By Shawn Hogendorf, Correspondent

PRIOR LAKE - Police are investigating a report of ongoing “sexting” communications between a 31-year-old Maple Lake, Minn. man and a 12-year-old Prior Lake girl.

As a result of an Apple Valley Police Department investigation into a separate harassment complaint, Prior Lake police received information that the man was sending and receiving text messages with the girl, Detective Chris Olson said.

Shakopee police arrested an 18-year-old Prior Lake man early this morning for the armed robbery of Burger King late Tuesday night.

The man is also suspected of attempting to rob Payless Gas Station on Monday evening. 

The suspect was booked into Scott County Jail at 4:21 a.m. on suspicion of aggravated robbery. Formal charges are pending with the Scott County Attorney's Office.

No more information was immediately available from police. Check shakopeenews.com later for further updates.

By Shawn Hogendorf, Correspondent

SAVAGE -- Students at Prior Lake High School were placed in “shelter in place” after a student experienced a medical emergency at about 10:30 a.m. today.

By Shawn Hogendorf, Correspondent 

A 41-year-old Prior Lake man who is the owner of a pharmaceutical company that collects and disposes outdated, recalled or excess prescription drugs was sentenced Tuesday in federal court for selling Xanax and OxyContin.

Mark Andrew Goetz was sentenced to serve four years in prison on one count of distribution of controlled substances by U.S. District Court Judge James Rosenbaum. Goetz was indicted on May 20 and pleaded guilty on July 28.

Police are asking businesses for help in catching a man who robbed Burger King by gunpoint late Tuesday  and may have tried robbing a gas station the night before. 

The man, who displayed a black handgun and knife, followed an employee through the back door of Burger King about 11:50 p.m. after the store closed and the employee was taking out the trash. He fled on foot with a
small amount of cash. The restaurant is located on the corner of Marschall Road and First Avenue. 

Minnesota began a statewide ignition interlock program in July aimed to combat the issue of unlicensed DWI offenders continuing to drive — and drive impaired — following an arrest.

The program allows certain driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenders to regain driving privileges by having an ignition interlock device installed in their vehicles.

By Shawn Hogendorf, Correspondent 

Volunteers with both the Prior Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Prior Lake Amateur Baseball Association have been charged with serving alcohol to minors after failing alcohol compliance checks earlier this year.

A 52-year-old Prior Lake man was charged with serving a minor, a gross-misdemeanor, after he failed an alcohol compliance check conducted by police during the Chamber’s “Ladies Night Out” event on Sept. 17.

By Mollee Francisco, Correspondent

ST. PAUL — A Chaska woman has pleaded guilty to keeping in excess of $900,000 from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The first full-scale, primary seatbelt enforcement campaign in Minnesota that was held in mid-October led to more than 10,000 citations statewide.

Education and enforcement of the new seat belt law has helped push the state’s belt use rate to a record high 90 percent, and as a result, factored in a lower death count for the year and fewer unbelted deaths compared to 2008, according to Minnesota Department of Public Safety.