Police investigating Perham death; man arrested on second degree murder charge

Perham Police Department and Crime Scene Team from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) blocked off First Street near the old Perham High School on Tuesday, March 31. (RosaLin Alcoser/Focus)

By RosaLin Alcoser and RosaLin Alcoser

March 31, 2020 at 11:00 PM

Perham police are investigating the death of a man found in Perham on Monday, March 30.

An officer responding to a disturbance report found the victim inside of a Perham residence at approximately 10:05 p.m., according to a Perham Police Department news release.

40-year-old Derek John Sweere of Perham was arrested without incident at the scene and was booked into the Otter Tail County Jail early on Tuesday, March 31, on probable cause of second-degree murder, according to the release. Formal charges against Sweere are expected.

Derek Sweere was arrested on a second-degree murder charge by the Perham Police Department on Monday, March 31. (Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office)

The victim has been taken to the Midwest Medical examiner's Office for autopsy and formal identification. After the preliminary autopsy is complete the Perham Police Department will release the name and cause of death, according to the release.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office and the New York Mills Police Department are assisting with the ongoing investigation. The investigators believe that there is no ongoing threat to the public, according to the release.

First Street near the Old Perham High School on Tuesday, March 31, was blocked off by the Crime Scene Team from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). (RosaLin Alcoser/Focus)