Brown County District Court

• A felony third-degree drug possess 10 grams or more of a narcotic other than heroin was charged Dec. 1 against Garrett Dean Loudermilk, 43, Wykoff.

According to court documents, Loudermilk was in Brown County Jail custody at 3:20 p.m. Nov. 27 when a baggie with a clear, milky-colored, rock-like substance was found on the his cell floor during a jail cell check. Loudermilk denied the baggie was his but no one else had been in the cell with him and the baggie was not there during earlier rounds.

The baggie was about three inches and by five inches and weighed about 25 grams including packaging. A NIC test for the baggie substance was positive for methamphetamine.

• Eric Michael Dorseth, 334, 2201 N. Broadway, New Ulm, was charged Dec. 5 with felony fifth-degree drug possession-not small amount marijuana.

According to court documents, New Ulm Police Cpl. Mathew Rasmussen responded to Ilpea Industries at 8:09 a.m. Nov. 30 to a report of drug items found. A witness told Cpl. Rasmussen she was informed by another witness that Dorseth called another witness at work and told him to “go to line 4 and get his stash” from under his worker’s line station.

A witness showed Cpl. Rasmussen a glove that held a black eyeglasses case that contained a glass pipe with white residue in it. There was also a small, glass jar with a black lid. The jar contained a crystal-like substance that resembled methamphetamine chunks and powder. The items were found on Dorseth’s shelf and believed to belong to him. The witness also displayed a red box containing a glass pipe with white residue.

Cpl. Rasmussen tested the single pipe and glass jar which both tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed about .8 grams.

• Felony financial exploitation-vulnerable adult and felony check forgery charges were filed Nov. 30 against Anthony John Bauer, 43, 29792 CR 27, New Ulm.

According to court documents, Brown County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Andrew Konechne received a MAARC (Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center) report regarding Bauer’s checking account. According to the report, a victim living at St. Johns Lutheran Home, Springfield, has dementia and Alzheimer’s and her husband died Aug. 21.

The report noted there were still checks being written with the husband’s signature after he died, causing the account to be overdrawn.

Bauer was granted Power of Attorney as of Oct. 16, should the victim become incapacitated or incompetent.

Investigator Konechne contacted Red Rock Bank in Springfield and asked for bank statements for the victim’s account from January to November of 2023. On the July statement, a check was written for $2,500 on July 26. On July 31, a $500 check was written to Bauer who tried to cash it at SouthPoint Financial but was denied due to insufficient funds. Other checks were written to Bauer. The suspected total amount is $8,088,06.

On Oct. 23, a check debit to Prairie’s Edge Casino for $1,060 was returned as non-sufficient funds. Multiple SouthPoint Financial Credit Union videos show Bauer cashing checks for cash.

There was no evidence or provided information showing any of the money Bauer took from the victim’s account went toward her care.

• A gross misdemeanor theft charge was filed Dec. 4 against Scott Allan Swenstad, 57, Mankato.

According to court documents, New Ulm Police responded to a theft report at Menards in New Ulm on Sept. 5. A Menards manager told police two men entered the store parking lot in a red Ford Ranger at 2:36 pm. Sept. 5. One man entered the store, grabbed a shopping bag and cart and went to the electrical department.

Minutes later, the other man entered the store and met the first man in the electrical department. One of the men asked questions to a store employee while the other man loaded the shopping bag and a five-gallon bucket with items.

At 3:11 p.m., one man exited the store with merchandise and unloaded it into the vehicle, re-entered the store with a Menards shopping bag and grabbed a five-gallon bucket and put items in the bucket.

The two men met and went to the service desk to ask about returns. When the store employee told the men they would need identification, both men left the store with the bucket of items.

After reviewing store surveillance video, officers identified the two men as Swenstad and Michael Eric Blomquist. Police determined a 1994 Ford Ranger was registered to Swenstad. It was determined from video that Swenstad took $773.79 worth of merchandise.

• A gross misdemeanor harassment restraining order-violate within 10 years of previous domestic violence conviction/adjudication was filed Dec. 4 against Matthew Warren Luepke, 30, 48252 501st Lane, Courtland.

According to court documents, Sleepy Eye Police Officer Peter McGarry took a phone call from a victim at 6:40 a.m. Oct. 29 who said Luepke, whom she has an harassment restraining order (HRO) against, contacted her several times. The last contact was just prior to her call to police.

Officer McGarry confirmed the HRO was active and went to the victim’s residence and was shown phone logs showing Luepke called the previous night and that morning. The previous afternoon, he video called her and it was recorded.

Luepke’s criminal history showed two prior fourth-degree assault convictions on Aug. 30, 2021.