Not everyone blessed with the luck of the Irish over St. Pat’s weekend

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A 22-year-old River Falls man took a right hook to the ribs in front of Boomer’s Bar, 106 N. Main St., at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day. The victim claimed he was protecting a young lady who was shoved by another man. He collapsed after the blow to the ribs, got back up but couldn’t stand straight. His attacker fled. The victim had his buddy take him to the hospital.

River Falls police also:

--Arrested a 26-year-old Woodbury, Minn., man for disorderly conduct in the downtown median at bar closing at 2:20 a.m. Sunday. The man wore a bandana over his face like a mask and was aiming something that looked like a gun at another man. Officers took the man down to the pavement in the Main Street traffic lane and then escorted him to a squad car. It turned out the man had a can of pepper spray, not a gun. A 25-year-old River Falls man thought it was a gun and said the Woodbury man threatened to shoot him. The Woodbury man said he was only trying to protect himself from the unruly crowd. He was given a $177 fine.

--A 25-year-old Menomonie man was visiting a male friend in River Falls when the two were allegedly accosted at 1:40 a.m. Saturday in the 300 block of West Johnson Street. Two other men asked if the Menomonie man had stolen their dog. Told no, one of the suspects punched the victim in the mouth. He fell and dropped his laptop computer. The attackers tried to take it but then ran off to a nearby apartment complex on the north side of Johnson Street. Officers couldn’t find them. The police report mentions that the Menomonie man (the victim) and his friend were drunk.

--Arrested a 21-year-old Hudson man for disorderly conduct at the Ground Zero bar, 121 S. Main St., shortly after 1 a.m. Bouncers there were giving the boot to a shirtless man described as intoxicated and picking fights with patrons, then fighting with the bouncers. The young Hudson man was said to be nearly incoherent but kept referring to the armed services. At the police station he allegedly threatened to punch anyone outside that he didn’t like. Officers therefore contacted and got his mom to come for him. He was given a $177 fine and released to her care.

--Arrested a 38-year-old Hudson woman for driving while revoked and for failing to obey a traffic sign at Hwy. 35 and Whitetail Boulevard last Wednesday before 10 a.m. The woman allegedly tried to leave the Whitetail Ridge Corporate Park in her red pickup truck and drive across the highway. A sign at that exit is marked for right-hand only turn. The woman, who had a 34-year-old River Falls man as a passenger, was stopped by an officer at the highway juncture with County Road U. She had lost her license because of a drunk-driving conviction. She had an occupational permit but was driving outside those hours. She was handcuffed, brought to the police station and given fines totaling more than $400.

--Investigated another fraud incident that tried to scam money from a HELOC account at WESTconsin Credit Union, 1207 N. Main St. A 60-year-old rural River Falls man and his wife were the intended victims. Similar to a case the week before, the scammer had gotten AT&T to disable and reroute the couple’s land-line phone to another number. The call-in scammer also had the man’s Social Security number and his birth date to try to convince the credit union to have the home equity money transferred. This time, the transaction was refused and the impersonator hung up. This case also was turned over by police to the FBI.

For more, please read Police Beat in the March 21 print edition of the River Falls Journal.

Tags: river falls, news, crime, courts