BRAINERD — Two Brainerd lakes area men are facing felony charges as part of an ongoing investigation into cocaine trafficking in the Crow Wing County area.
According to a news release, the Lakes Area Drug Investigative Division seized about 6 ounces of suspected cocaine and more than 1 pound of the hallucinogen DMT. Also seized were packaging materials, electronic devices and a firearm.
Law enforcement conducted multiple search warrants in the city of Brainerd as part of an interstate investigation.
Charged in the case are 39-year-old Ian Davidson Ulrich of Breezy Point and 47-year-old Patrick Joseph Severson of Brainerd. Both have been released from the Crow Wing County Jail after posting bail.
According to probable cause documents filed in both men's cases, law enforcement launched the investigation because of suspicious packages being mailed from Laredo, Texas, to a Brainerd business.
A search warrant was conducted on one of those packages and cocaine was found inside. After monitoring the resealed package's delivery, law enforcement arrested Ulrich after he accepted it and drove away.
Severson was arrested after the IP addresses at his home and business were tied to tracking of the package, and a search of his property revealed further evidence of drug packaging and sale.
Both are set to appear again in Crow Wing County District Court later this month.
Former longtime Cass sheriff dies
A man who served Cass County as a longtime sheriff and later as county commissioner has died.
Jim Dowson was 82 years old.
Dowson began his law enforcement career in 1963 as the police chief in Garrison and joined the Cass County Sheriff's Office in 1967. He was chief deputy from 1974 through 1986, when he ran for sheriff and was elected.
Under his leadership, the sheriff's office reinstated the mounted patrol, instituted a senior citizen's TRIAD program and started the sheriff's chaplaincy program, according to his obituary. He served as Cass County sheriff for 13 years until 2000.
Dowson then ran for the Cass County Board and served as a commissioner until 2014, when he officially retired.
He is survived by his wife Shirley of 56 years and three children, all of Walker.
Nationwide test of emergency alerts
All consumer cellphones that are powered on will receive a test message along with a vibration and alert tone, even if it is set to be silent.
The WEA portion of the test will be directed to consumer cell phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all WEA-compatible cellular devices.
The purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level, according to federal officials.
In case the Oct. 4 test is postponed, due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is Oct. 11.
Highway 87 open house
The Minnesota Department of Transportation will host a public open house tomorrow about upcoming construction projects on Highway 87.
The open house will be 5-7 p.m. at the Hubbard Community Center, south of Park Rapids. Project information as well as detour maps will be on display.
Construction on Highway 87, between highways 71 and 64, will take place next year and in 2025. It is split into three different sections, with the center portion taking place in 2024, and the western/eastern portions in 2025.
The highway needs long-term improvements to address intersection safety and aging infrastructure, according to the state.
Candidates announced for Sixth Judicial District vacancy
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Commission on Judicial Selection | 
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Commission on Judicial Selection | 
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Commission on Judicial Selection |
The Commission on Judicial Selection announced Tuesday it is recommending three candidates for consideration to fill a vacancy in Minnesota’s Sixth Judicial District.
Candidates are Steve Hanke, attorney for the city of Duluth; Molly Hicken, Cook County attorney; and Tyson Smith, managing attorney at Smith Law PLLC in Grand Marais.
The vacancy occurred upon the retirement of Judge Michael J. Cuzzo. The seat will be chambered in Cook and Lake counties.
Hanke practices civil law and prosecutes criminal matters. He is also an adjunct professor in the Human Behavior, Justice and Diversity Department at the University of Wisconsin–Superior.
His community involvement includes volunteering with the Minnesota State Bar Association as a high school mock trial judge, as well as with the Duluth Area Family YMCA and the Duluth Amateur Hockey Association. He also serves as the president of the 11th District Bar Association and as a board member for the Damiano Center.
Hicken is Cook County’s chief prosecutor and legal adviser. She was previously an assistant county attorney in the office. She helped found Cook County’s hybrid treatment court and serves on the advisory council for the Cook County Minnesota Restorative Justice program.
She is vice president of the board of directors for the Minnesota County Attorney’s Association and is a member of both the Rural Justice Collaborative and the Beyond Big Cities initiative of the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution.
Smith is a general practitioner and takes cases in most major practice areas. He was previously an associate attorney at Bernick Lifson, P.A., practicing primarily in civil litigation.
His community involvement includes volunteering as an emergency responder for Cook County Search & Rescue and as a member of the Grand Marais Lion’s Club.
Bemidji City Council meets in special session on city manager vacancy
The Bemidji City Council meets in special session tonight to discuss the vacancy in its city manager position.
Sharon Eveland, Mark Lemen and Richard Spiczka were all interviewed twice by the City Council, once virtually and again in-person, traveling to Bemidji at the city’s expense.
The city manager vacancy was created when former City Manager Nate Mathews resigned three months after At-Large Council Member Audrey Thayer made a motion to discuss his continued employment in January, a process that ultimately involved an hours-long closed session and outside legal counsel with Flaherty and Hood.
Mathews’ resignation came 10 days after a formal vote by the Bemidji City Council to remove him as manager in April. City Clerk Michelle Miller has been acting city manager since.
For more on the three candidates, see KAXE/KBXE Reporter Larissa Donovan's story.
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And: a new bill in the Legislature would prohibit employers from misclassifying workers, the University of Minnesota is working with the White Earth Nation to provide support to families caring for people with dementia, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation is seeking more groups to 'Adopt a Highway.' -
A Beltrami County judge dismissed Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life's claims against a Bemidji man, who canceled checks totaling more than $800,000 after his father's apparent suicide. -
AirCorps Aviation, founded in 2011, restores vintage airplanes and manufactures unique parts in Erik Hokuf's hometown of Bemidji. -
Plus: Appeals court partly overturns dismissal of anti-abortion-rights group's suit; union grocery workers reach tentative agreement with Brainerd lakes area management; and is more summer smoke on the way?
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The Grand Rapids School Board decided to move the last day of school up for East Rapids, West Rapids and Cohasset elementaries at its Monday, April 22 meeting.
