Former Finland resident Andrew Deyette found not guilty in Carlton County trial

Andrew Deyette was found not guilty June 30 in Carlton County District Court before Judge Steven Hanke, ending the first of three trials tied to allegations in Finland and the Beaver Bay area. The case had already been delayed by legal questions, a failed jury selection and months of local concern over how complaints around the Finland Youth Night Program were handled.

Deyette, also known locally as Andrew Norcross, was arrested June 13, 2024, by Lake County Deputy Jack Dietz. He had faced eight gross misdemeanor charges tied to incidents in 2023 and 2024, including two counts of indecent exposure in the presence of a minor under 16 and two counts of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct described as lewd exhibition. Under the charges, the maximum penalty was one year in jail and a $3,000 fine. The alleged incident did not occur on Crystal Bay Township, Friends of Finland or Finland Youth Night Program property.

The case drew intense attention in Finland because it touched a youth program that many families saw as a local institution, and because complaints about Deyette’s conduct dated back to 2019. At a July 16, 2024 Crystal Bay Township meeting in Finland, parents, Friends of Finland board members, and current and former Youth Night staff pressed for answers. Friends of Finland engaged outside professionals to review the matter and placed Executive Director Honor Schauland on paid administrative leave pending the outcome. A supervisor said it was the first time the board had heard of issues involving Deyette, Schauland and the youth program, and Marc Smith said he had documents to share.

The path to trial was uneven. On February 3, 2026, an improper remark from a prospective juror forced dismissal of the entire pool of 40 local residents, and defense attorney Joseph Vaccaro said he would seek a change of venue over concerns about finding an unbiased jury in Lake County. The case had also been slowed while lawyers waited for Minnesota Supreme Court guidance in State v. Plancarte, which held that "lewdly" in the indecent-exposure statute refers to conduct of a sexual nature. The court also said bare breasts alone do not inherently qualify as lewd under the statute.