on a criminal complaint as residing at this address. Click here for the criminal complaint.

According to the complaint...

JNS Blog Reader Unearths More Information On Accused "Northeast Nazi" Michael Karkoc...

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

After my recent story about Michael Karkoc, accused of involvement in Nazi war crimes and (good heavens!) a longtime resident of Northeast Minneapolis, interested readers have been sending me bits and pieces of info dug up through internet sleuthing. It's the same sort of sleuthing I do, then publish my findings on this blog. But when somebody else does the work it's only right to give credit...even if I'm not naming the individuals who did the digging.

Anyway, here's what we're finding out about Karkoc in the words of one helpful reader...

JNS BLOG SUPER EXCLUSIVE: "Shot Across The Bow" Letter Mailed To Minnesota Department Of Corrections By Hennepin County Board Of Commissioners On The Issue Of Level Three Sex Offender Concentration, PART TWO...

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

The official name of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners is actually "Board of Hennepin County Commissioners." But I prefer my way, better, and I hear everybody else using the same name for the board. So I'm doing it my way.

In Part One, I published the first half of a "shot across the bow" letter written by Mike Opat, Chair of the County Board, about the topic of Level Three Sex Offender Concentration in Hennepin County. At the end of Part One, Opat was in the middle of citing particularly egregious examples of dangerous predatory offenders dumped on Hennepin County who rightfully belonged in OTHER counties.

The letter continues, as follows...

Michael Karkoc, Accused Of Nazi War Crimes, Lives At 708 Fifth Street NE, Minneapolis, According To Rumors On Facebook...(UPDATE: Other Info Puts Him At 1919 Pierce St. NE)

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

Michael Karkoc, 94, accused of involvement with Nazi war crimes, was recently revealed to be living in Northeast Minneapolis, click here for article.

Information floating around on Facebook pages states his address is 708 Fifth Street NE. However, I have been unable to link Karkoc's name with that property. It is a homestead owned by somebody named Heinecke. Further confirmation is needed. Anybody with more info, please share.

This blog has long engaged in the practice of linking specific incidents (and accusations, such as those found in criminal complaints) with specific addresses. Nazi war crimes allegedly committed by a man in his 90s are not an exception to my general rule.

Here is one (not all) of the examples I have found of the info floating around on Facebook...

Somebody Appears To Be "Scrubbing The Internet" Of References To Tajreed Edward Rich's Association With North High, But Google Caches Tell The Tale...

Creative stock photo, West Bank Area of Minneapolis,
blog post by John Hoff

Yesterday I published the criminal complaint against Tajreed Edward Rich, who is accused of having sex with a minor student from Robbinsdale Cooper High School. Rich was reportedly employed at that school as a hall monitor, counselor, and staff member of the boy's football team. Looks like he was also bucking to be the sex education teacher. (Comedy drum sound effect) 

There is widespread talk, both here on JNS blog and elsewhere, that Rich worked at North High for a while, that he was affectionately known as "Taj," and that he was frequently noted to have young girls in his office.

References to Taj's association with North High can be found on the internet, however...

Sex Charges Against Tajreed Edward Rich, Rumored To Be Associated With North High...

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

Here is the criminal complaint, click here.

More about this later. There is a news release by the Hennepin County prosecutor so I'm guessing mainstream media will be all over this. 

JNS BLOG SUPER EXCLUSIVE: "Shot Across The Bow" Letter Mailed To MN Department of Corrections By Hennepin County Board Of Comissioners On The Issue Of Level Three Sex Offender Concentration, PART ONE OF TWO...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

A very interesting document has been leaked to JNS Blog.

My highly-placed, unnamed source described the document as a "shot across the bow" directed at the Minnesota Department of Corrections by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners in regard to the issue of Level Three Sex Offender Concentration in Hennepin County.

This blog has kept a fire burning under this issue for a while, though my concern is the number of L3SOs in North Minneapolis. Clearly, North Minneapolis bears the lion's share of this problem. But for the Minneapolis City Council and the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, the issue is bigger than the 55411 zip code. The issue impacts our city and county, not just my neighborhood.

Though my neighborhood has it the worst. And I'm going to keep pointing it out.

But here's the letter, written upon Board of Hennepin County Comissioners letterhead. The document passed through two faxes on its way to me, and a sentence or two is indecipherable...

Jerome KingRussell, The Notorious "Imposter Foster" Of Larry Maxwell Mortgage Fraud Fame, Soon Will Taste Freedom! Native American Casinos Are Advised To Be On The Lookout For This Man (Pictured Below) And Not Take Any Checks From Him, Especially If Those Checks Are Written On The Account Of JOHN FOSTER...

Department of Corrections Mug Shot Photo, therefore public
domain, blog post by John Hoff

Jerome KingRussell, the druggie POS no-account who impersonated the identity of mild-mannered delivery truck driver John Foster to pull off a massive mortgage fraud scheme, has been cooling his heels in prison for a while due to his chronic inability to abide by the terms of his plea agreement, as revealed exclusively here on Johnny Northside.

Now word comes that KingRussell, who has used up more second, third and tenth chances than Charlie Sheen, will be getting yet another second chance. Word trickles down to this blogger that KingRussell will soon be released from "Phase 2" of the MCF Willow River boot camp. It is suspected that KingRussell may have been imprisoned upon a "come and go" basis. He has done only about a year of the 4 and 1/2 year sentence hanging over him.

Meanwhile, as revealed in a recent article, the victims of KingRussell's fraud are still fighting to collect something, anything, on the $800 civil judgment. They have yet to see a dime, so far. And trying to garnish wages on Mr. KingRussell promises to be quite an affair, by which I mean more of a turnip juice affair than a bloody affair, if you catch my meaning. 

Deerwood, Minnesota Family Got More Than They Bargained For When Buying A North Minneapolis "Church Van" On Craigslist...

Stock photo from my personal photos, (curse you, Steele County!) blog post by
John Hoff

READ THIS ARTICLE FROM THE BRAINERD DISPATCH, click here.

Yes, Brainerd.

You know. Paul Bunyan and Babe The Blue Ox.

A family up there from the little down of Deerwood bought a "church van" off Craigslist and it turned out the van was involved in the murder of Rayjon Gomez. My favorite part of the article is how the family buying the van got a tour of the church and everything. Now the police are saying, you know, it sure LOOKS like somebody (at the church) was really trying to GET RID OF THAT VAN.

I'd heard before this was a "church van" but I never did find out what specific North Minneapolis church was involved. Heaven knows I've got it narrowed down to exactly three, however, only one of which has a pastor who was a character witness for Larry "Maximum" Maxwell.

If anybody out there can kick some information my way that definitively answers the question of "Which church was this with the Gomez murder van," well, you know the deal.

Tell Johnny. Tell.

Whisper in Johnny's ear so Johnny can tell EVERYBODY. 

Tyrone Hutchins, Owner Of 3523 Queen Ave. N. Has Extensive Rap Sheet, Including A Conviction For Being THE ONE WHO LET THE DOGS OUT!!!!!!!!! But Mystery Of Body Found At House Deepens...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff (photo does
not depict North Minneapolis)

No new information has surfaced, yet, about the dead man found at 3523 Queen Ave. N. under bizarre and mysterious circumstances. (Click here and also here for previous blog articles)

However, in the meantime I have dug up the extensive criminal record of Tyrone Hutchins, the owner of the property where the dead dude turned up...

JNS BLOG RED HOT SUPER EXCLUSIVE: Bizarre, Deadly Tale Continues At 3523 Queen Avenue North, Man Reportedly "Suffocated With A Pillow" At Site Of Former "Fantasy Internet Strip Club LLC"

Create stock photo, medical training dummy,
blog post by John Hoff

It just gets weirder, folks.

More information came my way after I wrote about 3523 Queen Ave. N., where a man was found dead recently. There has been no official announcement this was a murder, but here's what I'm hearing from a high-level source about what happened at 3523 Queen Ave. N., former site of a business called "Fantasy Internet Strip Club LLC"...

Source Says 3523 Queen Ave. N. Was Address Of "Man Found Dead," JNS Blog Connects The Address With "Fantasy Internet Strip Club LLC"

Creative stock photo, graffiti near Oklahoma City
Bombing Memorial, blog post by John Hoff

I had only just finished writing about an unusual murder in Northeast (unusual because, well, it happened in Northeast) when I noticed a story about a "man found dead" on Queen Avenue North.

Mainstream media are reporting few facts other than somebody called police after a fight happened at the home and when police arrived, there was a body. This leaves all kinds of room for interpretation. Was the man killed in the fight? Was the fight over whether to report the death or hope the checks would keep arriving for a few months? Was the fight over freezer space and whether it was economically cost effective to cook up all this hamburger to make room?

Whatever the fight was about, a highly dependable and frequent JNS blog source tells me...

JNS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Dodgy Details On The Shooting In Northeast You Won't Get From Fox 9, Like The Fact That "Four In The Morning Having A Party" Duplex Was Owned By The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority...

Creative stock photo, chocolate-covered bacon, 
blog post by John Hoff

Northeast residents near 2419 Washington St. NE seem kind of surprised a murder took place in their neighborhood. I think editors at Fox 9 were surprised, too, when they realized the shooting happened in NorthEAST and not in, well, True North.

In fact, I'm pretty sure when the article was originally published, the headline said "North Minneapolis" instead of "Northeast." That's revealed by the URL of the article, which the internet magically creates when an article is first published but which stays unchanged even when a headline is edited:

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/22479899/man-gunned-down-in-car-outside-north-minneapolis-party

Compare the URL to the headline now appearing on the article:

Man gunned down in car outside northeast Minneapolis party


See what I mean? An assumption based on a stereotype was involved when the article was first published. The article said "North Minneapolis" and not "Northeast Minneapolis." Which was why it turned up in my Google search for "North Minneapolis."

But I'm glad it did. Because I managed to find out some rather interesting facts to share...