Erick Wesley Olson, 33, formerly of Thief River Falls, is currently held on $30,000 bail without conditions or could be released on $1,200 cash with conditions.

A Crookston man is charged with four counts of Threats of Violence and four counts of fifth-degree Criminal Sexual Conduct - Lewd Exhibition after exposing himself and threatening to rape and kill four elementary students as they were on their way home from their bus stop. Erick Wesley Olson, 33, formerly of Thief River Falls, is currently held on $30,000 bail without conditions or could be released on $1,200 cash with conditions. Olson has an extensive criminal history from both Minnesota and North Dakota, and a delinquent with a number of felonies as a minor in the late 1990s and early 2000.

According to the complaint, on Monday, March 14, at approximately 2:35 p.m., Crookston Police Officer Don Rasicot received a report from a mother of a 10-year-old (M.B.) and an 8-year-old (T.B.) that ride the school bus together with neighbors who are also ages 10 and 8 (K.R.E. and K.L.E.) and these students got off the bus at their stop in front of the apartment building, located at 822 North Main Street to go home to the 800 block of North Broadway when a naked male adult came out from behind the building at North Main Street and began masturbating in front of them. He also threatened to rape and kill them, said court documents. The children immediately ran home and told their mother what had happened.

Officer Rasicot then responded to the mother’s location and spoke to M.B., who stated that she, T.B., K.R.E. and K.L.E. walked behind the big apartment building at North Main Street and as they did so, a white male, who was in his 20s or 30s and had short black or dark brown hair and tattoos all over his arms, chest, and neck, came out from an apartment door and stood on the balcony totally naked waving his shirt or underwear over his head. M.B. then said the white male yelled at them that he was going to rape and kill them. The victim said the male was playing with his penis and then started “humping the railing on the balcony.”

Rasicot then spoke to T.B., K.R.E. and K.L.E. who all gave him similar explanations of what had occurred at the 800 block of North Main Street, where M.B. pointed out the main floor balcony which faced east from the apartment building (which turned out to be Apartment #3.) Officer Rasicot then conveyed this information to CPD Officers Darin Seller and Lee Tate, who continued to observe the apartment building.

Officer Rasicot subsequently returned to 822 North Main Street, and he and Officer Tate went to Apartment #3, while Officer Seller continued to observe the balcony of that apartment. Rasicot knocked on the door to Apt. 3, but no one would answer the door. After a few more minutes of knocking, Officer Rasicot noted that a male, identified as Erick Wesley Olson, answered the door wearing a tee shirt and shorts. Rasicot noted that Olson appeared to be in his late 20s to early 30s, had short dark brown hair, and had tattoos on his arms and neck. Officer Rasicot told Olson that he would like to speak with him. Before Rasicot could tell Olson why he was there, Olson began to apologize and stated that he walks in his sleep. Olson also stated that he was not a pervert and didn’t remember doing anything outside, but that his brother, Tim, saw what happened. Olson then advised Officer Rasicot and Tate that the officers could enter the apartment and speak to Tim. Officer Rasicot then detained Erick Wesley Olson, while Officer Tate went into the apartment, said the complaint.

Inside the apartment, Officer Tate spoke to the other occupant, identified as Casey Olson. Casey Olson advised Officer Tate that he was the only person in the apartment; he does not live in the apartment; he came over to keep an eye on Erick Olson because Erick “kind of went off the deep end”; he believes Erick is on drugs and assumes it was methamphetamine; he did not know if there were any drugs in the apartment; he didn’t think Erick would have any meth in the apartment because Erick doesn’t have any money; he had been at the apartment for a couple of hours; he did not see Erick go outside; and he was folding clothes when Erick walked into the bedroom naked.

Officer Rasicot then returned and took a taped statement from Casey Olson, who stated the following: he does not live at the apartment and is basically homeless; he has been staying at the apartment for a couple of days now; he currently dates Erick Olson’s sister and that is how he came to know Erick; regarding the incident, he first saw Erick walking inside the apartment naked; he asked Erick what the hell he was doing and told Erick that he needed to get some clothes on; Erick seemed “out of it”; he first saw Erick coming from the outside deck area naked; he did not hear and did not know what Erick said or did when Erick was outside on the deck; prior to the incident, Erick seemed normal and then all of a sudden Erick “wigged out”; and he wasn’t sure, but thought that maybe Erick was high on meth because Erick has a history of smoking meth.

According to the complaint, Officer Rasicot then proceeded to the Northwest Regional Corrections Center (NWRCC), where he took a taped statement from Erick Wesley Olson. After being advised of his rights, Olson agreed to speak to Rasicot and stated the following: when the police officers came to the door, he immediately began apologizing many times for running around naked; he doesn’t remember anything and doesn’t know why he was naked; he doesn’t remember talking to any children while he was naked; he was not on any drugs at the present time; he remembers something about his roommate telling him to come back inside from the deck naked; he remembers Casey pulling him inside the door where the deck is; and he doesn’t remember what he did outside. Officer Rasicot then asked Erick if he would consent to a urine test to see if he was on drugs, but Erick refused.

Erick Wesley Olson made his first appearance Thursday and is currently held on at the NWRCC in Crookston. If Olson were to be released, he may not be within a one block radius of the 800 block of North Broadway or have contact with the four victims. He faces a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison, a $52,000 fine or both if convicted of all charges.