Suspect in Backus stabbing in custody

A 32-year-old man, wanted for inflicting stab wounds on two teenagers in Backus, turned himself in to the Cass County Sheriff Friday morning.

The stabbing, which left two area teenagers with non-life threatening injuries, took place about 8:30 p.m. Aug. 8 in an alley in downtown Backus during the Corn Fest celebration.

The victims, Roland Leroy Michael Orth, 18, of Pine River, and a 17-year-old male from Backus, suffered the stab wounds. Cass County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Tom Burch said it appeared each victim was cut at least once, one in the hip area and the other on top of the head.

One of the victims was transported from the scene by ambulance, Burch said. He said the wounds were consistent with those inflicted by a knife blade, but a knife was not recovered. From reports, Burch said the assailant fled the scene after the assault.

The suspect, Daniel Robert Dirks, 32, of Minneapolis, was charged with second-degree assault. He was arraigned in court Friday. His next court appearance is Sept. 14.

Burch said a news report from the original incident was not released because of the complex nature of the investigation, large number of bystanders being interviewed and because it came at the same time the department was involved in the search for Peter Achermann, the missing 82-year-old rural Leader man.

What led up to the stabbings was not clear, Burch said. Some of the witnesses said it started with a verbal altercation, Burch said. He said the victims stated they did not previously know Dirks. There were about 12 to 15 young adults in the area at the time, Burch said.

More than 10 witnesses were interviewed, Burch said. The investigation turned up the name of the suspect. It appeared Dirks was in Backus for the Aug. 8 weekend, Burch said. Dirks was interviewed before he turned himself in.

Burch said it's rare here to have such an incident with so many witnesses involved.

In an update on the search for Achermann who was last seen July 24 in Staples, Burch said searchers using dogs were out Thursday and Friday.

"Hopefully, we'll come up with something," Burch said. "It's got to be a terrible burden for the family and the community. We're continuing and we'll continue until we find him."

RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.