By Tyler Trieglaff

Notes from the Chief

Not much for police calls in this week’s report, although I do not list traffic stops that lead to warnings. There are usually another 10-12 calls relating to traffic stops per week.

As for the farm, we have been busy bringing all the pairs home and hauling corn from the neighbors. We are mainly using gravity boxes to haul the corn, around 150 bushels at a time. Gravity boxes are those orange, funny looking wagons with a slanted box for the grain to gravity flow into the auger or blower.

A few weeks ago, all the tires were checked over and inflated to 35-40 psi and the wheel bearings were greased. Things were going well until Sunday evening when dad had a flat tire on one of the gravity boxes. This normally isn’t a big deal, but it was on Co Hwy 29, and it was getting close to sunset. Cue the call for the service truck. I loaded up the impact wrench, sockets, heavy duty bottle jack, spare tire and off I went. Also had to grab a couple of flashlights.

Now this service truck we have, she is quite a gem. It needs a little engine work this winter but has been running ok for the few miles we drive it to the fields. As we were getting close to the flat tire the service truck quit on me. I got it started a few times, but it would just die. It was soon determined that it could be low on fuel as the low fuel light was on, but with the new fuel pump I was not trusting the gauge at that point. I had to make a phone call to my cousin to bring a gas can from the farm as well as the booster pack in case the battery went dead from cranking the engine. 

I called dad back and told him to drive the rest of the way to the driveway and sacrifice the rim. If the wagon was empty the rim might stay round, but with 8400 pounds of corn in the wagon, a steel rim on pavement will not last. The gas can was delivered, and the service truck fired up and off we went. 

Dad had made it to the township road by now and was waiting for us. A few blocks of wood for cribbing and the stubby bottle neck jack was able to get the flat tire and wheel off the ground. With the generator fired up, the lug nuts came off fairly easy with the impact wrench. With the bent-up rim and shredded tire off the wagon it was time to put the spare on. 

The issue is that the spare is about 8-10 inches taller than the wrecked rim and tire. By now the boy showed up and we went to work digging a hole in the gravel under the hub of the wagon. Of course, we did not have a shovel, so we used a claw hammer, crowbar and our hands to dig a hole. After a few minutes of digging there was enough clearance to get the spare tire on the lug nuts were torqued to farm specs. 

The entire repair process only took 10 minutes or so, it was the fiasco leading up to the repair that took the most time. The other major breakdown was a bearing going out on the blower the silo. This is what propels the corn up the tube into the silo. Luckily, we had a spare blower on the farm and were only set back a half hour before we were up and unloading corn again. By the time you read this all the corn will be in the silo. There should be plenty of corn for backgrounding and finishing rations if we decide to go that route. Hopefully we will have enough for next year’s calf crop also.

Friday, Oct. 20

8:23 p.m. Assist county deputy with a traffic stop.

Saturday, Oct. 21

4:31 p.m. Deliver landlord letter to property in DL.

12:05 a.m. Vehicle parked partially blocking sidewalk.

Monday, Oct. 23

8:06 a.m. Background check for local landlord.

1:37 p.m. Resident calling to inquire how to trespass a female from their home/property.

3:09 p.m. Report of theft of a wallet and cash from a student at the high school. School staff handled the issue, no charges to be filed.

Wednesday, Oct. 25

9:10 a.m. Vehicle unlock on Juniper Ave.

1 p.m. Male laying in the ditch near St. Hwy 87 and US Hwy 10 area. Male had been at the rest area and State Patrol moved him along. Male said he was walking to DL.

1:43 p.m. Assist high school staff with a student who may be under the influence.

4:41 p.m. Suspicious male from rest area call was at the elementary school. Officer found male digging in the dumpster behind the high school shop. Officer talked with the male and offered him a ride to DL or Perham or to a friend’s house in town but he declined. Male claimed to be homeless and was allowed to go on his own free will. Officer did tell him that more calls on him could result in being arrested for Public Nuisance.

7:11 p.m. A mother calling to report the creepy dude had talked to her daughter while he was near the student parking. Mom said nothing happened and daughter took action to get back in the school.

Thursday, Oct. 26

9:23 a.m. Report of a court order violation. Under investigation.

3:30 p.m. Assist Otter Tail County deputy and Perham PD with a traffic stop on US Hwy 10.

8:09 p.m. Parking complaint of an enclosed trailer that has not moved for several weeks. Officer talked with homeowner and they will move it to the backyard soon.