Public safety briefs: Driver in fatal Washington Co. crash was distracted, police say

Authorities with the Minnesota State Patrol suspect that distracted driving played a role in a car going airborne and fatally striking a motorist sitting at a stop sign in Washington County.

Megan Goeltz, 22, was killed. Goeltz was raising her 3-year-old daughter on her own and working at a nursing home in nearby Hudson, Wis., said her father, Thomas Goeltz.

A Saab driven by 20-year-old Drew T. Fleming, of Hudson, was heading north on Hwy. 95 in Lakeland Township on Monday evening when it crossed the southbound lanes and went into the ditch, the patrol said. Fleming's car then hit an embankment and went airborne into Goeltz' Ford Fusion sitting at an intersection.

Thomas Goeltz said his daughter's death "really hits home for me. I'm a safety consultant. I train people on distracted driving."

Angela Fleming said her son, who was treated for his injuries and released, was not ready to speak publicly about "this horrific incident." She added, "He's devastated right now."

Paul Walsh

Four teenage boys sneaked into Southwest High School in Minneapolis, barged into a chemistry class and beat a student over a dispute on Facebook, according to charges.

A judge will weigh whether the boys will be tried as adults. The defendants all live in Minneapolis and attend other high schools. Charged are Terry D. James Jr., 16; and 17-year-olds Seneca L. Jones, Jayquann L. Kennedy, and Darshawn C. Turner.

Freeman said he chose a burglary charge "because it has tougher penalties than the lower-level assault charges."

Jones told police that he had an argument on Facebook with the Southwest student and that he went there to fight him.

Kennedy's mother, Teresa Leanna, told the Star Tribune that "my son wasn't as involved as the others were. And that's from video from a student in the classroom."

PAUL WALSH

Cynthia Marie Van Dusartz, 55, of Eagan, allegedly stole $1,114,205 from customers of St. Paul-based Anchor Bank.

Van Dusartz, previously listed on the bank's website as a vice president and bank manager, was charged in December in Dakota County District Court with four counts of theft by swindle in connection with a string of withdrawals totaling more than $640,000 from a customer's account dating to 2013.

A bank investigation showed that Van Dusartz had opened an account under several other names, including that of her deceased sister, authorities said. Van Dusartz transferred more than $640,000 from a customer's account to the one she opened and withdrew from ATMs and Las Vegas casinos.

Her attorney, Eric Nelson, had no comment.

KAREN ZAMORA

Burglars also paid attention. Apparently, three people who rented a U-Haul ransacked the place and stole items worth more than $6,000, including furniture, rugs, a toilet and appliances.

"It was really bad, but we've got to keep working and make it right again," said Wilson Molina, whose real-estate firm bought the home that had been vacant since 2010 and rehabbed it. The city paid $36,774 to acquire and prepare it, selling it to Molina for $42,000.

There's an offer of $299,000 on the home, and it is expected to close in late March. Molina recently purchased eight other city-owned homes on the North Side that he intends to fix up.

ERIC ROPER

An elevator equipment room on the roof of the historic Pioneer Endicott building in downtown St. Paul started on fire Tuesday. Smoke started billowing from the top of the building around 12:15 p.m. and flames were visible. The fire was extinguished within half an hour. The 127-year-old building, which was recently restored, has 234 apartments.

High winds atop the building at 4th Street between Jackson and Robert streets fanned the flames. Officials were investigating.

Jessie Van Berkel

The Meeker County Sheriff's Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating the deaths of two teenage siblings found in the family home on Monday.

The deceased were identified as David L. Cunningham, 17, and Jessica K. Cunningham, 15, the Sheriff's Office said. Both died of gunshot wounds.

Birth records indicate that the teens were biological siblings. David Cunningham was a student at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City High School.

TIM HARLOW