Three indicted in Clough murder
Three individuals involved in the murder of 19-year-old Cheyenne Lee Clough of Buffalo at Crow Springs Park on June 1 were indicted by a grand jury in Wright County on Thursday, Aug. 25.
Shawn Benson, 21, of Maple Lake, who is believed to have shot Clough four times with a .22-caliber handgun around 3 a.m. and left her for dead at the park, was indicted for first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree intentional murder.
Edward Zelko, 26, of Buffalo, and Justin Jensen, 29, of Maple Lake, were both indicted for aiding and abetting first-degree premedicated murder and aiding and abetting second-degree intentional murder.
According to the Wright County Attorney’s Office, the killing followed an argument at Jensen’s home. Clough, the mother of a 3-year-old child, was upset that Jensen had called a bounty hunter and had her boyfriend, Devon Boyles, arrested on outstanding warrants. Eventually Jensen directed Benson and Zelko to kill Clough.
Clough was told she was being given a ride home and got into Zelko’s car with Benson riding as a passenger at about 2:30 a.m. Zelko drove to the park between Buffalo and Montrose in Franklin Township where the shooting occurred. Clough was discovered unresponsive at about 8 a.m. in the morning and died on June 4.
Zelko was arrested in Staples on June 4, and Jensen and Benson were arrested near International Falls on June 5.
Wright County Attorney Tom Kelly praised the work of law enforcement in the case and explained that the grand jury indictment was needed because Minnesota law does not allow county attorneys to charge first-degree premeditated murder.
All three defendants are scheduled to make their first appearance on the indictment in Wright County District Court on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
Council calls for special meeting
The Annandale City Council was scheduled to hold a special meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 30, after this edition of the Advocate went to press. Coverage will be provided in next week’s Advocate. Some items of interest on the agenda included:
■ The resignation of councilor David Burd, who is relocating outside the city limits.
■ A request for proposals for a downtown plan.
■ Amendment to the plans for the Southside Trail and the pathways at Annandale Municipal Park.
■ A recommendation from the park commission on improvements to the Annandale Recreation Park.
Three injured in Highway 55 crash
Three people were injured in a two-vehicle collision on Highway 55 in Maple Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 23.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a 2005 Dodge Caravan driven by Patrick Howe, 69, of Buffalo, was heading west on Highway 55 and began to slow down to make a left turn into the Cenex station shortly before 9:45 a.m. A 1998 Dodge Intrepid driven by 93-year-old Angela Paumen of Maple Lake was also westbound on Highway 55 and rear-ended Howe’s vehicle.
The two drivers and a passenger in Paumen’s vehicle, 50-year-old Ronald Daniels, all received injuries that were not life-threatening. Howe and Daniels were treated at Buffalo Hospital.
Crash occurs in work zone
Few details were available from the Minnesota State Patrol on Monday, Aug. 29, but another crash occurred at the intersection of Highway 55 and County State Aid Highway 3 on Sunday, Aug. 28, where safety improvements, including traffic lights and turn lanes, are currently under construction.
The State Patrol said that an SUV that was southbound on CSAH 3 stopped at Highway 55, but failed to yield to a westbound vehicle on Highway 55 and was struck while attempting to cross the highway around 1:50 p.m.
There were no life-threatening injuries, and none of the motorists involved required transportation to a hospital. Identities were not available when this edition of the Advocate went to press.
The driver of the vehicle that was attempting to cross the highway was cited for failing to yield at the entrance to a through highway after having stopped.
A rash of crashes at the intersection since late 2014 have prompted the current construction, which will install left turn lanes in both directions on Highway 55 and stop lights in an attempt to prevent future broadside collisions.
Motorists traveling both directions on Highway 55 should expect delays of up to 15 minutes during the project, which is scheduled for completion by Nov. 15. The road will intermittently be reduced to a single lane between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, and flaggers will direct one-way, traffic through the construction zone.
Library headquarters damaged
Operations in the Great River Regional Library system, of which Annandale is a part, has been affected to some extent by an arson incident at the St. Cloud Library headquarters. On Wednesday, Aug. 17, about 250 patrons and staff were evacuated from the library when a patron set fire to at least one book and a chair on the second floor. Smoke damage was reported throughout the building, and the library is closed indefinitely until the full damage can be assessed. The suspect, Jorge Ozornia, 47, has been taken into custody.