A look at the Law Enforcement Log

 Each week the Cook County Sheriff’s Office provides a brief report of calls made to the Cook County Law Enforcement Center in the past week. This week’s report provides details logged by law enforcement dispatchers from February 13 to February 19.

On Feb. 15, a female snowmobiler was injured when she was thrown off her machine, suffering a possible broken collar bone.

Members of Cook County Search and Rescue and sheriff deputies participated in the rescue effort on the Meridian Road snowmobile trail in Grand Marais. Morgan Eberhardy of Menomonie, Wisconsin was transported off the trail by emergency services and then transported to North Shore Health by ambulance.

Another snowmobiler walked into the Cook County Law Enforcement Center on Feb. 15 to report an accident the day before. Michael Hatecke of Culver, Minnesota reported that his hand was injured when another driver crashed into him.

There was a personal injury accident on Feb. 16 on Pine Mountain Road in Grand Marais. Deputies responded to a report of a vehicle in the ditch at 5:36 a.m. and the driver was arrested for driving under the influence.

There were several calls on crashes. A vehicle slid on the ice on Hungry Jack Road and collided with a Como Oil delivery truck on Feb. 14. There was damage to the vehicle, but no injuries reported.

Another accident with damage to motor vehicles occurred on private property off of Devil Track Road on Feb. 15. No emergency response was needed.

A man from Winona, Minnesota had damage to his vehicle when he backed into gas pumps at Clearview General Store in Lutsen. The vehicle had a broken tail light and there was damage to the interior of the gas pump. 

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office also had some damage to a squad car on Feb. 13 when another patrol vehicle backed into it, causing minimal damage to the bumper. A second incident occurred when a Cook County Sheriff’s Office squad car backed into a private vehicle on Clearwater Road on Feb. 17.

Just before 10 a.m. on Feb. 18, law enforcement dispatchers received a call reporting erratic driving on Highway 61.

There was a report of a domestic disturbance in Tofte just before midnight on Feb. 18. The sheriff’s office learned that the incident had happened previously and the victim was now in the Twin Cities. However, the suspect was arrested and transported to the Cook County jail.
There were two calls regarding juveniles, one regarding an issue with social media.

A damage to property call came in because of illegal garbage dumping on West Highway 61. A receipt was found and the matter is under investigation. 

There were two calls reporting “suspicious activity” on South Broadway in Grand Marais. The activity was people skating on the east bay and walking on the harbor ice by the lighthouse.

Deputies responded to two “check hazard calls,” one near Beacon Hill Road in Schroeder where deputies picked up beer cans on the highway. The other call was from a motorist worried that a semi truck would not be able to make it up the hill on 5th Avenue West in Grand Marais.

Deputies were asked to assist the public in a number of ways, such as traffic control for a tow company; checking and replacing batteries for an individual using the Project Lifesaver system; and aiding a party removing belongings from a home. Deputies also responded to a report of a vehicle rolling down the street on 1st Avenue West.

There were a few calls related to animals. On Feb. 13 there was a call regarding a pet dispute between neighbors. There was also a call of a loose dog on Feb. 15 and deputies were called to release a dog from the pound later that day. There was a call of a dead deer in the road on East Highway 61 on Feb. 17.

There were three calls reporting car and deer crashes, on West Highway 61 and on Resort Road in Lutsen on Feb. 14 and near Bents Road in Grand Marais on Feb. 17.

Several “parking problem” calls were received. An inoperable vehicle was in the roadway at Mile Creek Road on Feb. 14. Another vehicle was stalled in the road on the Gunflint Trail on Feb. 18. And a caller reported concern about vehicles parked on the shoulder of Highway 61 at Devil Track River on Dec. 18.

There was a report of lost keys in the Gunflint Trail area.

A caller from the West End of the county reported an incident of fraud. The caller said they had ordered a phone and received a magazine instead.

Deputies and the Tofte Fire Department was paged to an automated fire alarm at Aspenwood in Tofte on Feb. 17. It turned out to be a false alarm.

On Feb. 18, a caller reported an open door at a building in Grand Marais. It was determined that the door was left open by a delivery driver who was still bringing packages in.

There were several reports from deputies on snowmobile patrol. Cook County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Valerie Marasco said the county conducts these patrols in cooperation with the State of Minnesota, which provides some funds for these activities.

Marasco said the patrols are random, unless the sheriff’s office is requested due to a certain activity or problem spot on any of the trails.
Sheriff deputies also participated in the joint U.S. - Canada border monitoring program, Operation Stone Garden on Feb. 14, Feb. 16, Feb. 17 and Feb. 19.

Through the month there were six medical calls and eight crank or misdialed 9-1-1 calls.

There were 20 traffic stops in which drivers received a reprimand and four drivers were ticketed.

If you need help from Cook County Law Enforcement, dial 9-1-1. For non-emergency calls, contact the Cook County Sheriff’s Office at 218-387-3030.