crime and courts
By Lori SorensonSeptember 02, 2026It was a crowded and somber courtroom Monday for the sentence hearing of Jayson Delfs, who was convicted of criminal vehicular homicide for the drunk driving crash that killed 47-year-old Grant Crawford of rural Jasper. Delfs, 23, Hardwick, entered a guilty plea Aug. 17 after a plea agreement that dismissed a third-degree murder charge and a second charge of vehicular homicide. According to…
By Lori SorensonAugust 19, 2026Twenty-three-year-old Jayson Delfs, Hardwick, entered a guilty plea Monday morning in Rock County District Court to the charge of criminal vehicular homicide. He admitted in a crowded courtroom that on March 27, 2025, he took the life of 47-year-old Grant Crawford, rural Jasper, when he rear-ended Crawford’s pickup while driving intoxicated at 129 mph. According to the plea petition, Delfs…
By Lori SorensonAugust 19, 2026Legal proceedings for Luverne murder suspect Melvin Frazier are suspended following a Rule 20 motion that was granted in Rock County District Court Monday. A Rule 20 evaluation is conducted by a court-appointed examiner to assess a defendant’s ability to understand the proceedings and assist in their defense. Frazier, 61, is accused of killing 47-year-old Janelle Lea Carlson in their Luverne…
By Lori SorensonAugust 12, 2026Accused murder suspect Melvin Frazier made his initial appearance in Rock County District Court Monday in a remote hearing before District Court Judge Kayla Johnson. He is represented by public defender Michael Hanson who on Monday requested a Rule 20 evaluation of his client before the case proceeds. A Rule 20 evaluation is conducted by a court-appointed examiner to assess a defendant’s…
By Lori SorensonJuly 29, 2026Murder charges were filed Monday against 61-year-old Melvin Leon Frazier who is accused of killing 47-year-old Janelle Lea Carlson in their Luverne residence on July 24. On Tuesday, July 21, he was released from a jail sentence for assaulting Carlson in May. On Friday, he was arrested on charges that he brutally beat and stabbed her that evening. According to the criminal complaint filed…
By Lori SorensonJuly 29, 2026Janelle Carlson died at her home in Luverne on July 24, apparently at the hands of a man she loved and who described her as “his first love.” While her assailant is facing murder charges, Carlson’s family now wants her to be remembered for who she was, not how she died. When asked Monday to describe Carlson, her family eagerly provided a list: Little things made her happy. She loved to walk…- July 08, 2026A 20-year-old Luverne woman is facing gross misdemeanor charges after allegedly leaving her toddler alone overnight while partying in Sioux Falls. According to the criminal complaint filed Monday in Rock County District Court, Arianna Faith Meyer is charged with child neglect after leaving her 16-month-old child home alone July 2-3 while she and a 17-year-old friend went to Sioux Falls. The…
By Lori SorensonJuly 01, 2026Jayson Delfs, Hardwick, appeared in Rock County District Court Monday on charges of third-degree murder and vehicular homicide related to the March 2025 fatal crash northwest of Beaver Creek. At the settlement hearing, conducted by District Court Judge Kayla Johnson, the attorneys announced they had reached an agreement for Delfs to plead, and a plea hearing was set for Aug. 17. Felony…
By Lori SorensonMay 06, 2026A Rock County man was taken into custody April 30 following an online police sting originating in Rochester. According to court documents, 48-year-old Jared Leroy Peterson of Steen faces felony charges after his alleged participation in an online conversation with undercover officers posing as a 14-year-old girl. Reports state that Rochester law enforcement conducted a “proactive operation”…
By Lori SorensonApril 15, 2026Jayson Delfs, Hardwick, appeared in Rock County District Court Monday on charges of third-degree murder and vehicular homicide related to last year’s fatal crash northwest of Beaver Creek. The hearing, conducted remotely before District Court Judge Kayla Johnson, lasted only a few minutes — long enough for Delfs to enter not-guilty pleas on all counts. He faces felony charges on three counts…
By Lori SorensonMarch 11, 2026District Court Judge Kayla Johnson has issued a written order addressing contested facts and evidence in the third-degree murder and vehicular homicide case against Jayson Delfs, Hardwick. His charges stem from the March 27, 2025, fatal crash northwest of Beaver Creek that claimed the life of Grant Crawford, rural Jasper. Delfs’ last court appearance was a Dec. 12, 2025, contested omnibus…
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