Monday, February 18, 2013
Two recent cases have emphasized the breadth of the legal definition. Patch wants to know what the word means to you.
“Murder” and “homicide” are loaded words that conjure images of malice and deliberate violence. This month, though, the west metro has been reminded that that’s not always the case. At the beginning of February, prosecutors charged Jonathan Markle with criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the drowning of his 9-month-old daughter. Prosecutors say Markle's blood alcohol level was .13 when his vehicle broke through the ice Jan. 18 after he tried to drive underneath the Halstead Bay Bridge on Lake Minnetonka. Hennepin County Mike Freeman acknowledged that the legal system has "no penalty that can approach the grief and agony this man might feel by the death of his daughter at his own hand." But Freeman went on to say he wants this …
Friday, February 8, 2013
A Lake Minnetonka accident claimed the life of Markle's infant daughter last month. Prosecutors say Markle was legally drunk. Defense attorney says family has already been "visited by extreme pain and hurt."
- POLICE & FIRE
- Jay Corn
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Friday, February 8
The father of an infant who drowned last month in Lake Minnetonka made his first court appearance Friday afternoon after being charged earlier in the week with vehicular homicide. Jonathan Markle, accompanied by his attorney, turned himself in and surrendered his passport Thursday night. He was assigned a cell and sat behind obscured windows in the courtroom. Prosecutors say Markle was legally drunk on the evening of Jan. 18 when his family’s vehicle broke through the ice underneath the Halstead Bay Bridge in Minnetrista. Markle’s nine-month old daughter Tabitha was trapped in the SUV and died three days after the accident. Two other family members—Markle's wife, Amanda, and another female child—were also in the vehicle went it went …
Prosecutors say Jonathan Markle was legally drunk when the family's vehicle sunk in a channel last month.
The father of an infant who drowned after their family vehicle broke through the ice on Lake Minnetonka last month has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide. Prosecutors say Jonathan Markle's blood alcohol level was .13 when he attempted to drive underneath the Halstead Bay Bridge Jan. 18. The vehicle sunk in about six feet of water, trapping nine-month-old Tabitha Markle for more than 15 minutes. Jonathan Markle told police that he had two beers at dinner, but prosecutors say a blood sample tested nearly twice the legal limit. Markle has a prior DWI conviction on his driving record, according to court records. Related articles: Hennepin County Mike Freeman said Thursday that the legal system has "no penalty that can approach the …
Thursday, January 24, 2013
After the death of a baby, Sheriff Stanek reminds citizens of ice dangers.
There have been seven vehicles that have broken through the ice on Lake Minnetonka in four days, Jan. 18-21. Tragically, one incident resulted in the death of an infant, an 8-month-old girl from Minnetrista. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office reminds residents that no ice should ever be considered safe. Residents are urged to review these safety guidelines: · Despite the recent cold weather, channels of Lake Minnetonka remain dangerous and should be avoided. A vehicle, such as a car, truck, or SUV, should NEVER be driven through a channel. The weak ice in a channel is due to water constantly running from one bay to another bay. The friction of the running water causes the ice to weaken. · Channels should also be avoided by people on …
Tabitha passed away Monday morning. The following is her obituary.
Editor's Note: Information courtesy Morris-Nilsen Funeral Home Tabitha Rose Markle, aged 9 months. Preceded in death by her grandfather, Lawrence Markle. Survived by parents, Jonathan and Amanda; sister, Isabelle; grandparents, Marilyn Markle, Marvin and Mary Seefeld; aunts and uncles, Sandy and Dave Pevonka, Laura and Jason West, Amy and Aaron Seefeld and Emily Seefeld; cousins, Kenneth and Sara Pevonka, Natalie, Jacqueline and Gabriella Seefeld. Services Mass of Christian Burial Friday, January 25, 2013, at 10:30 AM at St. Peter’s Catholic Church 6730 Nicollet Ave. S., Richfield. Interment Resurrection Cemetery. Visitation Thursday, January 24th, from 4-7 PM at Morris Nilsen Chapel, 6527 Portland Ave. S., Richfield. *** Related stories…
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Alcohol was a factor in at least two of the seven accidents; Sheriff Rich Stanek urges common sense and good judgement.
The death of an eight-month-old baby is prompting area safety officials to urge the public to use good judgement and take appropriate safety precautions when driving on Lake Minnetonka and other frozen bodies of water in Hennepin County. Tabitha Markle died early Monday morning after her family's vehicle broke through the ice Friday night near the Halstead Bay Bridge adjacent to County Road 44 in Minnetrista. Tabitha's mother, a teacher with Richfield Public Schools, her father and sister were also in the SUV. The accident occurred less than 24 hours after the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office conducted a nighttime rescue drill that simulated a similar scenario. In all, seven vehicles have broken through the ice since last Friday. Alcohol …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Family's vehicle broke through the ice near the channel between Halstead Bay and Priests Bay; Infant died early Monday morning at Children's Hospital.
Tabitha Markle has died. Tabitha, a nearly nine-month-old baby girl, was strapped in her car seat when her family's vehicle broke through the ice on Lake Minnetonka Friday evening. She was submerged 15-20 minutes before first responders were able to free her. She was first taken by ambulance to Waconia and later transported by helicopter to Children's Hospital. A report released Tuesday afternoon by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office classified Tabitha's death as an accidental drowning. She died just after 2:30 a.m. Monday morning. Tabitha's death is the first in Hennepin County this season attributed to thin ice. Her mother, Amanda Markle, works within the Richfield Public Schools District. The following was released late …
Saturday, January 19, 2013
The mother of the baby in critical condition works for Richfield Public Schools.
Editor's Note: The following update was released at 4:20 p.m. by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office. On January 18 at 5:08 p.m., the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a vehicle breaking through the ice on Lake Minnetonka. A family from Minnetrista had been traveling in a small SUV when it broke through thin ice and into the water under the Halstead Bay Bridge. A husband, wife, and their young daughters – a two-year-old and a nine-month-old – were in the vehicle at the time. Read Patch's coverage of the sheriff's press conference Saturday morning. A homeowner who lives next to the bridge is a volunteer firefighter for Mound Fire Department. He heard cries for help and he and a friend pulled the mother and two-year-old …
Hennepin County Rich Stanek said nine-month-old was submerged for 15-20 minutes. The infant's mother works for Richfield Public Schools.
Nine-month-old Tabitha Rose Markle is in critical condition after her family's vehicle broke through the ice last night on Lake Minnetonka. First responders rescued the child from about six feet of water after she was submerged for 15-20 minutes, according to Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek. Tabitha was taken by ambulance to Waconia and later transported by helicopter to Children's Hospital. Sheriff Stanek said during a news conference Saturday morning that a volunteer Mound fireman, who lives on Lake Minnetonka near where the vehicle went through the ice, was the first to reach the scene. Stanek praised the fireman's quick thinking and training, adding he provided crucial assistance and first aid during the critical first few minutes …
Rachel Powell
7:47 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
not quite sure how they all got away without being charged with war crimes more ›