Benjamin James Stavaas, 23, has been on the run from local authorities since July 26, when he failed to show up at the Otter Tail County Courthouse for his initial appearance on animal cruelty charges. Stavaas had been charged after a sheriff’s office investigation accused him of slitting the throat of Star, a German shepherd who was found with a throat wound after she wandered into a rural Fergus Falls yard on June 21.
After Stavaas failed to appear in court, a warrant valid across the country was issued for his arrest. Though the sheriff’s office followed up on all leads given to them since the warrant (even determining that Stavaas had been in the Twin Cities the day of his court case), his whereabouts had not been discovered.
In November, a woman who had left the state with Stavaas was located in Denver. However, she refused to cooperate with authorities in locating Stavaas.
The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office was notified of Stavaas’ arrest at about 2 a.m. today. He is currently in the Jefferson County, Colo. jail for one count of second degree burglary, one count of criminal mischief, one count of theft and two counts of being a fugitive from justice. His first court date is set for Thursday. He is accused of burglarizing a liquor store, among other crimes.
Stavaas will stay in the custody of Jefferson County until his charges there are dealt with. After that, he will be extradited to Otter Tail County, where his animal cruelty case will continue.
According to the criminal complaint in Otter Tail County, Stavaas admitted to slitting Star’s throat during an interview with local law enforcement and cried because he was afraid to go to jail.
(Fergus Falls Journal - Dec 15, 2010)
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