Anoka County deputies report winter increase in self-initiated activity, several arrests

Anoka County deputies briefed the East Bethel City Council on Jan. activity, reporting 368 calls for service, 43 arrests and 23 traffic crashes in the month.

Deputies said self-initiated field activity rose in January even as dispatch calls were slightly lower than prior periods. Deputies described multiple notable incidents: an early-January pursuit that reached speeds of about 85 mph and ended when the vehicle entered a cul-de-sac in Isanti County and was stopped by squad cars; an arrest where a driver was found with a concealed loaded handgun and an expired permit; another arrest where deputies located a person with an outstanding felony warrant at a residence and took the person into custody after an attempted retreat into the home; and a Jan. 6 stop near QuikTrip in East Bethel that led to a canine sniff and discovery of oxycodone pills and a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Deputies said the county's marine unit will coordinate ice rescue training with the East Bethel Fire Department in early March to boost interagency cooperation for water rescues. The transcript records that deputies conducted 177 traffic stops resulting in 26 traffic citations and that the department made 43 arrests for miscellaneous offenses.

Deputies responded to a mix of thefts and assaults during the month and encouraged residents to be aware of training activity that may appear as a large emergency presence on local lakes when the ice-rescue exercise occurs.