Minneapolis, MN
Charges dismissed against subject of Minneapolis police chase that killed Leneal Frazier
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Hennepin County prosecutors dismissed charges against a driver accused of being involved in a high-speed police chase that resulted in 2021 crash that killed Leneal Frazier.
James Jeremiah Jones-Drain, 20, was facing charges of stealing a vehicle and fleeing police resulting in the death of another person in relation to a crash on July 6, 2021, which killed Frazier. The Minneapolis police officer involved in the chase, Brian Cummings, was convicted of criminal vehicular homicide for the death.
Jones-Drain was set to go to trial on Aug. 28, but prosecutors filed a motion just days before stating they are dismissing the charges “due to an inability to prove all of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt at this time.”
According to court records, around 12:30 a.m. on July 6, Cummings was pursuing an armed robbery suspect, believed to be Jones-Drain, on Lyndale Avenue North while reaching speeds around 90-100 mph and collided with Frazier’s vehicle at the intersection of North 41st Avenue.
Video shows Minneapolis police squad car deadly crash during pursuit
After hitting the first vehicle, the squad car went into the southbound lane and struck a second uninvolved vehicle. Frazier’s car was pushed into a nearby bus shelter. He died at the hospital a short time later.
The armed robbery suspect fled the scene.
Cummings was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide, pleading guilty to the latter charge in April 2023. He was sentenced earlier this month to serve less than a year at the Hennepin County workhouse.
Jones-Drain wasn’t arrested until January 2023, and he pleaded not guilty to the charges related to the fatal crash, which have now been dismissed. However, Jones-Drain remains in custody for other pending charges including simple robbery and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
Cummings’ lawyer Tom Plunkett gave FOX 9 the following statement about the dismissal:
“Mr. Cummings risked his life many times to protect people. He sits in jail. Mr. Jones-Drain, a gun toting thief, who bears responsibility for the death of Leneal Frazier, and stole from the innocent gets a break? Minneapolis is a better place to be a criminal than a law enforcement officer.”
Nick Kimball, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office spokesperson .
Mr. Plunkett’s client sits in jail because he voluntarily pled guilty to criminal vehicular homicide and admitted under oath, while represented by Mr. Plunkett, to needlessly driving in a grossly negligent manner at a speed of almost 100 mph in a residential area, causing the unfortunate death of Mr. Frazier,” said Nick Kimball, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office spokesperson, in a statement to FOX 9. “It is also worth noting that Mr. Cummings admitted he had legitimate alternatives to his criminal conduct and that he caused excessive danger to the general public with his actions. If his admitted conduct had not been so far from the norm, he would not have been charged, pled guilty, or been convicted.”
Minneapolis, MN
5 artists to keep an eye on from 2024’s Minneapolis College of Art and Design art sale
The 27th annual Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s art sale was like a mix between a thrift store hunt and a stroll through a gallery.
This year, organizers of the art sale made it easier to navigate by grouping artists together rather than sprinkling their work through the four-day show that ended Nov. 24. The event wasn’t just a chance for artists to sell work but also a place to discover new talent. It included works from current MCAD students and alumni, which precluded current professors or employees unless they attend the school. Here’s a list of artists whose works caught my eye and should catch yours as well.
J.M. Culver’s “That, There” is an oil and charcoal painting on canvas. (J.M. Culver)
J.M. Culver
In her paintings, Minneapolis-based artist J.M. Culver explores memory and the human condition. Her painting “That, There,” a 5-by-5-foot oil and charcoal painting on canvas, portrays a room devoid of people, with a bright blue chair placed in the center of hazy-looking furniture. The painting evokes a sense of memory, but fragmented and maybe even false. Culver got her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from MCAD, and did her graduate studies at Syracuse University in New York. Check out her work on the art sale’s website or jmculver.com.
The price tag for “Kit” by photographer Shun Yong was $2,000 at the 27th annual MCAD Art Sale. (Shun Yong)
Shun Yong’s photograph of a woman dressed in white sitting on a red couch jumped out at me. This large-scale portrait, titled “Kit,” captures a subtle moment in time: she’s knitting something in a domestic setting. The photo left me wanting to know more, but also feeling cautious to ask. Yong graduated with a master’s degree in photography from MCAD in 2018. For more info, visit shunjyong.com or the art sale’s website.
Artist Troy McCall’s painting “Snow Angels” was listed for $1,000 at the 27th annual MCAD Art Sale. (Troy McCall)
In each of artist Troy McCall’s paintings, there is something haunting, eerie or just plain unnerving. “Snow Angels” depicts an idyllic snow-covered sledding hill and a kid carving a snow angel with his body as a girl with a sled walks toward him. But look closer and you’ll see the fear on his face. Why is he scared, though? McCall’s painting lets viewers’ minds wander to various conclusions. The same sinister feeling lurks in paintings of classic American holidays such as Christmas, Halloween and the Fourth of July. McCall graduated with his bachelor’s degree in filmmaking from MCAD in 2008. See more of his work on the art sale’s website or at themccallcompany.com
Niky Motekallem’s illustration titled “A New Bed With Soil Softer than Cotton” was on display at Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s art sale. (Niky Motekallem)
Illustrator and artist Niky Motekallem’s lush, hyper detail-oriented paintings mostly depict flowers, plants and animals in various moments of beautiful decay. In one illustration, a lavender-colored bunny is wrapped in pink and purple flowers; in another, a gathering of butterflies nestles on aqua-and-green-tinted flowers. At the art sale, Motekallem’s paintings were encased in frames as ornate as the works themselves. The Iranian-American received her master’s degree in illustration from MCAD in 2016. More at nikymotekallem.com or Instagram.com/royalghostmarch.
“Rebirth Cycle: Oak (green)”, a hand-carved relief print by Jamie Kubat, was priced at $40 at the MCAD Art Sale. (Jamie Kubat)
I uncovered two prints by Minneapolis-based artist Jamie Kubat hidden away on a shelf on the second-floor of the art sale. The hand-carved relief prints depict a crow holding a mushroom next to a sheep skull, and surrounded by plants. In the haunting print “Ghost,” a horse trots through a world of swirling smoke. Kubat graduated from MCAD in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in drawing and painting. A multidisciplinary artist, Kubat draws on their experiences as an autistic person with a rural upbringing, and displayed works recently at “The Art of Disability Justice Now” at the Mill City Museum. To see more on Kubat, visit the art sale’s website or jamiekubat.com.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis police gear up ahead of the holiday weekend
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Minneapolis, MN
Wild turkey aggression prompts USPS letter to northeast Minneapolis residents
MINNEAPOLIS — This Thanksgiving, wild turkeys are serving up trouble for Minneapolis mail carriers.
“We just came home one day, and there was one sitting on our front stoop,” said Ben Katz.
For Ben and Maggie Katz, seeing turkeys outside their door was quite the novelty, especially considering they moved to Minneapolis from their relatively turkey-less former home of New York City.
“They haven’t really bothered us, but we think it’s kind of funny that they’re in the neighborhood,” said Ben Katz.
However, these turkeys are no joke for others.
“I just never in my life thought I would get a letter about some turkey problems,” said Maggie Katz.
The turkeys are such an issue in one northeast Minneapolis neighborhood they have prompted a letter to United States Postal Service customers. According to the letter, wild turkeys are aggressively pursuing USPS drivers. The letter advises customers to chase them off and to avoid feeding the animals.
“They’re turkeys, right? So it’s not like bad attacks are happening, but they are a nuisance,” said Joseph Tiemann, vice president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 9.
Tiemann suggests customers either stop feeding the birds, or feed them away from where letter carriers are delivering mail.
“Usually it’s a dog,” said Tiemann. “Sometimes turkeys, sometimes cats, you know there’s all kinds of hazards out there on the street for us as letter carriers.”
Despite the regular visits from turkeys, the Katzes said they are not giving handouts to their feathered friends.
“I like our mail carrier a lot, so if she’s stressed, I don’t want her to be stressed, but also I don’t know what to do,” said Maggie Katz.
The Katzes said it is about recognizing that turkeys are a part of life and that living alongside them is key.
“We all got to live together, right? We all got to coexist. Turkeys live here too,” said Maggie Katz.
“But we also got to get our mail,” said Ben Katz.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said you can avoid feeding turkeys by keeping your bird feeders clean. Turkeys are also attracted to shiny objects, the DNR said, so try to cover them along with windows they are attracted to. You can always chase off turkeys with loud noises or a broom, the DNR said.
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