Cliff Buchan
News Editor

A black bear wandered through a residential area of Forest Lake last weekend, triggering a spate of calls to city police.

Clark Quiring, chief of police, said he was hopeful the bear moved through the area. In all, eight reports were made to police on Friday and Saturday, the chief said.

The initial reports were made in the area of NW 6th and 7th streets and W. Broadway Ave. A third report was made in the 400 block of SW 1st Avenue.

Quiring said the bear was later reported in the area of Island Estates near Clear Lake and in the area of SW 8th St. and N. 220th Street (11th Avenue).

As a precaution, Quiring advised residents to keep garbage inside garages and stop feeding birds to eliminate a potential food source. In several reports, the bear was observed eating at bird feeding stations.

Linwood man killed in crash

A Linwood Township resident was killed late Friday afternoon when his vehicle was hit head-on by a vehicle that lost control and crossed the median on US-61 near Bear Avenue in Maplewood.

The Minnesota State Patrol said Kong M. Vang was killed when his northbound vehicle was struck by a southbound vehicle driven by Timothy T. Jones, 24, of Oakdale.

Jones was also killed in the crash.

The accident was reported at 5:33 p.m. on Friday. The State Patrol said Jones was traveling south on US-61 in the left lane when his vehicle cut across the median into oncoming traffic and hit Vang’s vehicle.

Vang was driving in the left lane of northbound US-61. Vang’s vehicle then hit a third car driven by Karen Stocksett, 28, of St. Clair Shores, MI. She suffered no apparent injuries, the patrol said.

Two passengers in Vang’s vehicle were hurt in the crash. Xao Vang, 15, and Porchoua Xiong, 16, both received minor injuries.

Kong Vang was a 2007 graduate of Forest Lake High School. Xao Vang is a student at the high school. The State Patrol did not list an address for Xiong.

FLHS drug arrest

A 15-year-old Stacy male was arrested at Forest Lake High School last week after he was detained by school staff of suspicion of attempting to sell drugs.

Police later arrested the juvenile on probable cause of fourth-degree controlled substance crime and possession of a small amount of marijuana.

The two students were detained by school staff at 3:36 p.m. on Oct. 4 who found the youth outside the building, Quiring said.

A search uncovered two plastic baggies that contained a green leafy substance that test posted for marijuana, the chief said.

The youth’s mother was notified and he was taken to the county jail in Stillwater.

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