Lakes Pet Fest sets up smorgasbord of activities for four-legged friends Oct. 5-7

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Lakes Pet Fest hits Detroit Lakes this week, Oct. 5-7, and furry friend owners can expect a myriad of activities to participate in with their four-legged companions.

Dawn Duncan, president of Propel DL, the organizers of the pet festival, said they’ve expanded the activities into three days instead just the one-day offering last year.

“Last year was only one day, we’ve expanded to three,” said Duncan. “So what you can expect is a really wide array of things you can do with your pet.”

The events get started on Thursday evening with the Humane Society of the Lakes’ Yappy Hour at Buck Mill Brewery beginning at 5 p.m.

“You don’t have to bring your dog, but it sure would be fun,” she said. “The Humane Society is going to benefit from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., one dollar from every pint sold will go to them as part of a charitable pint night that the brewery has started.”

The pet fun continues on Friday with Dog Treat Bar at Best Pets in Detroit Lakes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Pupward Dog Yoga will be offered in City Park at 6 p.m., however, organizers remind pet owners of Detroit Lakes’ leash laws, which state animals must be leashed while in a city-owned park.

Saturday events start early with the Leashes and Leaves 5k that steps off from The Pavilion at 8:30 a.m. and encourages pets and their owners to run, jog, or walk with their dog along the route.

Duncan also said the Becker County Museum has a lot of activities planned for lakes area pets on Oct. 7.

“10 a.m. to 2 p.m. you can go to the Becker County Museum and they are going to have a whole bunch of things for kids to do,” said Duncan. “Stuff a plush toy. You can also hand color a t-shirt for your little plush animal. And then the great thing they are doing is Paw-Casso, which is really creative, where your pet and their paws will make a nice painting for you. So really a lot of fun.”

Another painting event, Painted Paws, will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Becker Pet and Garden.

Duncan also pointed out the Pet Fest is a great way to get more involved with our local animal nonprofits like the Marshmallow Animal Shelter and The Humane Society of the Lakes.

“They are affiliated with the city so they do get that overflow going a lot,” she said. “So they do get that overflow going a lot. They definitely have that need for supplies and for adoption, volunteers to walk the animals and that’s an ongoing need year-round.”

For a full schedule of events, visit the Lakes Pet Fest website at: www. Lakespetfest.com.

Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office determines ATV crash report ‘not credible’

Mahnomen County emergency dispatchers received a report of an ATV crash with severe, possibly fatal, injuries on Sunday morning, however, when first responders arrived at the scene, no accident site could be found and the caller would not return calls made by dispatchers.

In a news release, the Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office stated they received the call at 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 1 from a party who said there was an ATV accident at the dead end of the Roy Lake Campground road, near Naytahwausch; the victim was bleeding from the head; and they could not find a pulse.

The caller then informed dispatch they had an active warrant and they did not want to identify themselves. They hung up and refused return calls.

First responders from eight different agencies responded to the scene and searches were performed on-foot, by drone and MN State Patrol helicopter until about 3:30 p.m., 10 hours after the initial emergency call.

The first responders ended up covering a 5-mile search radius and no evidence of a crash, like skid marks, dried blood, or gouges in the sand, were located.

Law enforcement also talked with several residents who lived nearby and no one saw any ATV traffic during the time of the alleged crash.

Investigators determined the cell phone used to make the emergency call did not have an active cell plan and must have been using Wi-Fi to make the call. They also determined the caller was not likely at Roy Lake when the call was made.

First responders and law enforcement determined the crash report was not credible, but are encouraging lakes area residents to check on family and friends if they were known to have been riding ATV in the area and to report any missing persons immediately.

VIPink event to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness month at Essentia Health on Wednesday

Essentia Health is commemorating Breast Cancer Awareness month with their VI-Pink event, otherwise known as the Breast Event of the Year, this Wednesday from 5-7:30 p.m. in lobby of the Essentia Health St. Mary’s Clinic in Detroit Lakes.

The event will feature a couple keynote presentations from Dr. Aubrey Park Skinner, an Essentia Health breast surgeon from Duluth.

Tanya Olson, imaging manager for Essentia Health in Detroit Lakes, said middle-aged women should start thinking about making their first annual appointments, if they haven’t already.

“The recommendation is at age 40 women come in for annual mammograms,” said Olson. “Unless there is a family history, you can certainly start those earlier.”

She also said they’ll be offering walk-in mammograms during the event and even those who may be a little scared to complete their first annual screening should come to the event and just tour the facility to ease their minds before they schedule their exam.

“One of the things we are doing that night is walk-in mammograms,” she said. “If you or a friend hasn’t gotten around to scheduling your mammogram … we’re doing walk-in mammograms. So, if you have ten or 15 minutes to spare, come in and we’ll get it done. Even the women who are maybe a little apprehensive of having a mammogram, if you want to just come and take a tour to see what it’d be like, you don’t have to have it done that evening. But this is a good opportunity for us to show you what it’s like to have a mammogram.” 

She also said Essentia Health St. Mary’s in Detroit Lakes was the first clinic in their network to install a 3D mammogram machine, which takes more layered, detailed readings then a typical 2D machine.

“It just takes smaller pictures, which can be more precise in finding those really tiny cancers,” said Olson. “And we know that finding cancers small is our best way to save lives.”

Other activities during the VI-Pink event include: bra fittings by Curvy Divas; make-and-take floral arrangements; and a breast cancer survivor walk, which will honor the stories of lakes area cancer survivors.

The VI-Pink event on Oct. 4 is free to the public and anyone with questions, or to RSVP for the event should call: 218-314-7866.

Detroit Lakes man charged with felony domestic assault by strangulation

A Detroit Lakes man has been charged with felony domestic assault by strangulation and two counts of gross misdemeanor domestic assault.

On Sept. 5, Becker County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call and found a woman with signs of assault at the home of 36-year-old Justin Patrick Sims of rural Detroit Lakes.

The woman and Sims share a child together and she said, when she arrived home that day, Sims was upset and throwing things around the residence.

When she asked him what was happening, Sims grabbed her by the neck and pushed her onto a bed and began choking her.

A young child entered the room and began hitting Sims in the head to get him to release their mother. The woman was able to get away from Sims momentarily and attempted to leave, but Sims bit her arm as he attempted to grab her phone.

Law enforcement arrived to the scene and arrested Sims, who also has a previous domestic violence  conviction from September 2022.

West Fargo man arrested following pursuit, DWI test refusal

A West Fargo man was arrested following a pursuit with West Fargo Police Saturday night.

After first striking a light pole at 9th St. W and 38th Ave., officers saw 35-year-old Brandon Lindsay driving at high speed in Rendezvous Park and attempted a traffic stop when Lindsay took off and nearly collided with oncoming traffic.

They used a pursuit intervention maneuver in the 4000 block of 9th St. W to end the pursuit. Lindsay initially refused to get out of the car and pepper balls were deployed into the vehicle. Police say Lindsay remained combative and officers approached with protective shields.

Lindsay was arrested for DWI test refusal, fleeing and preventing arrest.

Story by Paul Jurgens / KFGO

Man arrested, taken for mental health hold, following suicidal comments to law enforcement with a firearm 

One man was taken to the hospital for an emergency mental health hold Monday morning after a confrontation with police in West Fargo.

Police say the man fled a traffic stop around 5:30 a.m. The man drove to the 1900 block of Burlington Drive where he got out of his vehicle with a gun and made suicidal comments to officers at the scene. The man then went into a garage at the location, and officers surrounded it. Officers shot bean bag rounds at the man and he dropped the gun. He continued to defy officers’ commands, however, and police used pepper balls to force the man out of the garage, where he was taken into custody.

Chief Denis Otterness commended the involved officers for their response.

“The use of multiple types of less lethal options successfully de-escalated this potentially dangerous incident,” he said.

Story by Paul Jurgens / KFGO

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