Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- An undercover minor sex solicitation sting conducted in Rochester last year has resulted in a guilty plea.  Olmsted County Court records indicate the Owatonna man charged in the case entered the plea on Tuesday.  Rochester police described the sting as “a proactive undercover operation targeting online offenders attempting to solicit minors for sexual acts.” Police made the arrest in the sting last June.  36-year-old Michael Anthony Tuma was charged with one count engaging in electronic communication relating or describing sexual conduct with a child and a count of soliciting a child or person believed to be a child through electronic communication to engage in sexual conduct.  Police said Tuma had been messaging with an officer who was posing online as a juvenile female.  He made arrangements to meet with the fake girl at Foster-Arend Park in northwest Rochester Police took Tuma into custody after he arrived at the park.  Tuma pleaded guilty to the electorning communication describing sexual conduct with a minor charge in exchange for the dismissal of the soliciting charge His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for July Gallery Credit: T.J. Leverentz He made arrangements to meet with the fake girl.\nRead More Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- An undercover minor sex solicitation sting conducted in Rochester last year has resulted in a guilty plea.  Olmsted County Court records indicate the Owatonna man charged in the case entered the plea on Tuesday.  Rochester police described the sting as “a proactive undercover operation targeting online offenders attempting to solicit minors for sexual acts.” Police made the arrest in the sting last June.  Tuma pleaded guilty to the electorning communication describing sexual conduct with a minor charge in exchange for the dismissal of the soliciting charge Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application 2025 at the Benedictine Living Community in Owatonna the daughter of Anton and Bernice (Wilson) Spinler MN and raised on the family farm in Merton Joan attended Owatonna High School and graduated with the class of 1962 After high school Joan worked as a nursing assistant at the Owatonna Hospital During this time she met her future husband on a blind date at the Steele County Free Fair and they were united in marriage on January 16 1965 at Christ the King Catholic Church in Medford Joan stayed at home to take care of their children she started working for Rice County Public Health as a Home Health Aide until her retirement Joan loved to work outside and help on the family farm selling the eggs and caring for their cats games during the holidays and listening to polka music She was a member of the Catholic Daughters and the Christ the King CCW Keera); Jeff (Lisa) Hellevik and their children Hannah Higgins) and Carter; Melissa Hellevik-Ramos (Isidro) and their children Benjamin and Miranda; Jeremy (Simona) Hellevik and their son Dwight; and Wesley Hellevik; by three great grandchildren Delores Fisher and Larry Spinler; sister-in-law Darlene Liverseed and Phyllis Wencl and brother Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday at Christ the King Catholic Church in Medford Interment will be held at the Resurrection Cemetery in Medford Visitation will be held at the church on Tuesday from 9:00 a.m The Catholic Daughters will recite the Rosary at 10:00 a.m Special thanks to the staff at Benedictine Living Community Allina Heart Institute and Allina Hospice for the wonderful care that was given to our mother Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors An Owatonna man was sentenced to serve life in prison on Thursday in connection with the murder of a Minneapolis woman over 50 years ago Genetic testing led to the arrest of now 84-year-old Jon Miller this past November Miller pleaded “no contest” to one count of first-degree murder He must also pay $2,200 in restitution and over $480 to cover the cost of extraditing him to Wisconsin hitchhiking from Minneapolis to Chicago for an art show when she was fatally stabbed in February 1974 Miller admitted to stabbing Schlais and then leaving her body on a road in Dunn County Investigators say DNA left from a stocking cap that was left at the scene led to Miller’s arrest When confronted by investigators about his DNA being found in the hat Miller admitted to picking her up and told investigators she denied his sexual advances — and that’s when he killed her Photos and videos of Schlais were shown in court Thursday She was described as an artist with a “bright future” who graduated from the University of Minnesota with honors “Solving this crime has not been easy,” said a prosecutor for the case “Numerous investigators over the years have worked diligently on this case attempting to bring closure to the Schlais family.” The prosecutor added that the break in the case came when investigators were able to create a DNA profile from the stocking cap — which was a match for Miller The court was also shown a video of Miller initially denying knowing about Schlais’ murder during an interview with investigators adding that he didn’t know how his DNA got to be at the scene The prosecutor spoke about Miller’s lack of remorse the brutality of the crime and the fact that several of Schlais’ family members died without getting closure But it is the only thing this court can order,” she said Miller declined to speak at the sentencing “While no verdict can undo the pain of losing Mary we take comfort in knowing the man responsible for her murder has been held accountable,” she said “Mary Schlais was more than a victim She graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota and had ambitious plans to continue her studies teach and make a lasting impact through her art.” our family lived with unanswered questions but thanks to the tireless efforts of dedicated individuals we now have those answers,” she added “We are profoundly thankful to the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department[…]” She also expressed gratitude for the genealogy work that led to Miller’s arrest Click below to watch a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS story from Jan Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KSTP via our online form or call 651-646-5555 We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore cannot grant you access at this time e-mail us at ross.ulrich@apgsomn.com or call us at 507-333-3111 (ABC 6 News) — The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has substantiated an allegation of neglect of a vulnerable adult by a staff person at an Owatonna assisted living facility The DHS released its investigative report of Fourth Avenue Homes on Wednesday It was alleged that while giving a resident a bath on April 26 a staff person used water that was too hot and poured it over the resident’s head to rinse their hair the water resulted in burns on the resident’s face The DHS interviewed another staff member who ran the water for the bath before leaving who said that while they did not witness the incident they heard a “loud commotion” and walked into the bathroom to see the resident on the floor and their cheeks were “red.” The following day the resident was hospitalized with second degree burns on their forehead and they remained at a burn center for approximately three weeks The investigative report states that while there were discrepancies about the water heater’s setting at the time of the incident when the water temperature was set to “low” it measured as high as 131.8 degrees Fahrenheit Information showed that second degree burns at that temperature could result in 17 seconds It was determined that serious neglect occurred due to the incident resulting in serious injury that required the care of a physician Fourth Avenue Homes completed an internal review and determined that policies and procedures were adequate but were not followed A new “mixer” was installed to prevent the water temperature from exceeding 120 degrees and a new digital thermometer was provided to the facility The staff person is no longer employed at the facility Fourth Avenue Homes was not issued a correction order for the violation because it took immediate corrective action Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the FCC Public file should email news@kaaltv.com or call (507) 288-7555 (ABC 6 News) – Members of the Owatonna school board unanimously selected Dr Tamara Champa as the district’s new superintendent during a special meeting Thurs Champa has been the superintendent of Hastings Public Schools since 2023 and formerly served as the superintendent of Pine Island Public Schools for eleven years prior Five candidates made it to the semi-final round of interviews as of March 10 the current superintendent of Waseca Public Schools Champa’s career began first as an elementary school teacher before serving as a community education director according to her bio on the Hastings Public School page Negotiations will begin soon and a contract is expected to be approved during a special meeting on April 14 Champa at Owatonna schools will be July 1st (ABC 6 News) — The MSP crash report states that a boy under a year old was killed in a single-vehicle crash on I-35 in Owatonna The driver was 25-year-old Dominic Hostellar He and a 4-year-old girl were taken to MCHS Owatonna with non-life-threatening injuries (ABC 6 News) – At least one person is dead after a crash that happened Wednesday morning in Owatonna a crash report from Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) said a 25-year-old man from Owatonna was driving northbound on I-35 at Steele CR 9 in a 1999 Ford Ranger when the truck lost control I-35 had snow and ice on it at the time of the crash Two children were in the truck with the man MSP has only identified them as a 4-year-old girl and a boy under a year old it is not known how many of the truck’s occupants were killed Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service and Owatonna Fire Department all responded to this crash MSP will release more information Wednesday night at 9 p.m ABC 6 News will provide more details as they become available (KSTP) — An Owatonna man is in custody and has been charged with murder after genetic genealogy linked him to a 1974 murder of a Minneapolis woman who was found in Dunn County was arrested on Thursday for the murder of Mary Schlais who was found dead in Spring Brook Township on Feb an investigation revealed that Schlais was hitchhiking from Minneapolis to Chicago for an art show Dunn County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement says they received numerous tips and leads during the decades since Schlais’ body was discovered officials retested evidence found at the scene multiple times In collaboration with the Ramapo College in Mahwah genetic genealogy testing revealed a suspect “This is a huge victory for our agency,” said Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd “I was sitting in a deer stand when I got a text from Investigator [Dan] Westlund yesterday; I had a difficult time getting down Charging documents from Dunn County Circuit Court stated the DNA came from an orange and black stocking cap found near Schlais’ body in 1974 That DNA was traced to a number of partial relatives to its source which investigators say eventually led them to Miller which ultimately lead us to an arrest,” Westlund said The document states Miller initially denied having any knowledge of the homicide when he was presented with the DNA evidence he reportedly admitted to picking Schlais up Miller told investigators he had requested sexual contact from Schlais Miller said he then grabbed a knife he kept in the passenger seat visor as Schlais leaned forward and stabbed her until she was dead He then reportedly attempted to hide her body in a snowbank but got scared when he saw another vehicle drive past him and left the area The complaint said Miller admitted the hat was his and said he must have lost it during the homicide Miller is currently in custody and awaiting extradition to Wisconsin He is being charged with first-degree murder “It’s been such a doggone long time since this happened,” said Mary’s brother who added he was grateful to Dunn County for never forgetting his sister “They’ve kept faith over virtually generations of law enforcement people.” Don added that Mary loved art and horses and that she graduated from the University of Minnesota He says she was in a master’s program for fine arts at the time that I’d be dead and gone before there was an answer; the whole thing is a sudden surprise,” Don said “To finally put a bow on this one and have someone in custody for it is unbelievably satisfying,” added Sheriff Bygd (ABC 6 News) – The Owatonna Police Department is still searching for the suspect of a shooting that happened over the weekend According to a press release from the City of Owatonna OPD responded to a call about a fight and gunfire outside of a residence in the city they say the shooting suspect had fled the scene and police arrested two individuals; one for a domestic assault charge and one for an outstanding warrant in Hennepin County Police say an investigation is ongoing into the incident and at this point there has been no word on any injuries or if the shooting suspect has been arrest OPD says there is no reason to believe there’s any immediate threat to the community passed away on February 12th at Good Samaritan Society after a courageous battle with cancer New York to Hyman and Betty (Feldlaufer) Ventura He graduated from William Howard Taft High School in 1962 and went on to further his education at New York University He earned his Associated Arts degree in Computer Science in 1971 Fred continued his career as an IT Technical Support Specialist.  Army where he was trained as a Network Communications Specialist with the 54th Signal Battalion After training Fred served honorably in the Republic of Vietnam Fred continued his service for another four years in the U.S He was a dedicated member of The Human Rights Commission and the West Hills Commission for the City of Owatonna for twelve years Fred further served on The Salvation Army as it's chairperson for five years as well as many other organizations He earned several awards from his community and The City of Owatonna and was active with “Grandparent’s for Education” Mira and Erza Scarlett Avery of Albert Lea at 11:00 AM at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Owatonna Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church Interment will be held at Woodville Cemetery in Waseca Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Good Shepherd Pre-School in Fred’s name The family would like to extend special thanks to Fred's hospice team and the caregivers at Good Samaritan Society the VA at Minneapolis and the VA Service Office in Owatonna https://goodshepherdowatonna.churchcenter.com/giving A suspect who police believe is the driver in a fatal hit-and-run near Owatonna has been arrested and is now facing criminal charges According to the Owatonna Police Department a hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian was reported at the 3700 block of County Road 45 North on Wednesday identified as 31-year-old Dean Padilla-Ades The vehicle believed to have been involved in the crash was later found by police that same day 42-year-old Derek Paul Denelsbeck of Owatonna Denelsbeck is charged with one count of criminal vehicular homicide and remains in custody at the Steele County Jail Denelsbeck told investigators he thought he hit a deer with his Chevrolet Silverado He also expressed his disbelief that someone was out walking around 5 a.m “This was five in the morning,” Denelsbeck said during a call with an Owatonna Police Department detective “Who the f— walks on the side of the road at five in the f—ing morning on the frontage road?” a judge set Denelsbeck’s bail at $10,000 (ABC 6 News) – An Owatonna Public Schools custodian allegedly told law enforcement that previous methamphetamine and cocaine use contributed to getting “hooked on” child pornography was charged with 5 counts of possession of child pornography Thursday all of the charges involved children under age 14 Owatonna public schools alerted families that Alvarez had been arrested and placed on leave Oct According to Alvarez’s charging documents with an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) tip that pointed to a Steele County resident the tip involved a Kik account associated with Jeremy Martin Alvarez on 27th Street NE The Kik account had multiple explicit videos in the account’s “saved messages,” which involve clearly prepubescent girls in sexual situations with and without adults Steele County deputies met with Alvarez Oct the defendant “discussed porn that was illegal as ‘if they look like a child,'” then said his phone would be the best place to look for child pornography “Alvarez then told Investigators that he had gotten into meth and coke and that he got hooked on child pornography during that time,” court documents read “Alvarez said he doesn’t search it out but it’s there.” He denied meeting with any juvenile in person Alvarez was released on $0 bail with conditions Oct —–PREVIOUS STORY—– Owatonna Public Schools custodian Jeremy Alvarez was arrested The arrest came as a result of possession of child pornography according to a letter sent out to OPS families The criminal activities did not involve any OPS students and was isolated to online behavior Alvarez was placed on leave and will not be allowed on school property moving forward Owatonna, MN (KROC-AM News)- Owatonna police have identified the victim and suspect who were involved in a fatal hit-and-run on Wednesday morning.  Authorities closed the road during the initial investigation.  An updated news release says the deadly incident happened on Wednesday in the 3700 block of Steele County Rd which is near the Camping World RV dealership in Owatonna.  Authorities have identified the victim of the fatality as Taylor Deen Padilla-Ades of Lonsdale Police found the suspect vehicle later in the day on Wednesday at an undisclosed location in Owatonna.  who is identified in the news release as 42-year-old Derek Paul Denelesbeck.  The Owatonna man is being held at the Steele County Jail in Owatonna on suspicion of first-degree criminal vehicular homicide-leaving the scene of a fatal crash Officials say Denelesbeck is scheduled to make his first appearance in Steele County Court on Friday Police also said the investigation into the deadly incident remains ongoing.  Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact the Owatonna Police Department at 507-444-3800 The victim was a pedestrian.\nRead More Owatonna, MN (KROC-AM News)- Owatonna police have identified the victim and suspect who were involved in a fatal hit-and-run on Wednesday morning.  An updated news release says the deadly incident happened on Wednesday in the 3700 block of Steele County Rd The Owatonna man is being held at the Steele County Jail in Owatonna on suspicion of first-degree criminal vehicular homicide-leaving the scene of a fatal crash Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact the Owatonna Police Department at 507-444-3800.