Sheriff deputies said a Perham resident, on March 6, reported that several credit cards were opened by a thief in the name of the county resident.
In cases such as this, law enforcement informs victims to contact the individual credit card fraud department to have the account closed.
"You need to take action to be sure you are not held liable," said a state law enforcement official.
He added that in many instances, such as the case in Perham, there may be more than one fraudulently opened accounts that a person doesn't know about. The advice for victims is to check credit reports on all three of the major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Facebook threat made to rural NY mills man
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A man from rural New York Mills said he sent a compromising photo of himself to a female in another location outside of Otter Tail County. The woman later threatened him and said that if $6,000 was not received she would post the photo on Facebook.
He informed the county sheriff department about the threat on March 6.
Blackmail is a crime, and there are no loopholes that an Internet blackmailer can use to avoid being prosecuted if he or she is found.
Law enforcement officials emphasize not to send compromising photos in the first place, in order to avoid possible problems down the road.
Motorcycles, Evenrude motor stolen northwest of Henning
Sheriff deputies reported the theft of two motorcycles and a 25-horse Evenrude motor from an unlocked barn northwest of Henning, near Gourd Lake.
The incident was reported on March 8.
The theft likely took place late in the evening of March 6 or in the early morning hours of March 7.
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There were no immediate suspects, according to sheriff deputies.
Driver injured near Vergas
A 69-year-old man from Sebeka was injured in a one-vehicle rollover northeast of Vergas, along Highway 10, at 12:23 p.m. on March 8.
The State Patrol informed county deputies that the victim, with minor injuries, was Dennis Royal Cranston.
His Ford F150 drifted over the edge of the median and, according to sheriff deputies, the driver over corrected. There was a subsequent rollover.
Cranston was wearing his seatbelt. He was taken to the hospital in Perham.
Assault threats in Battle Lake
Sheriff deputies arrested a man in Battle Lake at 1:22 a.m. on March 9 after he made threats to commit domestic assault.
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Deputies said there had been alcohol and drug usage at the residence.
Charges were expected to be forthcoming in county court, Fergus Falls.
Transfers of people costly for county
Transporting people charged with crimes from various facilities to the courthouse in Fergus Falls and back to a particular facility can be very costly for taxpayers of Otter Tail County.
As an example, on March 8, sheriff deputies traveled to Fargo to pick up a person at Prairie St. John's, a psychiatric and drug addiction facility.
The person appeared in county court, Fergus Falls, at 9 a.m. and then had an appointment at 11 a.m. at Lakeland Mental Health Center, Fergus Falls.
The person was returned to Fargo and sheriff deputies made the return trip to Fergus Falls. A one-way trip to Fargo is close to 60 miles. Traveling four times along that route for this particular individual totaled close to 240 miles.
The news media, on March 9, asked the sheriff department if use of ITV would be an option for court appearances. Some attorneys tell judges they want to be in the presence of their clients.
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In some cases, there is minimal mileage reimbursement from the state of Minnesota. However, for the most part, costs of the transports are borne by taxpayers of Otter Tail County.