Pine County

Victim of lightning strike identified

A 53-year-old man killed Monday night after he was struck by lightning as he stood in a puddle under a tree has been identified as Michael McGee of Sturgeon Lake, Minn., according to the Pine County Sheriff's Office.

McGee had been visiting a friend he had known since childhood on Alder Loop in Sturgeon Lake, which is about 50 miles south of Duluth, said Steve Blackwell, chief deputy. About 7:30 p.m., as McGee was leaving for the day, he was standing near his pickup truck in a puddle of water about 30 feet from a tree. Thunderstorms had started rolling through the area about 6 p.m.

The lightning apparently struck the tree, then ricocheted to the puddle, Blackwell said. "He took a step toward his friend, then collapsed," Blackwell said. "I think he realized what happened right away, brought him up on the porch and began CPR."

Law enforcement officers and first responders soon arrived, and McGee was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital in Moose Lake, where he died.

It was the first lightning death this year in Minnesota and the 18th nationwide, according to the National Weather Service. Since 1959, 64 lightning strike deaths have been reported in the state.

Jim Anderson

St. Cloud

Diesel fuel at two stations sabotaged

Diesel fuel at two gas stations, one in St. Cloud and another in Waite Park, were purposely contaminated in an act that not only ruined hundreds of thousands of dollars in the business' fuel supply but damaged dozens of vehicles that filled up.

The acts of suspected sabotage occurred in underground storage tanks at First Fuel Banks locations on Lincoln Avenue SE. in St. Cloud and 5 miles to the west at Division Street and 15th Avenue N. in Waite Park, police said Tuesday.

No arrests have been made, and neither police nor company CEO Jim Feneis have determined a motive for what he termed "a vicious attack." Feneis said he's unaware of anyone who would want to harm his business.

A total of 59 vehicles — some owned by the city of St. Cloud — have been affected by the tainted fuel, Feneis said. Primarily, the vehicles experienced loss of power as their exhaust systems started to fail.

Police have estimated the harm to the vehicles in the tens of thousands of dollars, and Feneis said his company had to dispose of 55,000 gallons of diesel valued at more than $200,000. He said his business has insurance on its losses.

Assistant Police Chief Susan Stawarski said the contaminations occurred sometime between Aug. 16 and Aug. 20. Stawarski said there is no video surveillance available to help the investigation.

Testing is being conducted to determine what was used to spike the tanks. Feneis said liquid fertilizer is suspected.

It's not difficult to gain access to the underground tanks, Feneis acknowledged, given that "very few [stations] lock their tanks" because the locks are prone to "corrode and are hard to unlock."

"This is probably going to be a game-changer for the industry," he said. "We're going to have to come up with a [better] locking mechanism."

First Fuel Banks operates five stations, four in St. Cloud and one in Waite Park.

Paul Walsh