The fourth of five Ely men charged in last summer's Basswood Lake shooting spree pleaded guilty this afternoon in State District Court in Lake County.
Jay Andrew Olson, 19, pleaded to one count of felony aiding and abetting a terroristic threat, one felony count of aiding and abetting harassment with a firearm, two gross misdemeanor charges of criminal damage to property, one misdemeanor charge of stolen property and one misdemeanor charge of reckless discharge of a firearm. He admitted his involvement in the crimes in the courtroom.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 7. Olson faces a mandatory minimum of three years in a state prison for the felony charges, although the judge can make special exceptions.
Olson had been charged with four felony counts of terroristic threats, 12 felony counts of harassment, two felony counts of criminal damage to property, two gross misdemeanor counts of theft, one gross misdemeanor count of possession of stolen property, and one misdemeanor count each of reckless discharge of a firearm and underage consumption.
Olson also agreed to testify in any trials of other suspects in the case.
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Olson earlier had pleaded not guilty and asked for a jury trial. In May, Lake County Attorney Russ Conrow made it known that he would seek to try Olson together with Barney James Lakner, 37, who is expected to stand trial later this year for his involvement in the incident.
Lakner was also expected to appear in court today for a procedural hearing, but that was again canceled at the request of his attorney, one of several such delays in his case.
Authorities say Lakner was essentially the leader of the group of five Ely men and a juvenile who brought loaded guns, fireworks and beer into the BWCAW on the night of Aug. 7 and proceeded to fire dozens of rounds and terrorize and threaten many campers.
All six suspects were apprehended at a boat landing shortly after the shooting. Lakner was arrested wearing a knit cap with fake dreadlocks and possessing a .45-caliber handgun and several clips. He has been cited previously for alcohol-related crimes and was charged with operating a snowmobile in the BWCAW.
According to the criminal complaint, the men brought cases of beer, a bottle of schnapps, mortar-like fireworks, a Russian-style semi-automatic assault rifle, a .45-caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun, a .22-caliber handgun and a .22 rifle into the wilderness for their evening boat ride. They stopped at and near several campsites where they fired rounds and verbally threatened campers.
Several victims and witnesses on the lake that night have requested to testify against the defendants in the case.
Three other suspects, who arrived on Basswood Lake later and joined the group after the incident had started, were sentenced last month after pleading guilty to lesser charges in exchange for agreeing to testify against others in the case.
Zachary Ross Barton, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of felony aiding and abetting terroristic threats and one misdemeanor count each of reckless discharge of a firearm and underage consumption of alcohol. Barton will serve 20 days in a local jail and three years' probation on the felony charge and has been ordered to stay out of the BWCAW for three years.
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Casey James Fenske, 19, pleaded guilty to one felony count of aiding and abetting terroristic threats, a gross misdemeanor for criminal damage to property and a misdemeanor charge of reckless discharge of a firearm. Fenske will serve at least nine months at the Northeast Regional Corrections Center or a similar facility and will be on probation for three years. He also will pay restitution for damage he inflicted on a federal water level-gauging station on Basswood Lake in an earlier incident and will be banned from the BWCAW for three years.
Travis John Erzar, 20, pleaded guilty to a felony count of aiding and abetting terroristic threats and a misdemeanor count of underage consumption of alcohol. Erzar will serve no jail time but will serve three years of probation on the felony charge. The felony will be reduced to a misdemeanor in Erzar's court record if he serves the probation without problem. Erzar also is banned from the BWCAW for three years.
An as-yet unidentified juvenile also has been charged in the case. Conrow successfully petitioned the court to try the juvenile under a state statute that effectively treats him as an adult until he is 21. It's not yet clear if that trial will be open to the public.
