BWCA Idiocy and Mayhem: Olson and MU Update

BWCAW shooter: ‘I may have ruined my life forever’
Update from Ely

Present:Another kid from the Ely Six pleads guilty… Jay Andrew Olson.

…one felony count of aiding and abetting terroristic threats; one felony count of aiding and abetting harassment with a firearm; two gross misdemeanor counts of criminal damage to property; one misdemeanor count of possession of stolen property; and one misdemeanor count of reckless discharge of a firearm.

Young mister Olson appears to show remorse, which is good.

…calling it “by far’’ the worst day of his life and saying he behaved “terribly.’’ He said he drove a boat with two other suspects for several hours on Basswood Lake that night, with the group firing an AK-47 rifle and mortar-like fireworks and harassing campers while drinking beer.

Now, if the news story is correct in suggesting that Olson claimed it was the worst day of his life, he should have chosen a different set of words. More accurately, he contributed to what might be the worst day of his victim’s lives. I suspect, based on what we’ve now read, he knows that.

While he said he never intended to harm anyone, he said he did intend to annoy them and understands now why many campers said they feared for their lives.

“I scared a lot of people … and I may have ruined my life forever,’’ Olson said in the courtroom.

Hell, Jay, we can sympathize with that sentiment. A number of the Earth-Muffin crowd is extremely annoying and I love the idea of annoying them right back… but not with a gun. Especially in the dark. And most definitely not with some punk-assed, loud-mouthed, jumped-up, snot-nosed, 16 year old drunk on crappy beer who thinks he’s the Ron effing Jeremy of Ely.

This kid probably did ruin his life forever. Then again, considering the crowd he apparently associates with this colossal mistake might have just saved his life.

Future:Still to come… Barney Lakner, since his lawyer arranged for another delay.

…faces a jury trial as early as September. Lakner was scheduled for a court appearance Monday, but that was postponed at his attorney’s request, one of several of such delays. Judge Sandvik ordered Lakner to appear June 16 and said no additional delays would be allowed without his approval.

We also have a name to go with MU. (Happy Birthday, jackass.)

…Matthew Bernard Urbas of Ely, now 17, is awaiting trial in the case. Urbas, who was 16 at the time of the incident, is being handled in juvenile court but his case is open to the public because he is charged with felony crimes.

Urbas faces 23 felony, gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor charges stemming from the incident. His trial and sentence will be handled as if he is an adult. In court documents obtained Monday, Urbas told law enforcement officers after his arrest that he had been drinking and that the group harassed the campers by firing weapons and swearing at them in an effort at “defending his territory’’ — meaning the BWCAW —against people who were “taking it away.’’

Defending the territory? From what? This is the kid, at least according to the statements made in the criminal complaint, who stated to a young woman that he was going to bury his c*ck in her for three hours. Apparently, Matthew Urbas wants to protect Ely from girls, cooties, and p*ssy… and he plans to protect Ely through prolonged sexual penetration.

That’s sarcasm, Urbas… but it sounds like the gal and her father considered that a threat of rape. Can you blame them? Besides, you wouldn’t know what to do with a Suzy if you got one in the mail.


Past:See the archives.

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.

See the Criminal Complaint.

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…

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…

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…

Don Pardo, tell them what they won:

All were banned from the BWCAW for three years.

[...]

…Barton will serve 20 days in a local jail and three years’ probation on the felony charge.

…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.

…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.

Kids, I have some advice for you. Do you time, don't complain (not even to sympathetic ears in Ely), straighten out Matthew Urbas (because he's going to ruin his life if you don't), distance yourself from Lakner (besides from the reason that it is kind of creepy), keep your nose clean, get through college, do some charity work... all that.

Folks will remember this, but if you simply deal with it in a mature manner and you should be fine.

Like my father-in-law says, you boys just grew up. Not on August 7, 2007... you're forced to grow up now to take your lumps. It is the long-game strategy.