Icy roads and a winter storm didn’t keep everyone home last Friday night and Saturday. The weather was a factor in two incidents handled last weekend by the Wadena County Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff Mike Carr reported his deputies were called to a report of a snowmobile accident in Huntersville about 2 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 23.

Friends of the accident victim were only able to give a general location of the crash. The friends reported that they had located the snowmobile but were unable to find the victim.

Deputies along with the Minnesota State Patrol, Hubbard County deputies, Menahga First Responders, Hubbard First Responders and DNR Conservation 0fficers responded to the area.

The victim, Stephen James Juntilla, 23, from Plymouth, was located by a state trooper along the trail and brought out of the woods to an ambulance that was standing by.

Juntilla stated that he was snowmobiling by himself. Juntilla missed a corner in the trail and struck a tree with his snowmobile ejecting him from the sled. Juntilla was transported to St Josephs Hospital in Park Rapids by North Ambulance and was later released.

Juntilla was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash and alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash. The accident is currently under investigation by the Wadena County Sheriff’s Office.

In another incident, deputies responded at about 9:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 22, to a one vehicle roll over on Highway 10 between Wadena and Verndale. Upon arrival at the scene, they located the driver Connie Rochelle Blessing, 37 of Wadena and her passenger/daughter Shaye Nicole Blessing, 12, of Wadena in a vehicle of a Good Samaritan who had stopped to help out when he saw their vehicle on its roof.

Blessing was traveling west bound on Highway 10.

Both the driver and passenger were transported to the Tri-County Hospital to be checked over for minor injuries. The vehicle, which was a total loss, was towed by Madsen’s Towing. The accident was a result of very icy road conditions.

The sheriff’s office was assisted on scene by Verndale Police Department, Tri County Ambulance and Verndale Fire and Rescue.