Duluth police said two men robbed another at knifepoint in an apartment

June 24, 2008

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=69116§ion=News

Earlier in the day, Duluth police said two men robbed another at knifepoint in an apartment at [address redacted].

According to police, officers responded to a report of a home-invasion robbery at 6:38 p.m. The male victim had been sleeping and was awakened by two black males, one of whom was armed with a small knife, who had entered the apartment through an unlocked door.

The suspects threatened the victim with the knife and demanded money. The suspects fled with the victim’s cellular phone and an undisclosed amount of cash, in a car parked in the area. The suspects were unknown to the victim, but referred to the victim by name during the robbery. Police believe the robbery was not random.

The victim was not injured.

Folloup to Truman Intruder that Got Shot in the Leg

June 11, 2008

http://www.keyc.tv/article/view/143356/

Here are some more details about what happened:

Authorities say Marcella Sauck woke up a short time before midnight to find an intruder, identified as 30 year-old Douglas Bennett lying on her living room floor. When she went to call for help... the intruder allegedly attacked her...Her husband heard the commotion, he came out to assist his wife, the intruder turned on him and Mrs. Sauck was able to escape and run next door to her sons home.The Sauck's son Mark ran to their home armed with a handgun... when he arrived he found the intruder beating his father.Police say Bennett then turned his attention to Mark...Mark struck the intruder on the head with the gun and that still didn't stop him. He continued to advance. Mr. Sauck fired one round form the handgun, the intruder continued to advance, he fired one more round striking the intruder in the leg.

Here's everyones health status. Not cool that she's in critical condition and the intruder is just in fair condition.

Marcella Sauck is listed in critical condition at St. Mary's Hospital ... she suffered broken bones in an arm and leg, as well as eye and internal injuries. Elmer Sauck suffered non-life threatening injuries. As for the Intruder Douglas Bennett... he was airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester... he's listed in Fair Condition... and is under guard.

And then the always fun to hear part where the law enforcement voices its opinions on the relative safety of the area.

Authorities don't believe Bennett had any connection to the Saucks... and do believe it was a random act... something they say they don't see often. It just doesn't happen down here, it's a very safe and quiet part of the country.

Can you say "Denial!" What authorities meant to say is, "It didn't used to happen down here. It used to be a very safe and quiet part of the country."

Invader in Truman Shot in Leg During Assault

June 11, 2008

http://www.twincities.com/minnesota/ci_9549973

It's not yet clear what happened here, but the home owners apparently struggled with the invader:

Police responded to a call shortly after midnight from a rural home near the town of Truman, which is southwest of Mankato. Marcella Sauck called to report that a man in his 30s was in her home and assaulting her husband, Elmer.

Marcella Sauck suffered a broken arm during the incident, and Elmer Sauck was hospitalized with unknown injuries. The suspect suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and was airlifted to Rochester with a police escort.

I wonder if the suspect was shot with his own gun in the struggle or by one of the home owners. I expect we'll see a follow up on this shortly with more details.

Confession: Congdon Park family robbed for college money

June 09, 2008

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=68179§ion=News
Update: Confession

A Two Harbors man confessed Monday that he took part in the Congdon Park home invasion in which a mother and her 9-year-old son were terrorized by being bound at gunpoint as he and an accomplice searched the home for money.

Burnsville Man's Home Invasion/Stabbing/Fire Story

June 5, 2008

http://www.startribune.com/local/south/19562209.html

This story contains a lot of details about what happened to Mr. Traub on May 11th. There's a lot of sobering stuff in it.

Summary:

Two men broke into Traub's Burnsville home on May 11, stabbing him -- 17 times in the back, twice in the head and once in the cheek-- and setting seven fires in his home before fleeing in his car. He was hospitalized for a day and a half and is living in an apartment for several months until his home, which was heavily damaged by smoke, is habitable again.

Then read about what happened before the fires:

"I didn't even see the other guy come around this guy and hit me," Traub said. "As I got hit a couple of times in the head and face, I was falling on the floor, bleeding quite a lot, and couldn't figure out why I was bleeding, because I thought I just got punched."

The armed invader slashed Traub once in the face and twice in the head; the tip of the knife broke and lodged into his skull, behind his right ear. It is still there; doctors determined that it would cause more harm than good to dig it out.

"So he tells me; 'You gotta pick A or B. And you pick the right answer, you live, and you pick the wrong answer, you die,'" Traub remembered. "I was laying there, I thought I was conscious through all of it, but looking back on it, I probably wasn't."

The perpetrators took mouthwash from Traub's bathroom and poured it on his face to see if he was still alive. When Traub opened his eyes to see what they were splashing on him, he heard one of the suspects tell the other "you gotta be a man, you gotta kill him."

After a slight hesitation, the intruder stabbed Traub in the back 17 times with the blunt knife; the point was still imbedded in his head. "We're thinking the knife didn't go in as deep as it could have because the tip was missing," he said.

And after he came to, he ended up running through a fire to flee his house and go to a neighbor to get help.

The upside, if you could call it that is that a lot of people are being more careful now; their complacency has been reset...for a while:

Traub said that his neighbors are more conscious now of locking garages and locking doors.

"They've got a more heightened awareness of people walking in the neighborhood," he said. "In a sense, it's a good thing ... [but] it's a shame that we have to resort to things like that."

Hibbing Police Make Home Invasion Arrest

Jun 5, 2008
Update to this story.
http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/range11/19578129.html

The Hibbing police department has made an arrest in connection with a home invasion and sexual assault there on Tuesday.

Michelle, Police arrested a 20-year old Hibbing man early this morning... after an extensive investigation.

Good. I hope this helps the victim sleep at night.

Police investigate Hibbing sex assault

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=67823

Hibbing Police are looking for suspects in a home invasion and sexual assault that happened early this morning.

A press release from the Hibbing Police Department said the incident occurred in the Graysher area of Hibbing at 3:16 a.m.

Further details weren’t available tonight.

The police are being incredibly tight-lipped about this, according to both of the articles I've read. Hopefully, it's to protect the victim's privacy.