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Duluth man pleads guilty to criminal sexual conduct with girls

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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.



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Sentence topping 13 years for road rage murder on Minneapolis parkway

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A New Brighton man has received a sentence topping 13 years for a late-night road rage murder on a Minneapolis parkway.

Dhaha Hayi Hassan, 25, was sentenced Thursday in Hennepin County District Court after he was found guilty during a trial in October of second-degree murder and a felony firearm charge for possessing a gun without a serial number in connection with the shooting of Randy John Burris Sr., 34, in November 2023.

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Hassan is expected to serve about 8⅓ years in prison and the balance of his 13½-year term on supervised release.

According to the criminal complaint:

Shortly before midnight on Nov. 17, 2023, officers found Burris down on West River Parkway near the Franklin Avenue Bridge with gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen.

Burris, of Minneapolis, “pointed in the direction of an individual later identified as Hassan” when asked who shot him. Hassan was arrested, and an officer found in his waistband a Polymer 80 handgun, which did not have serial numbers.

Witnesses told officers that Hassan’s car was driving the wrong way and blocking traffic on West River Parkway, which is narrow and allows only one vehicle to pass at a time.

Burris, who had on a neck brace due to a recent vertebrae injury, exited his vehicle and advised Hassan that he needed to reverse. When Hassan refused, the men began to argue.



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Rochester’s DMC invests $700,000 in historic properties

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ROCHESTER – Property owners downtown have started cashing in on a commitment from Destination Medical Center to support the restoration of some of the city’s oldest structures.

On Thursday, the DMC board agreed to invest $700,000 to support three proposals from downtown property owners, ranging from new roofs to bathroom upgrades. The funds, which can cover up to 50% of the total project cost, are part of a $5 million pool of money set aside by the board in May for projects within the city’s newly created historic district.

“Honoring our city’s history while fostering new opportunities is key to Rochester’s continued growth and vibrancy,” said Rochester Mayor Kim Norton, who serves as vice chair of the DMC board. “These projects are investments in our community’s past and future, and we are excited to see them come to life.”

For years, historic preservation advocates have worried that the constant redevelopment of the city’s downtown would make its way to the oldest city blocks still standing. Those concerns grew louder in 2013 after the Legislature approved DMC, a $5.6 billion initiative between the state, local government and Mayo Clinic to remake the city’s downtown.

But efforts to create a downtown historic district stalled for more than a decade as property owners raised concerns about funding for new rules governing what they can do with their properties.

That changed in January when the Rochester City Council voted to designate more than three blocks of downtown as part of a historic district. The area — along 1st Avenue SW. and South Broadway — includes 31 properties, 27 of which meet the criteria for the district. Many of the buildings are home to restaurants, shops and other small businesses.

“Part of the thing that is so special about Rochester is that you can have the best medical institution in the world next to really wonderful small businesses, next to walkable residential neighborhoods,” said DMC Board Member R.T. Rybak, the former mayor of Minneapolis.

Among the proposals approved by the DMC board Thursday is a $202,000 public investment in a second-story housing unit to be built above Marrow restaurant on South Broadway. Bucky Beeman, the property’s owner, said he had been thinking about the project since he bought the building in 2020, but financing was a challenge. With DMC funding available, Beeman said he was able to accelerate his investment in the 165-year-old building.



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Were officers in Minnesota’s scandal-ridden Metro Gang Strike Task Force ever punished?

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A scandal-ridden Twin Cities law enforcement unit called the Metro Gang Strike Force imploded 15 years ago. Audits and investigations found a pattern of corruption — which included illegally seizing property and engaging in excessive force, often against people of color.

Reader Shawn Bassett of St. Paul followed the story closely as the scandal unfolded in a series of cascading revelations. Years later, he wondered if any of the individuals involved were ever punished.

He reached out to Curious Minnesota, the Strib’s reader-driven reporting project, asking, “What happened to the officers who were part of the Metro Gang Strike Force?”

“I remember that it was egregious corruption,” Bassett said. “I didn’t know if there were consequences.”

The officers seized cash and valuables, including television sets, cars, and in one case, even an auger used to drill holes for ice fishing, investigations found. Members of the multi-jurisdictional agency even at times took home property for their own use.

They drove some of the vehicles they confiscated. Evidence was often mishandled. Frequently, criminal charges were not filed against those they targeted.

Shelly Blas, shown here with her father Felix Blas, said in 2009 that the Strike Force came into her home, broke a number of windows and items, and verbally assaulted the family. (Flores, Elizabeth)

As the scandal deepened, Michael Campion, then the state’s commissioner of public safety, permanently disbanded the force on July 17, 2009. But only one officer faced federal criminal charges. Some were suspended, while others resigned.



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