It's probation in shooting case

A Cloquet woman was sentenced Monday for fleeing with her 18-year-old son, Joseph James Fohrenkam, after he allegedly shot his friend accidentally in December 2020.

Little Fawn Fohrenkam was convicted of aiding an offender to avoid arrest, a felony, and sentenced to 12 months and one day with credit for six days already served. The sentence was stayed for three years and instead she was placed on supervised probation.

According to the criminal complaint, Joseph Fohrenkam was drinking with four other young men — Joseph Peterson was the youngest, at age 16 — in a parked truck Dec. 27, 2020. According to three witnesses, they were drinking and talking. Fohrenkam had a pistol, which he was “showing off” and “waving around” before it discharged accidentally, hitting Peterson and killing him. All of the witnesses fled the scene before the police arrived, as did Fohrenkam and his mother.

When the Fohrenkams were discovered two weeks later in an apartment in Mahnomen, Minnesota, they had both shaved their heads to alter their appearance after fleeing. Little Fawn told police she drove her son away from the scene to protect him and hid him from law enforcement, according to the criminal complaint.