The following incidents were reported to River Falls Police Department Jan. 21-24, 2026.

Wednesday, Jan. 21

• Officers responded at 10:37 a.m. to 315 River St. for a 64-year-old resident yelling and swearing at staff and other residents in the hallways. The building manager said he swore at her unprovoked; she received multiple calls from residents on the third floor reporting him screaming and yelling in the hall. When police spoke to him in the elevator, he used profanity and complained about other residents harassing him. He said he can yell in the halls if he wants to and accused the manager of being racist. A disorderly conduct charge was referred to the district attorney’s office and the man agreed to return to his apartment.
• At 3 p.m., police received a threats complaint at 555 Marcella Court. A woman said her partner, who she believes has dementia, has been threatening her and her adult son, saying he’s going to burn the house down or kill them. The report was forwarded to the St. Croix County ADRC.
• Officers were notified of a hit and run crash at 3:40 p.m. at Winter and Maple streets. A 2021 Honda Odyssey, driven by Heather Jeanne Flaatten, 36, River Falls, was heading west on Maple Street with a 2022 Kia Telluride, driven by Anthony Lee Beman, 44, River Falls, close behind her. When Flaatten pulled over to the side of the road so Beman could pass, he struck her rear driver’s side bumper and kept going. She honked her horn at him, but he continued west on Maple. She followed him and took pictures of his vehicle before calling police. Officers responded to Beman’s residence, who denied driving the vehicle; he said his sone had been driving it. Police found fresh damage on the Kia and took photos. Beman, who smelled of alcohol, called police while they were trying to reach his son and admitted that he had been driving. He denied drinking before driving and said he had had a two drinks since arriving home. He also denied being in an accident. Since officers didn’t have proof that he was drinking before driving, he was not arrested for OWI. He was cited $250 for resist/obstruct officer, $350 for hit and run and $124 for automobile following too closely. Both vehicles had minor damage. Flaatten and her 4-year-old passenger reported no injuries.
• At 6:12 p.m., police responded to 202 Butternut Court for a 36-year-old man, later identified as a River Falls firefighter who had fainted. The man had regained consciousness and called 911. When police arrived, his breathing was labored; he eventually had no pulse and was not breathing. Personnel performed CPR for 45 minutes, but he was pronounced dead at 7:47 p.m. The cause was a suspected pulmonary embolism after a knee injury.
• Police were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash at 6:16 p.m. at Walgreen’s (1047 N. Main St.) between a 2022 Ford Expedition, driven by Kelly J. Johnson, 45, and a 2018 Honda CRV, driven by John A. Parks, Both vehicles collided while backing out of parking stalls. Both vehicles had minor damage. No injuries were reported.

Thursday, Jan. 22

At 2:47 p.m., a resident at 1790 Greenwood Valley Drive reported suspicions of trespassing. She said over the past four years, small household items such as kitchen utensils, cups and trash bags have gone missing. A spare house key later went missing. At 2 a.m. Jan. 21, she noticed a significant temperature drop in the home and found the front door deadbolt unlocked and the door open. No family members unlatched the door. She had a suspect in mind but didn’t provide a name.

Friday, Jan. 23

• At 11:35 a.m., police were dispatched to Devine Liquors (703B N. Main St.) for a 63-year-old man who collapsed but was still breathing. When retrieving the man’s cellphone from his truck per his request, police saw open alcohol containers, a grinder and pipe. The truck smelled of marijuana. EMS transported Ernest Leroy Martin, River Falls, to Regions Hospital where he was in the ICU for a few days. A Devine Liquors employee said Martin fell and struck his head while getting into his truck. He was cited $187 for possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Police were sent to a fraud complaint at 2:30 p.m. at Kwik Trip (1200 S. Main St.) A suspect named “Karen” had used two fake $20 bills to make a purchase the night before. The suspect was later identified as Karen Diane Spence, 48, River Falls. Police found her at Pierce County Jail, where she had been taken after a separate incident the prior night. She admitted to using the money to purchase more than $50 in items, but said she didn’t know the money was fake. Police forwarded felony bail jumping, forgery – uttering and misdemeanor bail jumping charges to the district attorney’s office.
• Police were dispatched to an accidental 911 call at 8:02 p.m. at 1204 Bartosh Lane #7. A man reported his wife was drinking and had gotten out of hand with yelling, which police could hear. The woman was identified as Karen Diane Spence, 48, River Falls. She was intoxicated and upset with her husband and son. While speaking to police she vomited. EMS transported her to the hospital after she spoke of chest pain. Then she was taken to Pierce County Jail on a felony bail jumping charge.

Saturday, Jan. 24

• Police were notified of a juvenile bitten by two dogs at 1 p.m. at 1539 W. Maple St. The juvenile had tried to break up a fight between the family’s Boxer and a Pitbull mix they were babysitting for a friend. Both dog owners were issued quarantine notices.
• Officers responded at 4:40 p.m. to 1063 E. Cascade Ave. for a theft complaint. The back license plate was missing from a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. Rochester, Minn., police recovered the stolen plate in a suspect’s car in their city.
• Police were called to a property damage complaint at 6:30 p.m. at Broz Bar (127 S. Main St.) Video surveillance showed Ty Anthony Hall, 26, River Falls, damaging a booth, He also called his server the N-word on his credit card slip. Police made contact with Hall, who admitted to damaging the booth because he was upset they had skipped one of his song’s on the jukebox. The server said the song was “rage music” and bothering other customers. He also admitted to using the N-word. He was cited $250 for criminal damage to property and $187 for disorderly conduct. Broz trespassed him from the bar and is seeking $500 in restitution for the booth repair after receiving a quote from an upholstery vendor.