 The mayor of Crosby is responding tonight after he was arrested last week and charged with four felonies. Mayor Jim Hunter spent the weekend in Crow Wing County jail and was charged with theft by swindling, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, receiving stolen property, and lawful gambling fraud. The criminal complaint alleges Hunter lied about the value of his business during a sale and swindled close to $90,000 from his girlfriend's husband. He is also accused of threatening his girlfriend's son with a pistol and playing pole tabs in his business. Through his attorney, Hunter denies the allegations and says it's purely a political move by his opponents, including the police chief. He's still the mayor, and I would suspect that these charges have a lot to do with wanting him to not be the mayor anymore. The police chief, Mr. Randolph, had been quite open and not being happy about him being elected mayor. And I think that's the only way, frankly, these charges make sense. Hunter's next court date is March 27th at the Crow Wing County Courthouse in Brainerd. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.