The following incidents were reported to River Falls Police Department March 4-9, 2025.

Tuesday, March 4

Police responded to a one-vehicle crash at 9 p.m. on Highway 35 seven-tenths of a mile north of Highway 65. A 2022 Honda CRV, driven by Shelby Paige Lyman, 33, Hudson, was traveling north on Highway 35 on icy roads, slid into the ditch and collided with the traffic barrier fence in the center median. The vehicle had minor damage, but had to be towed. Lyman reported no injuries.

Wednesday, March 5

• Officers were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash at 8:05 a.m. at Main and Walnut streets between a 2015 GMC Sierra, driven by Madison Olivia Lacy, 28, River Falls, and a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee, driven by Austin Wade Tietz, 20, River Falls. Lacy was traveling south on Main Street approaching Walnut Street, while Tietz was heading west on Walnut Street approaching Main. Lacy was unable to stop when the traffic light turned red due to snowy conditions and slid into Tietz’s vehicle. No injuries were reported. Both vehicles had minor damage.
• Police responded to a two-vehicle crash at 9:57 a.m. at Highway 35/65 and Cascade Avenue between a 2023 Ford Maverick, driven by Jeffrey Duane Bjork, 61, River Falls, and 2020 Kenworth semi truck, driven by David Raymond Rasmussen, 76, Colfax. Bjork was heading south on Highway 35/65 just north of Cascade. He slowed down because he couldn’t see the color of the traffic light due to snow covering the light. Rasmussen was heading west on Cascade Avenue and began to turn south onto Highway 35/65. Bjork couldn’t stop on the icy road and struck Rasmussen’s trailer. A witness said Bjork wasn’t driving fast and was riding the brakes before the collision. Bjork’s vehicle was towed due to disabling damage, while the semi had minor damage. Bjork reported possibly injuries but wasn’t transported; Rasmussen reported no injuries.

Thursday, March 6

• Officers were dispatched at 5:12 a.m. to a one-vehicle crash at 950 Benson St. A 2024 International MV607 straight truck, driven by Jonathan Dennis Liermann, 32, New Richmond, was backing out of the impound lot and struck a gate post and motion detector, causing damage. The truck had no damage. No injuries were reported.
• Police responded to an altercation at 7:39 p.m. at Digital Brigade (104 N. Main St.) According to an employee, a regular player became frustrated during a card game and punched a new player in the face. Employees asked the aggressor, Samuel Robert Schoolman, 21, Stillwater, Minn., to leave the store. Police located Schoolman down the street and he admitted to overreacting. He was trespassed from the store and a battery charge was forwarded to the district attorney’s office.

Friday, March 7

• Officers were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash at 7:12 a.m. at Falls and Winter streets between a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, driven by Jorgia Lynn Bengtson, 18, River Falls, and a 2012 Ford Focus, driven by a 17-year-old River Falls juvenile. Bengtson was traveling south on Falls Street and stopped at the stop sign at Winter Street. The juvenile was driving on Winter Street. Bengtson said she thought she had time to make a left-hand turn onto Winter Street in front of the juvenile, but the juvenile struck her vehicle as it turned. Bengtson’s windows were frosted over at the time of the crash. The Jetta had functional damage, while the Ford was towed due to disabling damage. No injuries were reported. Bengtson was cited $98.80 for fail/yield right/way from stop sign.
• At 11:02 a.m., a resident at 1835 Bennett St. reported fraud that had occurred on March 1. The victim said he received a call from someone claiming to be from his credit union’s fraud department. After giving the caller his information and receiving validation codes via text, the caller told him not to access his accounts for several days and to delete his banking app. On March 5, the victim noticed multiple withdrawals from his checking account, which was completely drained of more than $3,000. The lost money was traced to an account in Connecticut. The bank was able to refund the money; their system had been hacked.
• Police responded to a two-vehicle crash at 12:27 p.m. at the Highway 35/65 and Cemetery Road roundabout between a 2009 Toyota Camry, driven by Daniel R. Hayes, 78, Ellsworth, and a 2024 GMC Terrain, driven by David K. Hove, 81, Ellsworth. Hayes was traveling southbound on Highway 35/65 approaching the roundabout, failed to merge into traffic appropriately and struck the rear of Hove’s vehicle. Both vehicles had minor damage. Neither driver nor passenger Mary Elizabeth Hove, 81, Ellsworth, reported injuries. Hayes was cited $98.80 for fail/yield for yield sign.
• Officers were dispatched at 6:22 p.m. to Positive Alternatives (2860 Williams Ave.) for a juvenile who was disorderly and locked themselves in their room. They put the bed in front of the door so it wouldn’t open. Police got into the room and found the juvenile locked in the closet. The juvenile said they wanted to go home to their cat and iPad. They were upset about the amount of money they got for their allowance after doing chores. Damage in their room included scratches, knicks and holes in the walls, a bent screen and a broken drawer. No charges were pressed.

Saturday, March 8

• Police responded to a disturbance at 2:52 a.m. at 576 Spring St. A person outside the residence was threatening to fight people there. When police arrived, they were told that Noah Joseph Hartfield, 20, River Falls, refused to leave the area after being told to leave the home. Hartfield was given a courtesy ride to a home at 1063 E. Cascade Ave. After performing a breath test, he was cited $187 for underage drinking/possession.
• Officers were called to a two-vehicle crash at 5:36 p.m. in the parking lot of 303 S. Main St. between a 2020 Chevy Equinox, driven by Ahmed Saher Atya Ahmed, 25, Hudson, and a 2018 Subaru Impreza, driven by Josephine Winzig Dusek, 69, River Falls. Both vehicles were parked in the lot, with a truck in between them. Dusek backed out of her spot and drove northbound, while Ahmed was backing out of his space. The vehicles collided, causing minor damage to both. No injuries were reported.
• Jacob Tyr Corbin, 22, River Falls, was arrested and cited $986 for operate with restricted controlled substance and $124 for operate motor vehicle by permittee without parent after a traffic stop at 7:37 p.m. at Cemetery Road and Highway 35/65. Corbin smelled of marijuana and admitted to smoking a bowl before he drove. Field sobriety tests didn’t give police probable cause to arrest him for OWI, but he was taken to the hospital for a blood test. Police confiscated about 70 grams of marijuana, separated into baggies, syringes, THC wax, three roaches and drug paraphernalia from the vehicle. Police also found marijuana in a purse along with the vehicle owner’s EBT card. Police forwarded misdemeanor bail jumping, possession of THC and possess drug paraphernalia charges to the district attorney’s office for Olivia K. Vanasse, 21, River Falls.
• Police provided mutual aid to Pierce County deputies at a domestic at 10:06 p.m. at N8199 940^th Dispatch could hear people screaming and learned one man was holding another man down. Officers arrested Peter Jon Martinson, 55, River Falls, for pushing a roommate and his girlfriend during a fight with the roommate. The roommate, who works at a prison, held Martinson down on the floor until police arrived.

Sunday, March 9

• At 12:15 a.m., police were notified of a hit and run crash at on Division Street near Yellowstone Drive. Tire tracks in the snow indicated a vehicle traveling westbound had struck a no parking sign and fled the scene. The vehicle was black, but otherwise unknown.
• Dustin James Roatch, 39, River Falls, was arrested and cited $986 for OWI and $986 for operating with PAC after a traffic stop for almost hitting a curb at 3:01 a.m. at Main and Charlotte streets. When police pulled Roatch over, they immediately smelled alcohol. Roatch said he’d been drinking at St. Croix Lanes and Johnnie’s with friends. After performing field sobriety tests and registering a .18 BAC, he was arrested and booked at the station.
• Police responded to a suicidal man at 8:56 p.m. at a home in the 3000 block of Glasgow Street. A woman said her husband became angry earlier in the day about a project and left to hang out with his brother. When he returned, he started texting their daughter, who was upstairs, and her about getting a divorce. She agreed to discuss it at a later time, but he wanted to discuss it then. She suspected he’d been drinking. He came upstairs where she was watching a movie with her children and began recording them, so she started recording him. She said he’s good at making her feel crazy. She asked him to leave because he was making the kids uncomfortable and asked them hugs four or five times. He was intoxicated; when she asked him to stop bothering the kids, he tried to leave in a vehicle. She stood in front of the vehicle to prevent him from driving and he shoved her out of the way. When police spoke to Timothy P. Baker, 38, River Falls, he waffled between being angry and crying. He was arrested for misdemeanor bail jumping (for violating an absolute sobriety bond condition) and domestic disorderly conduct.