A manhunt for an accused murderer from northwestern Minnesota has ended 1,800 miles away and after a month's time, officials said.
Michael D. Croud, 40, of Ogema, surrendered to law enforcement Tuesday morning in the Los Angeles area. He was wanted on a charge of second-degree intentional murder in connection with the June 25 death of David W. Hanks Jr., 35, of Park Rapids, Minn., in the village of Pine Point.
Croud remains in custody in Monterey Park with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and awaits extradition back to Minnesota.
Many law enforcement agencies had been trying to find and arrest Croud. They included the FBI, the sheriff's offices of Becker and Hubbard counties, the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the White Earth Police Department, the State Patrol and three task forces in the region.
Minnesota court records show that Croud's criminal history spans his adult life and includes five convictions for assault and one each for burglary, escape from custody and fleeing police in a vehicle.
According to the criminal complaint:
A report of shots being fired led a Becker County sheriff's deputy to find an unconscious Hanks face down on the ground with numerous gunshot wounds. Emergency personnel declared him dead at the scene.
A woman told an investigator that she was sitting in the back of the SUV, when Hanks said, as Croud walked toward the vehicle, "Oh, it's Mike. Get out of here. Get out of here," the complaint read.
