Ogema man charged with murder over Pine Point killing

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – 41-year-old Michael Croud of Ogema has been charged in Becker County District Court with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon stemming from a June shooting death in Pine Point.

Croud reportedly walked up to a 2016 GMC Acadia that was parked outside a Pine Point residence on the evening of June 25, reached over the front passenger seat and shot 35-year-old David Wayne Hanks Jr. Of Park Rapids multiple times as he was sitting in the backseat of the Acadia.

Hanks was pronounced dead at the scene.

A nearby vehicle sped away from the scene following the shooting and witnesses said Croud shot at that vehicle as they drove away.

Investigators found a bullet hole in the witness’s vehicle door and found a bullet inside the vehicle.

Croud fled the scene following the shooting and remained on-the-run for about a month when he surrendered himself to the Los Angeles Police Department and was extradited back to Minnesota. 

Croud holds eight prior felony convictions, including violent crimes, such as, assault and burglary, that should have prevented him from possessing a firearm and ammunition.

His is currently in-custody at the Becker County Jail awaiting his next court appearance.