Star Tribune
20-year term for man who chose St. Paul home at random, raped woman
A repeat felon has received a 20-year term for breaking into a St. Paul woman’s home that he targeted for burglary in the middle of the night and raping her at gunpoint.
Deonte Marquon Thomas, 34, of Maplewood, was sentenced Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct and first-degree burglary in connection with the break-in and sexual assault on April 15 shortly after 4 a.m. in the 300 block of S. Snelling Avenue.
With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Thomas is expected to serve roughly 13¼ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
Thomas’ criminal history in Minnesota also includes convictions for theft, receiving stolen property, domestic abuse and illegal weapons possession.
According to the charges:
Officers arrived at the home in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood, and the woman said her attacker had run off about 10 minutes earlier.
The woman said she was sleeping, then heard pounding on one side of her residence and saw a man break the door and enter. She said Thomas took cash from her purse before he raped her at gunpoint and choked her. At one point, she bit Thomas on the arm “as hard as she could” during a brief struggle for the gun, the complaint read.
Exterior surveillance video showed a pickup truck in the alley near the woman’s house around the time of the break-in with the license plate visible. A police check showed the pickup was registered to Thomas. A still image from a second security video of a man walking on the woman’s property was shown to her by police, and she identified him as her attacker.
Star Tribune
Trump’s campaign says candidate is safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity in Florida
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s campaign says he is safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity Sunday afternoon in Florida.
The campaign did not immediately provide any additional details.
The news comes roughly two months after the Republican presidential nominee was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
A man died after being found unresponsive in a Faribault manhole Friday.
The Faribault Fire Department and law enforcement responded to a call of a person unresponsive in a manhole on the 1900 block of Second Avenue Northwest in Faribault around 7:30 a.m. Friday, a Faribault Fire Department news release said.
Firefighters entered the manhole and gave the man oxygen before removing the man and taking him to a waiting North Ambulance helicopter, the release said. The manhole had high levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide, as well as low oxygen levels, tests found.
“This is a tragic event and our hearts go out to the family and friends of the individual,” Fire Chief Dustin Dienst said in a statement.
The Faribault Fire Department and Faribault Police conducted an investigation and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified.
Her white house sits on a busy street not far from Lake Superior. She has limited mobility and enjoys the frequent passers-by, some of whom comment on the sea of blooms she’s packed into her tiny yard.
Flowers show up inside, too, with forget-me-nots on hallway wallpaper and roses on curtains. Last week, jewelry, décor and other odds and ends were stacked around the home as she prepared for a “fire sale” to clear some belongings ahead of her looming surgery. In the next month, she expects to undergo an unusual procedure at the University of Minnesota. Volz said her diaphragm has effectively “disintegrated” and her stomach is pressed against her heart and lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
It’s the latest in a lifetime of bad luck, said Volz, who has struggled with depression and spine, hand and ankle injuries. She receives a Community Access for Disability Inclusion waiver, one of many federally funded waiver programs the state uses to support people with disabilities, older adults, those with brain injuries and the chronically ill and medically fragile.
Direct support professional Blaire Alyssa Frost, left, helps Victoria Volz inside her home in Duluth on Tuesday. (Leila Navidi)
Her waiver covers a range of services, including occasional nurse visits and 30 hours a week of help from a support professional, which can include everything from shopping for groceries to going up and down stairs with laundry. A document Volz received from St. Louis County breaking down her waiver costs includes $53,000 for a year of services from the personal care assistant company.
She likely owes roughly $600,000 for the years of services she’s received since turning 55, Volz’s attorney Malcolm Davy estimated.
Trump “safe” after gunshots fired in his vicinity in Florida, campaign says; Secret Service investigating
Trump’s campaign says candidate is safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity in Florida
Donald Trump says “I hate Taylor Swift!”
Trump “safe” after gunshots fired in his vicinity in Florida, campaign says; Secret Service investigating
Trump’s campaign says candidate is safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity in Florida