EDINA, Minn. — With the election only a few weeks away, ballot security is top of mind for officials. An alert photographer shared an image of a lapse in security in a metro suburb on Friday, leading to swift action from Hennepin County. 

In a post to social media, the City of Edina shared an image of a silver van with an open trunk hatch and boxes of ballots stacked inside. 

Hennepin County issued a statement following the incident, acknowledging the lapse in protocol and calling it “unacceptable.” The county said the driver was terminated. 

“Election security is of utmost importance, and leaving ballots unattended is simply unacceptable,” Hennepin County Auditor Daniel Rogan said in a statement.” Hennepin County is reinforcing its transfer protocols with county staff and vendors. An incident like this underscores the value of strong chain-of-custody processes so that risk can be addressed and integrity can be verified.” 

County officials said all expected ballots have been accounted for and found no evidence of tampering. Part of the routine ballot integrity process occurring with every ballot transfer includes comparing ballots received with the Statewide Voter Registration System for absentee ballots accepted by cities. Officials said the comparison on these ballots was 100%. 

County staff inspected individually sealed ballots and determined they were still in sealed condition. This inspection is also part of the routine election integrity process, officials said. 

Officials did not know on Sunday morning if the courier’s other deliveries were affected. 

To track the status of your absentee ballot online, visit mnvotes.gov. 

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ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul police said a woman was found dead in an apartment in the city’s North End Saturday in a shooting that could be related to another crime committed that night. 

Officials said emergency dispatchers got a call just after 9 p.m. reporting shots fired in an apartment building in the 100 block of East Sycamore Street. The caller said someone had been shot. 

Police said they found a female victim with gunshot wounds when they arrived. St. Paul officers gave the woman first aid until St. Paul fire medics pronounced the woman dead at the scene. 

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office will autopsy the woman and provide more information about her identity in the coming days. 

While officers were investigating the apartment, a person waved down a responding sergeant nearby, in the 90 block of East Acker Street. They reported a carjacking where a male victim was shot in the hip area and a suspect fled in the victim’s vehicle. 

The victim was taken to Regions Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. 

Preliminary information shows the carjacking and the woman fatally are connected, but officials said more investigation is needed to confirm the connection. 

“Right now I think we all believe, based on time, based on distance, that these cases could be related. But our investigators can’t work off of circumstance, they need facts. And it’s going to take time to determine those facts,” Ernster said at an overnight media availability.

No arrests have been announced as of Sunday morning. 

Police ask anyone with information to call officials at (651) 266-5650. 

LAKEVILLE, Minn. — The ATM at Lakeview Bank in Lakeville is currently out of service after police say it was ‘jackpotted’ on Oct 6. 

‘Jackpotting’ is a scheme where someone is able to hack the ATM through various techniques, and then dispense cash until the ATM is empty. In this case, police say the suspects stole $14,400.

According to Dakota County court documents, two Florida men, Robert R. Rosales Rivero and Geniver Antonio Pinuela Testa were charged last week in connection with the theft. They face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Five days after the incident, Minnesota State Patrol was able to locate and arrest the men at a Shakopee hotel. According to court documents, when officers arrested them, they found a small handheld device that had a screen and pushbutton features, matching the one caught on surveillance video during the incident. Officers also found clothing that allegedly matched what the suspects were wearing during the incident, and seven thousand dollars in cash in their hotel room.

According to court documents, surveillance video showed three male suspects at the ATM at various points during the day on Oct 6. All three rode up to the ATM on electric scooters. Police found an electric scooter in the suspects vehicle when they arrested them.  

In an alert sent out this summer, the Secret Service said they have seen an increase in these jackpotting attempts in several states this year. The suspects next court appearance is Oct 30.