Here's a WJON FlashBriefing for July 18, 2017.

 

 

SEVERE WEATHER TONIGHT -- More severe storms are possible tonight across Central Minnesota. Large hail, damaging wind, torrential rain -- all possible.

 

SEVERE WEATHER ROUND-UP -- Sirens blew and cell phone weather alerts sounded across several Central Minnesota last night. High winds, hail and some radar-detected tornadoes prompted those warnings.

 

STORM DAMAGE -- High winds blew an Elk River woman's car off the road and into a tree last night south of Princeton. The car ended up on its roof. 48-year-old Maria Smith, taken to Princeton Hospital.

 

MINK RELEASE -- Stearns County Sheriff calls the vandals who released as many as 40-thousand mink from a fur farm near Eden Valley, "nitwits." Sheriff Don Gudmundson says he doesn't believe the vandals are concerned with the animals. He says, quote, "They are concerned with causing chaos." He says they're exploring leads and talking to the feds about people involved in domestic terrorism.

 

POLICE CHASE -- A Becker man -- wanted on a felony warrant -- led police on a chase through Becker at speeds of 90 miles-an-hour, into a Benton County cornfield, and ended when he drove back into Becker and his tires went flat after hitting stop sticks. 40-year-old Binh Phuc Cao, arrested on a criminal sexual conduct warrant out of Wright County. He faces fleeing charges now as well.

 

LITTLE FALLS CHASE -- Another chase -- this time in Morrison County. Two people led police on a chase in a stolen car that ended in a crash in Little Falls Sunday night. Police arrested a man and a woman from Minneapolis after they ran from the crashed car.

 

METH FOUND -- Authorities in Little Falls found methamphetamine in the car of a man stopped for driving without a driver's license. When authorities were inventorying the car for impound, they found 34 grams of meth inside, worth over a thousand dollars. 27-year-old Juan Sanchez of Melrose, jailed on drug charges.

 

TESLA CRASH -- We told you how a Tesla driver said the autopilot system caused his vehicle to accelerate, leave the road and flip in a swamp. But now the driver says he had it wrong. He says he believes he disengaged the autopilot by hitting the gas pedal before the crash. Even so, Tesla is investigating that crash where five people had minor injuries.

 

WAITE PARK BODY CAMERAS -- Waite Park police officers will be the first in the St. Cloud metro to be equipped with body cameras as soon as next month. The city council approving $27,000 for 18 cameras.

 

SCSU EMERGENCY DRILL -- Local response teams are staging a full-scale emergency exercise at St. Cloud State Wednesday. So don't be alarmed if you see emergency vehicles at the school -- it's only a drill.

 

ST. JOSEPH DOG PARK -- Years in the planning, St. Joseph dog owners are finally getting a dog park. The city council approved the first stage of the park to be created in Millstream Park. Could be open by fall.

 

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