The Justice System Has Found You Guilty! Philip S. Bertelsen, North Minneapolis Lives Matter. Melvin And Brandy Mattered!

Guest Author Blog Post by Jordan North


A Golden Valley man was driving drunk at over 100 miles per hour the night he smashed into and killed a young couple in Minneapolis. Allegedly, he said he has no memory of it. Allegedly, he also seems to have no memory of the don't drink and drive campaign. Allegedly he has forgotten, Thou shalt not kill...

Guest Author Shannon Moore Submits Blog Article About Havenbrook Homes, "Wall Street Infestation Threatens Twin Cities Tenants"

Creative stock photo (for visual interest) by John Hoff, blog post mostly
by Shannon Moore, St. Paul resident

This blogger is retired, but if somebody submits a "guest article," well, I can take five minutes to do some copying and pasting, right? So here is a guest article, bam.

Wall Street Infestation Threatens Twin Cities Tenants, by Shannon Moore

 

"This company is beginning to be like a bad virus to our community..." - Google reviewer

"Havenbrook Homes has bought up hundreds of properties within the city of Atlanta, and become an absolute plague on our communities." - Google reviewer

"RUN!!!" - Google reviewer

 It's never a good sign when your landlord is compared to a devastating disease outbreak. A quick search of online reviews and the Better Business Bureau will give you a sense of the public's view of the Duluth, GA based investment firm, Havenbrook Homes...

UPDATE:This Week Baby Isaac Is Forced To Look Through The Bars Of A Hospital Bed Yet Again. His Shooter, James Early, Was Freed From The Bars After Only A Few Months. #DoBabiesLivesMatter?

Blog Post by Jordan North

James Early was playing with a .38-caliber pistol at his older brother's Minneapolis house on Sept. 6. 2013 when the gun discharged, wounding his 2-month-old nephew, Isaac Early Jr. James claimed he found the loaded gun on... 

Fear And Loathing At City Hall, An Abandoned Fiberglass Bathtub In An Alley And More Body Cameras Than You Can Shake A Stick At...Welcome To The June, 2015 Meeting Of PCOC!

Since this photo was published on a blog operated by the
City of Minneapolis, click here for link, I assert this photo
is a public document in the public domain, but in any case
it would also be used under Fair Comment and Criticism,
blog post by John Hoff

No Justice, No Peacock 

Nobody I know says "peacock" for PCOC, the Police Conduct Oversight Commission of the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights. Which is a shame, because a peacock comes in many colors but has a beautiful unified symmetry...kind of like the PCOC. The citizens on this commission know how serious, how hotly political their task is (their narrow, oh-so-ordinance-limited and strictly defined police conduct oversight task) and I think the PCOC handles it pretty well, considering every meeting features a room full of shrill critics and dubious doubters with an axe to grind against anything in a blue shirt... 

Four Years Later, Individual Pictured From JNS Blog Pawn Shop Camera Is A Murder Suspect In Downtown Minneapolis Shooting...

Top photo is self-portrait found in a pawn shop camera, the author
of which was previously unknown, below is mug shot composite, 
used here for free speech comment and criticism specifically 
regarding the photo images, blog post by John Hoff

From 2008 to 2011, this blogger went through a series of cheap pawn shop cameras. But the camera I purchased around February 2011 lasted me through Afghanistan and continues to last, even though the battery and memory card compartment is held together with duct tape. And nowadays I mostly use my cell phone for pictures, a cell phone also purchased secondhand. 

But in 2011 I published a photo, at the top, of somebody who had previously owned or shall we say POSSESSED my camera before I turned it up in a Minneapolis pawn shop...

Hennepin County Jail Roster, April 5, 2015 To June 7, 2015...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff,
jail roster data is public info


Rather than the same boring "innocent until proven guilty" canned commentary about the Hennepin County Jail Roster, here's a link to 30 Days In The Hole, sung by Humble Pie. And here's a link to another version sung by Gov't Mule. 

And with that musical intro, here's the jail roster...

Travis Randolph Lee, Husband Of Former North Minneapolis Council Person Natalie Johnson Lee, Charged With Raping A Woman In South St. Paul Hotel Room...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

Some weeks ago, KSTP reported the arrest of Travis Randolph Lee, 52, on a charge (not yet proven) of third degree criminal sexual conduct. Though the story names Travis R. Lee, and a mugshot can be found online for the arrest, KSTP does not mention Lee's prominent place in North Minneapolis politics as the husband of former Fifth Ward City Council Person Natalie Johnson Lee. Travis Lee is also the publisher of The Trendsetter, a publication that, it can be charitably said, appears from time to time. 

After losing office, Natalie Johnson Lee tried again, unsuccessfully, to regain the Fifth Ward seat and is considered by many to be a likely candidate for any future Fifth Ward race. 

JNS blog has confirmed the arrest report concerns the same Travis Randolph Lee who is married to Natalie Johnson Lee. I confirmed this by speaking to blogger Don Allen, who (Don Allen states) has personally known Travis Lee for approximately 25 years and...

Joy Mattice, The Kind Cat Lady Of NoMi, Passes Away At 79 Advocating For Stray Kitty Cats To Her Last Breath...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

This blog wishes to mention, belatedly, the passing away of Janet Joy Mattice, the kind-but-controversial cat lady who constantly helped and advocated for all animals, but mostly stray cats. She was 79 years old and passed away April 18, 2015. Click here for a link to her online tribute. Janet preferred to be known by her middle name of Joy. 


In a kind of last laugh directed at the world and those who opposed her feeding of strays, Joy's obituary directs any memorial donations be preferred to Feline Rescue and MN Snap. 

Marlon Pratt, Mortgage Fraudster, Loses His Court Appeal But Has Already Served His Time...

MN DOC mugshot, therefore public domain, blog
post by John Hoff

In a decision released today, the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of swindler Marlon Terrell Pratt, (DOB 02/12/75) who was part of a remarkable "golden era" of mortgage fraud prosecutions in Hennepin County in the wake of our nation's economic meltdown fueled by subprime mortgages...

Melony Michaels, An Unstoppable Force For Justice, Awaits Word Of A Decision In The Endless Civil Case Spawned By Mortgage Fraud At 1564 Hillside Avenue North...

 

MN DOC mug shots, therefore public domain, of

Larry D. Maxwell, Jerome L. KingRussell, and Tynessia

Snoddy, blog post by John Hoff

It's The Trees That Suffer Most  

Seven thick legal documents are linked here, as follows...

1.) Plaintiff's Reply Memo, 2.) Affidavit, 3.) Another Affidavit, 4.) Objection by Triad, 5.) AIG opposition to motion to amend, 6.) Benjamin R. Kwan Affidavit, 7.) Declaration of Kathryn Torre. 

Pictured above, three of the individuals involved in the mortgage fraud at 1564 Hillside Ave. N. who went to prison: Larry Darnell Maxwell, ("Maximum Maxwell") Jerome Lance KingRussell ("The Imposter Foster") and Tynessia Snoddy. (Snoddy went to prison for a different fraud, but formally admitted involvement in the fraud at 1564 Hillside Ave. N.) 

The Wheels Of Justice Grind Slowly 

The documents linked above tell a tale of justice delayed, denied and (so far) always just-out-of-reach for the victims of an identity theft and mortgage fraud at 1564 Hillside Avenue North...

Three-Year-Old Girl Pointed Police To The Man Hiding In A Closet Who Slashed Her Mommy, Allegedly...Police Say It Was The Child's Father, Khiree Devon Atkinson

Public domain image of a painting by Guido Reni, circa 1611, blog
post by John Hoff


Click here for the criminal complaint. 

Police in Brooklyn Center responding to a report of a bleeding woman found blood and glass all over the place, and a victim who said she tripped over a laundry basket into a picture frame. 

In another room, sitting "straight up and very still" on the edge of a bed, officers located the woman's three-year-old girl. They asked the little girl how mommy got hurt and the child told police...

Minneapolis Transit Police Boarded A Bus, Went Straight To A Felon With A Gun, And Arrested Gerard Magee, Junior...

Historical photo, no copyright, used for illustration, 
blog post by John Hoff

This story came to me outside my usual process, but I know the information to be trustworthy. On March 4, Metro Transit police were dispatched to Metro Transit Bus 1645. They knew exactly who they were looking for, and exactly why.

When police boarded the bus, which was pulled over at Xerxes Ave. and Northway Drive, they went straight for Gerard Magee, Jr., DOB 4/22/84...

Mercy, Compassion, And Containment In Fenced-Off Rural GhostTowns For Level Three Sex Offenders (JNS Blog 2015 Editorial Legacy)

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff


A Legacy Of Ideas 

Before this blog retires in June of 2015, I hope to leave behind a legacy of editorials. Normally, I prefer to write facts and maybe squeeze in an editorial comment here and there. I feel that's a more effective way of writing. 

But there will be fact-laden criminal complaints to write about until the moment I hang up my bloggy spurs. So if I don't pause from writing up facts to write up some of my ideas in editorials, well, these ideas just won't get written because after blogging it's going to be the writing of novels, baby... 

Rumors In Blog Comments Prove To Have Some Basis, Second Man Now Charged In Murder Of Eulalio Gonzalez-Sanchez, An Innocent Bus Rider Walking Home...

Stock photo of a Minneapolis bus, though this one just happens to be
parked at the site of yet another murder, blog post by John Hoff

After this blog reported on charges against Jeremiah Blackwell in the murder of Eulalio Gonzalez-Sanchez, an innocent man and "good citizen" who had just stepped off a bus, I started to receive persistent comments saying Blackwell wasn't guilty and another man was involved, click here to view the article with the comments. 

Blackwell is still sitting in jail charged with the murder, but now prosecutors are indeed alleging another man was involved in the murder...

Here Is The Criminal Complaint From The "Musical Diss" Shooting At Target Field, James Lamar Davis Convicted, Additional Details Revealed...

Mugshot, therefore public domain, Cortez
Blakemore, blog post by John Hoff

Click here for the criminal complaint. 

Target Of A Shooting At Target Field 

Pictured above, Cortez Blakemore, (DOB 04/07/1990) one of two men shot at Target Field in gang violence fueled by "disses" in online music videos. James Lamar Davis was recently convicted in the shooting, which also wounded Kibbie Shakeel Akbark Walker, a/k/a "Prince Kibbie." 

Wrapping This Up Neatly With A Bloodstained Bow 

JNS blog wrote extensively about this matter a few weeks ago, but just recently obtained a copy of the actual criminal complaint. Even when the Hennepin County Attorney triumphantly announced a conviction in this matter, a copy of the criminal complaint was not included with the online press release. 

Hmmm. Odd.

Anyway, it is linked above and reveals...

Hennepin County "Tri-Weekly" Jail Roster, February 21 To March 14, (Pi Day) 2015...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

(Jail Roster is public records info) 

Jail rosters a month apart seem too infrequent, but jail rosters a week apart seem too often. Maybe a three week roster is just right, like Goldilocks bowl of porridge? Anyway, this little experiment will allow me to celebrate "pi day" like the nerd I am! 

As usual, folks on the roster are innocent unless and until proven guilty. The roster merely shows... 

Man Arrested In Northeast Minneapolis Shooting Incident Had North Minneapolis Address...

Mugshot, therefore in public domain without copyright
protection, blog post by John Hoff

 Major James Moore, DOB 2/21/78, allegedly shot into his ex-girlfriend's house in Northeast Minneapolis and then, for good measure, pointed the rifle at police who showed up. Incredibly, police DID NOT shoot Moore dead on the spot. Where are the media reports endlessly analyzing how THAT went down and lauding the heroic actions of the police? 

Though the incident happened in Northeast, according to the jail roster Moore resides at 4101 Thomas Ave. N., a rental property owned by "Notho LLC" headquartered at 9003 Minnehaha Circle, St. Louis Park. 

Moore has...

James Davis, 28, Convicted For Shooting Kibbie Walker Over "Diss" In Mental Mid Music Video...Oh, And He Shot That OTHER Guy, "Mystery Man" Cortez Blakemore...

Facebook photo published under First Amendment Fair
Comment and Criticism, blog post by John Hoff


"Snitches Get Stitches" 

Mainstream media recently reported the conviction of James Davis, 28, in the shooting of Kibbie Shakeel Akbark Walker, pictured above with red socks. I have been unable to determine if the white pants pictured above were worn after Labor Day, which has long been a source of concern to this blogger...

Happy Ending To North Vent Facebook Drama Regarding "White Dude With A Gun," Everybody Sing Kumbaya...

Photo forwarded to JNS blog by a participant in
North Vent Facebook forum, used under Fair Comment
and Criticism, blog post by John Hoff

KARE and a number of other local media did stories about a minor episode on North Vent Facebook forum regarding a confrontation between a black citizen and a white citizen, the white citizen armed with a gun and suspicious about a guy in a parked car, the black guy in the car concerned about racial profiling. 

Words were exchanged. A cell phone was whipped out to record video. A verbal warning was given and a firearm displayed, though not pointed. Both participants in the drama called 911 to complain about the other guy. 

Then the whole thing went viral on social media...

Local Rap Singer Mental Mid Releases New Song "B.O.M." On Reverbnation.Com, Shows Signs Of Widening Audience Appeal...

Facebook photo used under First Amendment Fair Comment and

Criticism, lack of asserted copyright is also fairly assumed from

"promotional" aspect of the photo, blog post by John Hoff

Define "Favorite" Rapper 

Click here for Mental Mid's Facebook, where video can be found of his new song B.O.M. 

Click here to find a downloadable list of his songs 

One anonymous commenter recently described Minneapolis rapper Mental Mid as this blogger's "favorite" rapper, which might be fair from a certain standpoint. 

But from that same standpoint, he'd also be the "favorite" rapper of the Minneapolis Police Department, plus at least one local news station, plus any number of unknown street enemies who probably watch for new Mental Mid downloads to get a clue to his whereabouts and murder him over that "Kobe Diss" song...

Criminal Complaint For "Mommy Shooter" Keith Allyn Ammons Shows Interesting Connections To The Victim Through Property Records...

Mug shots, therefore public domain, blog post by John Hoff



On September 11, 2011, I wrote about accused "Mommy Shooter" Keith Allyn Ammons and dug up what I could of his criminal record, click here. Ammons was subsequently convicted of the attempted murder and is now in prison. 

Now I have a copy of the criminal complaint with details about the shooting. Click here for the criminal complaint.

Other media, including the Star Tribune, have recounted the horrific details of this crime and, I must say, there aren't very many pertinent details missed by the Star Tribune.

Except, of course...

More On The Interesting Past Of Andrew Neal, Suspected In Shooting Of A Minneapolis Police Officer And, Ironically, Now Confirmed To Be A Former Police Informant...

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

The Star Tribune has now confirmed something JNS blog suspected and wrote about days before...Andrew Neal, who is STRONGLY suspected in the wounding of a Minneapolis police officer, is a former police informant.  

Gun, Ammo Found? 

The criminal complaint document against Neal, posted on the Hennepin County Attorney's website, mentions police actually found a handgun and two magazines in the yard next door to the house where Neal was found hiding, and the weapon is being "forensically analyzed." JNS wouldn't bet a bag of stale peanuts against the likelihood of Neal facing murder charges, albeit I suspect these will be second degree murder charges. 

Messy Tale Of A Police Informant 

My previous story re-published the "fact sections" of a case in which Andrew Neal was involved as an informant concerning the murder of Juwan "Wheaty" Gatlin, a member of the Mickey Cobras gang. Now another court document, put in front of me by a reader and commenter, has further information about Andrew Neal's involvement with Gatlin murder case...

The Name "Andrew Neal" Brings Up An Interesting "Back In The Day" Court Case With A North Minneapolis Gang Called The "Mickey Cobras" And A Shooting On Logan Avenue North...

MN DOC Mugshot, therefore public domain, 
blog post by John Hoff

IT IS NOT CONFIRMED that police informant "Andrew Neal" from this 2001 Minnesota Supreme Court case is the same as Andrew Neal, pictured above, who is now infamous and was arrested following the shooting of a police officer in North Minneapolis. 

(ADDENDUM, FEBRUARY 28, 2015: Star Tribune subsequently confirmed Neal was a police informant) 

Neal has not been charged in the officer shooting. There is concern this was a "targeted" shooting. 

To be clear, I am publishing this story mostly because it's about North Minneapolis, plus it's full of names and interesting information, and these facts can't be found easily online because they're buried in this court document...

Source Tells JNS Blog About Aftermath Of The Nehemiah Steverson "Accidental" Shooting...

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

After this blog was told by an official source that no charges would be forthcoming in the shooting of Nehemiah Steverson, because the shooting had been ruled an "accident," information started coming my way about what happened after Steverson was shot...

Robbery Victims Identified James Henry Horshaw (Not Pictured Below) From His Facebook, Allegedly...

Image in public domain of the character "Horshack" from
classic television show Welcome Back, Kotter, blog
post by John Hoff

 Click here for the criminal complaint.

On January 29, police responded to a robbery at Lowry and Newton Avenue North in Minneapolis, where a victim named "A.J." said she'd been parked with two friends when a couple males approached and robbed her of a phone and wallet...

Mortgage Fraud Victims, Insurance Company Await State Appeals Court Ruling From "Imposter Foster" Civil Court Case...The Ghosts Of 1564 Hillside Ave. N. Still Walk The Earth!

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

Click here for the appellant's reply brief. 

Click here for AIG's brief, and the first page is unreadable, sorry, but keep scrolling down for the rest of a very long document. 

This blog has followed developments in this convoluted case for more than half a decade. John Foster and his wife Melony Michaels were the victims of a mortgage fraud at 1564 Hillside Avenue North. John Foster's identity and perfect credit was stolen by a crackhead named Jerome KingRussell, as part of a fraud cooked up by Larry Maxwell and others. 

Maxwell went to prison over the fraud. The victims sued in civil court and won a judgment of $849,000 but the money has proven hard to collect because the insurance company doesn't want to pay. (Well, I guess that's understandable) The house was demolished a long time ago. Here's a link to a blog article about the lawsuit which has yet more links and traces a lot of the story to date. 

Now both sides have filed briefs in Minnesota's State Court of Appeals, made their arguments, and wait. The question is not whether the $849,000 judgment is valid. 

The question is whether the plaintiffs can collect from the defendant's insurance company...

Police Scanner Listener Caught Exclusive, Red Hot Details About Possible "Targeted" Police Shooting In North Minneapolis...

MN DOC mugshot, therefore public domain, blog post
by John Hoff


Eyes Of The Nation On North Minneapolis  

Andrew Neal, pictured above in his prison mugshot, is caught up in something big and awful which has made the national news. Mr. Neal might only be a multiple felon on parole who did something incredibly stupid (allegedly) and now stands accused of burglary and assault, held on no bail. 

But while police were responding to the incidents involving Neal, (allegedly) one of those police was shot sitting in his squad car. So it sure LOOKS like a targeted shooting along the lines of the fatal incident in New York, though I might mention...

Andrew J. Neal, Suspected Of Taking A Shot At A North Minneapolis Cop, Has A Record As Long As My Arm Full Of Second, Third, Fourth Chances From The Justice System...

Andrew Neal, Facebook photo, used under First Amendment
Fair Comment and Criticism, blog post by John Hoff


Officer Targeted As A Diversion? 

As promised in a "breaking news" blog post, here is everything The Adventures of Johnny Northside blog can dig up about Andrew Neal, suspected of targeting a Minneapolis police officer in the manner of the fatal targeting of two New York police officers...

WHO IS ANDREW NEAL? In An Hour Or Two, JNS Blog Will Have More Detailed Answers Than Any Media Entity In The Nation, Stand By...

MN DOC MUGSHOT, THEREFORE PUBLIC
DOMAIN, blog post by John Hoff

In the wake of what appears to be the deliberate and targeted shooting of a police officer, like the tragic incident in New York City which resulted in hundreds of police officers turning their backs on the mayor, the whole country is asking "Who is this guy named Andrew Neal, and did he attempt to murder a Minneapolis police officer?"

This much I can tell you quickly. Andrew Neal...

AGING HOOKER LOOKING FOR A BIG LAWSUIT PAYDAY OR JUST A CASE OF "NAME IS THE SAME?" Court Filings May Reveal Desperate Final Battles Of The Mahmood Khan Rental Property Empire...

Photo contributed by Hawthorne Hawkman, blog post by John Hoff

Decisive City Action Against Khan, HOORAY

Pictured above, a Mahmood Khan property where a fire took place, 2008 21st Ave. North. It's not the only property where there's been a fire on Khan's watch. There was a fire in March of 2013 at 4425 Aldrich Ave. North which had people bailing out of windows and one couple dangling their four-year-old child from the window...

Hennepin County Bi-Weekly Jail Roster, February 6, 2015 To February 20, 2015...

Facebook meme image, free use assumed, blog post by
John Hoff, jail roster is public data 

Sometimes I get emails griping about the fact I've published somebody's name on this roster. These emails often contain a line like "This is the first thing which comes up when people search my name on Google" or, even more incredibly, "This is the ONLY thing that comes up when people search my name on Google." 

Since I no longer remove names from the jail roster, all I can offer is some free advice... 

Here Is The Face Of A Guy Who Faced Nine Years In Prison, But Only Got FOUR, Yes, It's Drive By Shooter Patrick Carl Timberlake...

MN DOC mugshot, therefore public domain, blog
post by John Hoff

Recently, while trying to find a mugshot for Antonio Timberlake (who was recently convicted of 11 counts of robbery) I came across a mugshot for another guy who is almost certainly from the same notorious North Minneapolis crime family; yes, it's convicted drive-by shooter Patrick Carl Timberlake. 

I was struck by the happy expression on his face but when I looked at the MN DOC website to see how much time he was serving, I understood why Patrick looks so upbeat in his mugshot. Patrick was facing the possibility of nine years in prison for...

JNS BLOG RED HOT SUPER EXCLUSIVE: Death Of Nehemiah Steverson Ruled An Accident, Nobody Will Be Prosecuted...

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

JNS blog was informed today by an official source that nobody will be prosecuted in the shooting death of Nehemiah Steverson since the death has been ruled an accident in light of the evidence. 

This is a somewhat surprising development and I do not have any further information about how, exactly, this "accident" happened, whether it was yet another "janky" gun incident on the Northside, or one of those...

Antonio Timberlake Blog Post Sets Off Intense Facebook Discussion (Both Angry And Prideful) On Page Of Jamica "The Driver" Holden, Formerly Jamica Timberlake...

Antonio Timberlake, mugshot is public domain, blog
post by John Hoff

Click here for PDF showing the Facebook discussion.

"Always making friends, aren't you?" said the sarcastic title of an email I opened this morning.  

Attached to the email was the PDF, linked above, of a Facebook discussion set off by yesterday's blog post about eleven "straight" guilty pleas by Antonio Timberlake. The pleas to robbery charges were announced in a press release by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. 

The Facebook discussion in question took place on the page of Jamica "The Driver" Holden (who goes by Jamica Ripskitz on Facebook) and mostly centers around visceral dislike of Johnny Northside. 

The discussion is illustrated, at times, with amusing (though crude) internet memes. My personal favorite is the root vegetable shaped like... 

Antonio Timberlake, Criminal Associate Of "Turd Burglar" Navarr Ross, Goes Down For 11 Charges Associated With Four Robberies, Famous Turd Burglar Navarr Ross Was Involved In One Of Those Robberies, Already Doing Time...(CORRECTED BLOG POST)

Contributed photo of North Minneapolis "turd burglar" incident, 
which precise turd burglar is pictured is unknown, blog post by
John Hoff

ADDENDUM, FEBRUARY 20: This blog post originally described Antonio Timberlake as one of the "turd burglars" arrested at the scene of a Thanksgiving robbery. In fact, Timberlake was NOT involved in that robbery. Rather, he was associated with Navarr Ross--a known and convicted member of the turd burglarly ring--and committed eleven armed robberies, and in one of those robberies Ross was an accoplice. JNS blog strives for accuracy and when error comes to my attention, I jump to make correction. 

In a press release today by the Hennepin County Attorney, that office announced a "straight guilty plea" to 11 charges by Antonio Timberlake, age 17. The eleven charges stemmed from four separate robbery incidents. There was no deal with prosecutors and Timberlake could receive up to 172 months. Two of the victims received life-threatening stab wounds. 

Timberlake had some criminal fame rub off upon him by being associated with Navarr Ross, who was involved in the burglary of a Northside home. Neighbors (one wearing superhero pajamas) assisted police in keeping a passel of juvenile burglars trapped in a house until just moments before...

Kim Kardashian Broke The Internet, But Mahmood Khan Broke MNCIS Online Court Records System...Here Is The Chronology Of Pain, Suffering And Eviction!

Image of Kim Kardashian in public domain, blog post
by John Hoff (Come on, you have to admit that's a
much nicer picture than an image of a 62-year-old
low-end landlord) 

Trying to follow up with a piece of information in a recent Star Tribune article--that some of Mahmood Khan's tenants are suing him over a fire at one of his many properties--I tried looking up the civil court case on MNCIS using what must surely be the preferred spelling for Khan's first name, which turns out to be "Mahmood" and not "Mahmoud," though I've seen it both ways.  

Let me tell you, friends and neighbors, I've been running names through Minnesota's online court record system (MNCIS) for a long time. And, sure, if you run an incredibly common name with no additional information, such as a birthday, you might get a lot of search results. 

But in half a decade of running names (even common names that produce a lot of results) I've never seen red letters come up on MNCIS, like so...

Link To "Trashy Straw That Broke Camel's Back" In Appeals Court Case Against Landlord Mahmoud Khan, As StarTribune Reports Khan Might LOSE ALL HIS RENTAL LICENSES!!!!!

Photo by John Hoff, door of a Khan property, blog
post by John Hoff

Click here for a Minnesota Court of Appeals case from December of 2014. 

We Are Winning! 

In yet another major piece of progress for North Minneapolis neighborhood revitalization, the Star Tribune is reporting that slumlord Mahmood Khan likely faces the loss of all his rental licenses, which would be the biggest action against a landlord by Minneapolis since...

Devon Derrick Parker, Accused Of Murdering "Good Samaritan" Thomas Sonnenberg, Sits In Jail And Has A Hearing In March...

MN DOC mugshot, therefore public domain, blog post
by John Hoff

In a crime that was shocking even by North Minneapolis standards and received worldwide attention, but was first written about by a "Facebook journalist" on North Vent, Devon D. Parker was accused of murdering "Good Samaritan" Thomas Sonnenberg and assaulting Sonnenberg's wife, click here for the criminal complaint. 

The incident happened January 31, 2014. One year later, give or take a couple weeks, I figured it was about time to for an update on Parker...

Search Warrant At 2936 Aldrich Ave. N. Turns Up Three-Year-Old Child Sleeping In A House With Guns, Currency, Black Tar Heroin, According To Police (CORRECTED BLOG POST)

Photo in public domain of black tar heroin, image is not intended to

show the same black tar heroin seized in the story, blog post by

John Hoff  

Click here for the criminal complaint.

Acting on information from an informant, on January 9 the Minneapolis Police Department executed a search warrant on 2936 Aldrich Ave. N. expecting to find drugs. Police were not disappointed in what they turned up, (allegedly) though in addition to cocaine, black tar heroin, two pistols, and $4,000 in currency they also found a three-year-old child sleeping on a bed...

THE ADVENTURES OF JOHNNY NORTHSIDE will retire in June, 2015 unless blogging can miraculously become a decent paying gig...

Contributed photo, blog post by John Hoff

Mission (Soon To Be) Complete 

SEVEN YEARS AGO, when I started this blog on February 21, 2008, I wrote a kind of "mission statement" beneath the title "The Adventures of Johnny Northside." Here is what some of that mission statement said, and what it still says today: 

I am here to be near my son.

The wacky and colorful adventures which caused me to become a homeowner in North Minneapolis (twice!) have not been written upon this blog. And I won't be writing about those private matters today; at least not in depth and detail. 

But following an inner voice of conscience since January of 2000, in Seattle, Washington, I have done everything in my power to live near my son even if it meant sleeping in a van, in an old RV, in run down rural houses purchased for pennies on the dollar, or living in the roughest four square blocks of North Minneapolis...

One Year After Five Children Perish In Valentine's Day Fire, There Is A Trustee For The Children But No Court Activity Since July Of 2014...But Former Tenant Dianna Jones Settled Lawsuit Last Week!

Image of Honorable Cara Lee Neville used on State Courts

website, therefore no copyright as a government document, 

blog post by John Hoff  

It was one year ago, exactly, when a Valentine's Day fire claimed the lives of five of the children of Troy Lewis in a property owned by landlord Paul Bertelson.

Two children who survived the fire were reportedly placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.  Mainstream media predicted a lawsuit and then other media outside of Minneapolis picked up the same refrain but so far...

Year-Long Blog Experiment To Change "Image Search" Results For "North Minneapolis" Can Only Be Called A Failure...Oh, Well, Back To The Drawing Board!

Photo by John Hoff, circa 2008, in front of The Apartment
Complex of Anarchy, blog post by John Hoff

It has been one year since this blog attempted an experiment to see if I could change the results in Google "image search" for "North Minneapolis." 

Currently, today, this red hot minute...if you perform such a search the images that come up involve the 2011 tornado, the mortgage crisis, and crime. In that order. In fact the entire first page of results does NOT show crime, but the tornado and the mortgage crisis, and, well, that's kind of encouraging I suppose.

But...

2655 Oliver Avenue North Is "So many memories now punctuated by an empty lot."

Contributed photo, blog post by John Hoff

A woman who lived at 2655 Oliver Avenue North as a young girl emailed me, having turned up some of my writings that mention the address, which is now a vacant lot, click here for an example. 

I figure it would be a good thing to document this history as told by a former occupant of the house. One day a new, energy efficient "green house" might be on that vacant lot and whoever lives there might appreciate the history of the lot, though the old house itself was an Aztec-like, beating-heart-torn-from-the-chest sacrifice to the insatiable Backhoe of Doom...

Dante Carter, On Probation For Gun Possession, Now Charged With Gun Possession...

Image of "Dante" in public domain, blog post by
John Hoff 


Click here for the criminal complaint. 

Dante Kenneth-Christopher Carter (yes, the hyphen is supposed to be there and it's about driving me nuts) was already on probation for possessing a gun after a felony assault conviction when he was pulled over by police in Brooklyn Center for doing 47 in a 35 mph zone. 

Allegedly.

The car smelled strongly of marijuana, according to the criminal complaint, and in the car...