Man dies in tree trimming incident in Big Lake Township

BIG LAKE TOWNSHIP, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 33-year-old Royalton man died from an apparent electrocution after his saw hit a powerline while trimming trees in Big Lake Township, according to the Sherburne County Sheriff's Office.

The incident happened Friday around 12:30 p.m. in the 14500 block of Sherburne County Road 35.

According to authorities, Noah Joshua Ness was on a ladder using a Silky Saw with an extension to cut branches when the saw apparently touched the powerline, causing Ness to fall to the ground.

A helicopter took Ness to the University of Minnesota Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office will release an official cause of death.