Star Tribune
Duluth man pleads guilty to criminal sexual conduct with girls
DULUTH – With freshly selected jurors waiting nearby for the start of an expected days-long trial, a Duluth man facing criminal sexual conduct charges took a last-minute plea deal instead of facing the women he abused when they were children.
Clint Franklin Massie, 49, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning at the St. Louis County Courthouse to the four counts from incidents dating back to 2008-09 when two of his victims were young girls. The deal dismissed one of the counts against him. His sentencing is scheduled for March 20, and he could end up with more than nine years in prison. Massie, who was initially charged in February 2023 and has been out on $300,000 bail, was released until his sentencing.
In each case, the victim was known to Massie — whether they were related or through their shared membership at Old Apostolic Lutheran Church. He was friends with their parents and regarded as a fun, child-free uncle, according to reports from the investigation.
Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Michael Ryan told the court that the victims were satisfied with the deal.
“They have been involved in talking this through,” he said to Judge Dale Harris.
After Massie pleaded guilty, would-be witnesses and their supporters filed into the courtroom filling rows. Massie, dressed in a dark suit coat and khaki pants, turned to look. Ryan questioned him on the victims’ accusations — four specific scenarios where he had touched girls: during a sleepover at his house, when alone on a tractor, or beneath a blanket while others were in the room.
Massie said in court there were a lot of big gatherings and shared meals within this the group. It wasn’t unusual for one of the many children to sit on his lap.
At times Massie paused and said he couldn’t remember exact details or motives. At other times he deferred to what he told investigating officers last year. In each instance he ultimately agreed with the scenario presented by the prosecution.
Star Tribune
Metro Transit hails ‘exciting change’ in new service
The extra and expanded service comes as Metro Transit has, at least for now, turned the corner on its struggle to find enough bus operators. After “struggling mightily” for the past three years, the agency now has nearly 1,300 drivers, a number Metro Transit has not seen since before the pandemic, said Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Brian Funk.
Funk attributed the uptick in hiring to better wages, up from $21 per hour a few years ago to almost $30 an hour now. New drivers also are getting two weeks of additional training time to get them ready to hit the streets, Funk said.
The agency has 60 drivers in training now, but the need is still there. In March, the agency will open the Gold Line, a rapid bus line running from Woodbury to Union Depot in downtown St. Paul, and will need 30 operators to deliver that service. The agency also plans to open the B Line running from Uptown to downtown St. Paul on Lake Street and Selby Avenue next summer. And the E-Line, a rapid bus route from Southdale in Edina to the University of Minnesota is supposed to open about a year from now.
“We will continue to hire,” Funk said.
The new and expanded service is part of Metro Transit’s Network Now strategy to expand service by 35% in the next three years by looking where current and future service should go to meet travel needs and grow ridership.
Star Tribune
Inmate dies in Stillwater prison
The Department of Corrections says it’s investigating what happened after an inmate was found dead inside the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater.
At 2:43 a.m. on Dec. 1, staff at the Stillwater prison found inmate David John Ojeda unresponsive, according to an emailed statement from Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) spokesman Aaron Swanum.
The prison staff performed life-saving measures while emergency medical responders were called to the facility. The responders determined Ojeda had passed away, Swanum said. No further details have been released about the circumstances or cause of death.
Ojeda, 43, was sentenced in February after being convicted of criminal sexual conduct with a child younger than 16. He was serving a 25-year sentence.
In June, another inmate at Stillwater, Dalmario Smith, was found unresponsive and died. In that incident,
Star Tribune
Officials identify MN man fatally shot in Brooklyn Park over weekend
Officials have identified the Rochester area man who was shot to death over the weekend in Brooklyn Park during gunfire that also wounded a second person.
Ramone Rashawn Blue, 23, of Stewartville, was shot multiple times Sunday in the 8000 block of Brooklyn Boulevard and died that afternoon at HCMC, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.
Police have yet to address what prompted the gunfire. No arrests have been announced as of late Monday morning.
Officers responded to the shooting around 2 p.m. in a strip mall parking lot near the busy intersection of Brooklyn and and Bottineau boulevard, not far from a Target and a Menards.
Officers found two victims and began to aid them before both were taken to a hospital, according to a police spokesman.
The surviving victim has yet to be identified.
Staff writer Reid Forgrave contributed to this report.