By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent 

Sheriff deputies reported that one person was injured in a traffic accident at South Clitherall Lake Road at 10:42 a.m. on Sept. 19.

This was a two-vehicle accident when one driver failed to yield at an intersection. The driver of the other vehicle swerved to try and avoid the collision but entered the southeast ditch. A passenger was injured and experienced back pains.

Barn destroyed

near Perham

A barn, mostly empty, was destroyed by fire northwest of Perham on Sept. 17. Firefighters were called to the scene at 6:27 p.m.

A nearby bonfire spread to the barn. Deputies said the fire was accidental and that the barn was not insured. There were no injuries.

Trailer stolen

A 20-foot car trailer was stolen near Vergas, with the owner reporting the incident to sheriff deputies on Sept. 18.

The trailer is a 2-axle car trailer with slide-out rear ramps for loading. The unit is black in color with decals on both sides. Three of the wheel rims are silver and the rear rim is a spare and white in color.

Bus stop violation

A warning was issued to a woman who lives east of Vergas and northwest of Perham following failure to stop for a school bus that had the stop arm deployed.

The school bus driver honked the horn but there was no response from the driver. The incident was reported to sheriff deputies on Sept. 17.

Scam averted

A county resident at an undisclosed location reported to sheriff deputies, on Sept. 17, that he avoided becoming the victim of a scam.

He called what he thought was a phone number for Microsoft in order to fix a problem on his computer. Instead, he came in contact with a person who requested that, in order to form a computer firewall, the county resident needed to purchase gift cards and submit the card numbers,

The county resident immediately knew this was a scam, hung up the phone and then called sheriff deputies. 

The resident is not out any money and has contacted his bank to watch for any unusual activity.

Burglary reported

A burglary was reported northwest of Perham on Sept. 19, near Highway 60. Several items were stolen from a person’s home over Labor Day weekend.

Missing was a 12-volt battery, chains, straps, wrenches and various tools. The total value of the missing items was estimated at $225.

One injured in roadway

accident near Bluffton

One person was injured in a traffic accident near Bluffton, in eastern Otter Tail County, at 4:37 p.m. on Sept. 20, following a rollover.

The driver of a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado pickup was traveling north on County Road 77 and entered into Highway 10. 

The driver of a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, westbound on Highway 10, swerved to avoid hitting the 2020 Chevrolet, rolled and entered into a ditch. No contact was made between the vehicles.

A passenger in the 2004 Chevrolet pickup, 4-year-old Amalia Clarksean of Wadena, was injured. However, her injuries were non-life threatening.

The driver of the 2004 Chevrolet pickup was 63-year-old Dean Clarksean of Wadena. Driving the 2020 Chevrolet pickup was 29-year-old Evan Knutson of Wadena.

Responding to the scene of the accident were members of the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Department, members of the Minnesota State Highway Patrol, Bluffton Fire Department and Tri-County Ambulance.

One traffic injury

near NY Mills

Sheriff deputies reported that one person was injured Sept. 23 in a roadway accident at the intersection of Highways 14 and 67, south of New York Mills.

Injured at 4:18 p.m. was 19-year-old Preston Newborg of New York Mills.

Deputies said Newborg’s vehicle struck a large work truck. He was taken to the hospital in Perham, with non-life-threatening injuries.

Theft reported

Skid steer attachments were stolen from a location on Black Diamond Road, east of Vergas and northwest of Perham. The call came into the sheriff’s office on Sept. 22.

Close to $6,000 in skid-steer attachments, near a cellphone tower, were taken. Stolen items included a grapple, pallet fork and tiller.