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Elk River, Otsego, Zimmerman
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Elk River Police report: Mattress hits vehicle; truck starts on fire; interpreter helps police communicate; and man found on restroom floor, used needle nearby
by Joni Astrup
A vehicle was hit by a mattress that flew out of the bed of an oncoming truck in Elk River, resulting in heavy damage to the vehicle's windshield.
Broken glass from the windshield also caused minor cuts to the knees of the front passenger.
The driver of the truck carrying the mattress, a 20-year-old Big Lake man, was cited for leaky loads and expired registration, Elk River Police Capt. Joe Gacke said.
The man had been driving north in the 22300 block of Elk Lake Road shortly after 1 p.m. Nov. 25 when the mishap occurred. The vehicle hit by the mattress was southbound on Elk Lake Road.
The mattress had been secured with one tie-down strap, according to the police report.
Truck starts on fire as man drives it
Fire damaged a truck in the 13300 block of Ranch Road in Elk River.
A 52-year-old man had been driving the truck in that area at 12:25 p.m. Nov. 28 when he smelled gas just before flames came from underneath the firewall. He pulled over and stopped. The flames grew in the engine compartment and spread into the interior of the truck. The Elk River Police Department provided traffic control while the Elk River Fire Department extinguished the flames.
The fire was determined to be electrical, according to the police report.
A police officer gave the driver and his friend a ride to a home in Big Lake Township.
Interpreter helps police communicate
Police used an interpretive service called LanguageLine Solutions to communicate with a man who was pulled over Nov. 26 in Elk River.
The 28-year-old Shakopee man told police that he did not speak English well, prompting the officer to use an interpreter to communicate. The driver told police that he has lived in Minnesota for five years but has not yet obtained a Minnesota driver's license due to an issue with Social Security. He was cited for no Minnesota driver's license.
Gacke said they use LanguageLine Solutions regularly to assist when encountering situations with language barriers. He said LanguageLine Solutions is commonly used by law enforcement.
It was founded by a police officer in 1982 and provides services to a wide variety of entities through a team of 14,000 professional, on-demand interpreters, according to the company's website. It offers interpretation in more than 240 languages, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Failure to move over violates Foss Law
Elk River Police cited a 69-year-old Longville driver for violation of the Ted Foss Move Over Law.
The law requires drivers to move one full lane away from stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights activated — ambulance, fire, law enforcement, and maintenance and construction vehicles, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
The Ted Foss Move Over Law was named in honor of the Minnesota State Patrol trooper who was killed while on the shoulder of I-90 in Winona in 2000.
The violation in Elk River occurred shortly after 9:30 p.m. Nov. 27 at Highway 169 and Elk Hills Drive. A police officer on a traffic stop was approaching his squad with the driver's ID when the passing motorist failed to move over.
Man found on floor of restroom stall, used needle nearby
Police were dispatched to Walmart in Elk River for a medical at 4:23 p.m. Nov. 27.
Officers found a male on the floor of a stall in the men's restroom. He admitted injecting heroin and officers found a used needle on the floor. The male was assessed by medics and transported to Maple Grove Hospital.
Gacke said the matter is under investigation.
Theft by swindle committed at store
Police were called to Walgreens in Elk River at 2:53 p.m. Nov. 24, after two people fraudulently obtained $3,247 on Nov. 6 and $2,122 on Nov. 24.
Gacke said a manager reported that the two individuals committed a theft by swindle, one transaction at a time, by convincing a cashier that they were due cash back from their credit card purchases. No actual purchases were made with a valid credit card, however, and the store was left as the victim of a theft of cash and merchandise, he said.
Minneapolis man cited for assault
A 42-year-old Minneapolis man was cited for assault in the fifth degree after police were called to the 800 block of Vernon Avenue in Elk River for a disturbance. The call came in at 9:49 a.m. Nov. 28.
Utility trailer stolen from business
A 2012 PJTM utility trailer, dual axle "flatbed" style, was reported stolen from Winlectric, located at 12777 Meadowvale Road in Elk River. The theft was reported Nov. 30.
Stolen trailer gone when police arrive
A parking complaint led police to a stolen trailer.
An officer had contacted the owner of the trailer after getting a complaint about it being parked on the street in the 11700 block of 194th Avenue in Elk River for about a week. The owner told the officer that the trailer had been stolen from the driveway of his home in Zimmerman on Nov. 20. But when police checked the area in Elk River where the trailer had been seen, it was gone.
Two teens cited after fight at school
Two 15-year-old Elk River boys were cited for disorderly conduct after they got into a physical fight in Elk River High School's commons area before school on Nov. 30. The incident was reported to police by school administration.
Search turns up controlled substance
Police arrested a 22-year-old Big Lake man after responding to a report of a vehicle driving back and forth in front of Walmart in Elk River, revving its engine, at 4:43 a.m. Nov. 28. Police located the vehicle in the lot and saw drug paraphernalia in plain view. A vehicle search resulted in driver being arrested for possession of controlled substance, according to the police report.
Suspicious person report leads to arrest
A 27-year-old Eagan man was arrested on a possession of controlled substance in the fifth degree charge and for a warrant out of Washington County on Nov. 28. Police had been dispatched at 3:59 a.m. to a report of a suspicious person walking around Fantom Wire Inc., located at 15777 Jarvis St., Elk River.
Sunglasses worth $300 each stolen
Two pairs of Maui Jim sunglasses valued at approximately $300 each were reported stolen from Pearle Vision in Elk River.
The theft occurred on Nov. 29.
Woman pulls in front of police squad
A 32-year-old Elk River woman who came to the attention of police after she pulled in front of a police squad, prompting the detective behind the wheel to slow down to avoid a collision, faces a drug charge.
"(The) vehicle was stopped and (the) driver was arrested for fifth-degree controlled substance as a result of a vehicle search from drug paraphernalia in plain view," according to the police report.
The incident happened shortly before 2:30 a.m. Nov. 27 at Main Street and Railroad Drive in Elk River.
Reindeer lawn ornament stolen
The theft of a reindeer Christmas lawn ornament has been reported to police.
The reindeer was taken during the night of Nov. 27 from the 10300 block of 180th Avenue in Elk River.
Motorist drives off with gas nozzle
A motorist drove off with the gas nozzle still in the vehicle at 11:36 a.m. Nov. 28.
The incident happened at Ralphie's Victory Lane, 13374 Highway 10, Elk River.
DWI arrests made
Elk River Police have made the following DWI arrests recently.
• A 27-year-old Buffalo woman was arrested for DWI after police stopped her vehicle for crossing the center and fog lines, and for a suspended object. The stop had been made at 2:19 a.m. Nov. 25 in the 13800 block of Highway 10 in Elk River.
• A 52-year-old Rice man was arrested for DWI after police stopped his vehicle for stop sign violations. The stop was made at 11:39 p.m. Nov. 27 at Main Street and Parrish Avenue in Elk River.
• A 38-year-old Elk River woman was arrested for DWI after police pulled her over for stopping her vehicle in a crosswalk at Highway 10 and Proctor Avenue in Elk River. The stop was made at 8:38 p.m. Nov. 26.
• A 35-year-old Elk River man was arrested for DWI after police stopped his vehicle for crossing center and fog lines at Highway 10 and Simonet Drive in Elk River, just after midnight Nov. 27.
• A 43-year-old Big Lake man was arrested for DWI after a traffic stop near Highway 10 and Gary Street in Elk River. The stop was made at 11 p.m. Nov. 26.
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