Latest news with #MowerCounty
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
Oman found guilty in the shooting death of Gumdel Gilo
Jul. 14—Cham Oman, who was standing trial in the 2023 drive-by shooting death of Gumdel Gilo, was found guilty by a jury Monday in Mower County District Court. Oman will be sentenced on Sept. 18 of this year. Oman is the only one of three suspects in the case to have gone to trial regarding the death and had faced several charges of aiding and abetting murder and attempted murder. Jenup Stepen Chop, who pleaded guilty to being the one who shot and killed Gilo, was sentenced in February of this year to 50 total months broken down between three felony counts of murder in the second degree-drive by shooting, attempted murder in the first degree-drive by shooting and attempted murder in the first degree-drive by shooting. He received 297 months for the murder charge and 210 and 153 months respectively for the attempted murder charges. The 153 month sentence would run consecutive to the previous two sentences with the 210 month sentence running concurrently. For each sentence, Chop will be required to spend at least two-thirds of the sentence in prison. Manamany Omot Abella pleaded guilty in April of 2024 to a single count of felony aiding an offender — accomplice after the fact and has been sentenced to prison. Story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
Mapleview man accused of criminal sexual conduct has 2 charges dismissed; aggravated sentences sought in remaining cases
Jul. 14—A Mapleview man charged in multiple cases of criminal sexual conduct with a child has had one of those cases dismissed. Joshua Alan Lamaack, 45, had a felony charge of first degree criminal sexual conduct and third degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor dismissed on Friday when the prosecution submitted in Mower County District Court the intent to dismiss on July 10, listing in court documents the reason of being in the interest of justice. This leaves two cases remaining — one that dates back to 2023 and the other dating back to 2024. The case that was dismissed was the one most recent of the three cases to be brought against Lamaack, who was accused of allegedly assaulting three separate victims over the span of years with some of the victims being under the age of 10 when the abuse started and lasting into their teens.. It should be noted that the charges in the two remaining cases all have maximum sentences of 30 years in prison and/or a $40,000 fine. The first degree criminal sexual conduct charge that was dismissed carried with it the same maximums, but the third degree criminal sexual conduct charge carries with it a max prison sentence of 15 years and/or a $30,000 fine. In the two remaining cases, requests in both were made by prosecuting attorneys and granted regarding presentation of evidence related to aggravated sentencing factors being sought in the case. Lamaack was first charged in November of 2023 with felony criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, penetration or contact with a person under 13 and felony criminal sexual conduct in the first degree-injury-use of force/coerce. In that case he was accused of sexually abusing a child from the time he was 11 to around 17-years-old. He was charged again in July of 2024 with three more felony counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct. Two of those are related to the victim being under 13 to 15, and the third is for the use of a dangerous weapon. Lamaack is scheduled for pre-trial on April 10, 2026 with a trial scheduled for April 20.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal bill brings changes, uncertainty to Mower Health and Human Services
Jul. 11—SNAP and medical assistance will be impacted by sweeping changes of One Big Beautiful Bill Act Named by the Trump administration as the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," the 2025 budget reconciliation bill is creating concern as effects reverberate down the pipeline for governmental entities like Mower County. On Tuesday morning, during the Mower County Board of Commissioners meeting, Health and Human Services Director Crystal Peterson laid out a stark picture of how the act could cast a shadow over the county in the coming years. In particular, Peterson warned the board of impending impacts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and medical assistance programming that could have significant effects for both the department and those it serves. Adding to the pall being cast by the bill is the amount of unknown currently coming along with the changes. "It's terribly confusing for us as professionals so I can't imagine how confusing it is for the public," Peterson said Wednesday afternoon. While the bill makes wide-ranging changes to a variety of areas, the areas that would impact the county's HHS come primarily to the SNAP benefits and medical assistance programming. In regard to SNAP, which acts as a supplemental food income for families, the bill would affect the reimbursement scale of the department. In the past, the department received around 50% reimbursement federally, however, with the bill's signing by President Donald Trump, that will be cut in half down to 25% representing a significant reduction in revenue. This part will be effective on Oct. 1, 2026. "That's an automatic cost shift to our local levy because there are no other payments for that sort of thing and that's just to administer the SNAP program," Peterson said. "Our piece of the pie is going to get larger." A year down the line, starting on Oct. 1, 2027 (fiscal year 2028 for the federal government), counties will have to start paying for a share of the benefits administered at the county level, which Peterson believes Mower will have to pay around 10%. "Again, a big hit," Peterson said. "We're hovering right around $500,000, $600,000 a month in benefits that we're administering." On the medical assistance side, those participating in the program will have to now register twice a year where in the past it required renewal just once a year, which would create an additional work load for current employees. On top of all of this is a tiered implementation by the federal government with few known details currently, something the State of Minnesota is having to deal with as well. "From a policy procedural standpoint, as far as what the workers can do with these changes, it's all directed to us from the state," said Jennie Crews, financial assistant supervisors for HHS. "At times they are scrambling to figure it out as much as we are. It's kind of last minute and our systems are not updated quite the way we want them to be." What that means for the HHS is that the department will have to begin looking ahead with vision. Even though there is a tiered approach over the next three years, there are still questions HHS and the county in general will have to keep a close eye including any possible impacts this could cause in the coming year. "I think first of all, we need to spend some time just reviewing exactly what we're looking at," Peterson said. "Get a feel for the implementation dates and kind of work backwards. What do we need to look at for next budget year? We're just in the planning for 2026 right now. Are any of these going to impact 2026?" The notion of what the impacts could entail is a sobering reality as it's likely that because of these cuts from the federal bill, it's likely that less people will be served through these two programs. The effects on SNAP in particular are unfortunate in the wake of efforts of programs like the Hometown Food Security Project, which is putting a renewed and group focus on lessening the impact of food insecurity in the county. "Our community really invested in trying to get people all the resources they need for food," Peterson said. "Are we going to be serving less people? Probably. Our fear is we're going to start serving them through other venues like perhaps child protection or adult protection because SNAP was the glue that held the household together. That extra income or extra food allowed that family to be self-sufficient." Another factor is the impact on HHS itself as it seeks not only answers to questions of revenue, but staffing questions as well. Already, the department has put a hold on filling positions where people have left in an effort to make up for any potential lost revenue. The positions themselves, however, are not being eliminated and when they are filled, Peterson said that steps will be taken to ensure that "we've tried every creative solution and we're filling it in the most cost effective way to still meet the needs of the public." What's not being considered is the laying off of staff. "That's not something we're even considering at all," Peterson said. "Again, that's why we're being so mindful of when we have a natural opening holding or not filling it until we're absolutely certain there is no additional solution." Still, there is reason for optimism as Peterson said that HHS is backed by a supportive board and a department with employees that are all in to making any changes work. "That's everything," Peterson said. "We have heard directly from commissioners that there are so many other things we can do besides lay people off. That's the last thing they want to do as well." "We see staff already invested in trying to figure out how to provide services at the lowest cost possible," Peterson added. In the meantime, both Peterson and Crews said that HHS will continue looking ahead as much as possible, adapting and relaying information to the public as soon as it's available to make sure the situation is as clear as possible. "There will definitely be communications coming, probably by mail," Crews said. "The state has taken a proactive approach by texting and emails. There will be a lot of communication."
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Grand Meadow chiropractor charged with criminal sexual conduct
Jun. 27—A Grand Meadow Chiropractor has been arrested and charged with criminal sexual conduct after he allegedly committed a sex act on a patient. Dillon Carter Denisen, 42, has been charged with a single felony count of third degree criminal sexual conduct — prohibited occupational relationship. He made a first appearance in Mower County District Court Friday afternoon. According to court documents, the alleged act took place on Wednesday, June 25, the second visit by the victim to Meadow Area Chiropractic Clinic in Grand Meadow. The first was two days earlier on Monday, June 23. On both occasions, Denisen allegedly performed duties that made the patient feel uncomfortable by rubbing a pain-relief gel on the victim's hips. However, it was on the second visit that the act occurred. According to the court complaint, when a detective from the Mower County Sheriff's Office arrived at the clinic to question Denisen, he became visibly distraught. When the detective pointed this out, Denisen allegedly said, "I'm sure you know why." Denisen then allegedly admitted that he pulled down the victim's pants to apply the gel, and that it was not a part of normal treatment. Denisen's next court appearance is an initial appearance set for July 10.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
16-year-old accused of killing person is charged as an adult
Jun. 27—AUSTIN, Minn. — A 16-year-old is facing murder charges in Mower County after allegedly shooting two individuals inside a car. Phillip Tyrek Gills, of Austin, is charged as an adult with two counts of second-degree murder with intent. He made an initial appearance in court Friday morning, June 27. Gills was placed on $1 million bail with conditions or $2 million unconditional bail. Gills is accused of shooting and killing a man inside a black Chevrolet Traverse on Feb. 15. According to the complaint, law enforcement responded to a report of a shooting around 1:35 p.m. on Feb. 15 in the area of Fifth Avenue Northwest and 11th Street Northwest in Austin. Officers pulled the driver out of the vehicle to provide medical care, but the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The front seat passenger had exited the vehicle and was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System — Austin by a neighbor. The passenger was then flown to St. Marys with gunshot wounds. The complaint said the passenger later told police that he and the driver were shot inside the vehicle. Officers found that the driver's window was broken with shards of glass outside of the car. There were bullet shell casings and a bullet hole with no exit hole inside the vehicle, the complaint said. Police also found footprints directly outside of the back passenger seat. According to the complaint, witnesses said there was a third occupant of the vehicle who fled the scene. One witness said they heard a gunshot and looked toward the vehicle when they saw a black male wearing a tan hoodie and black pants exiting the back seat of the car. The male ran eastbound, and a second witness saw him walking fast east on Fifth Avenue Northwest in the 900 block. According to the complaint, the witness pointed out a trail left in the snow on Fifth Avenue Northwest that belonged to the suspect. The complaint said a third witness saw the male disappear behind a garage on Eighth 8th Street Northwest. Officers followed the last matching footprint to 809 6th Avenue Northwest. Another individual shared their surveillance footage that showed a male running and walking east in the 700 block of Sixth Avenue Northwest wearing a tan sweatshirt, black pants and white shoes, the complaint said. Police identified the suspect in surveillance footage at 709 5th Street Northwest and 711 5th Street Northwest. The male was breathing heavily and coughing on the surveillance footage at 709 5th Street Northwest, the complaint said. The homeowner at 709 5th Street Northwest identified him as Gills. Another person in the home told police he heard Gills having a heated conversation at the residence. The person said he saw Gills change clothes when he arrived at the residence. An autopsy of the driver was completed on Feb. 16. There were seven entry wounds in the victim's body, with all entrance wounds on his back, the complaint said. The person who sat in the front passenger seat told police the driver knew Gills, but he did not. According to the complaint, they stopped the car to pick Gills up. The passenger heard several gunshots, turned and saw that the driver appeared to be dead. Gills then shot the passenger twice, the passenger said. The defendant was certified to adult court on June 25. An initial appearance is scheduled for July 7.
