St Joseph Man Arrested After Standoff in Home Invasion

On October 7th at approximately 6:22 P.M., the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call from a residence in the 9300 Block of Co. Rd. 138 in St. Joseph Township, reporting a man known to the caller had broken into their home and was armed with an axe.  While on the phone the caller reported that he was leaving and provided a name, description of the man and his car, along with his direction of travel.  The suspect was identified as 39-year-old Ernest Henry Gerdes of St. Joseph.

Stearns County Deputies and St. Joseph Police Department Officers responded to the caller’s location and also the suspect’s residence at 400 1st Street in St. Joseph.  Gerdes was observed inside his residence still in possession of an axe.  Deputies and Officers made verbal contact with Gerdes, and he refused to come out of the residence.  Deputies and Officers continued for some time to try and convince Gerdes to exit the residence and he refused.  The Stearns-Benton SWAT team was activated at 7:48 P.M. to assist at the residence in St. Joseph.

Over the next several hours the Stearns-Benton SWAT team negotiators attempted to make contact with Gerdes to have him cooperate and exit the residence, but he refused to comply. During this time, he was also heard yelling threats at law enforcement outside his residence.

Chemical munitions were utilized by the Stearns-Benton SWAT team during this time. As the incident progressed assistance was requested from the St. Cloud Police Department SWAT team to relieve the Stearns-Benton SWAT team due to the length of time they had been deployed. They arrived on scene at approximately 3:25 A.M. At approximately 6:40 A.M. members of the St. Cloud SWAT team breached the residence and took Gerdes into custody. 

Gerdes was treated at the scene by Mayo Ambulance paramedics for minor injuries and transported to the St. Cloud Hospital for further evaluation. He was later transported to the Stearns County Jail and booked on charges of 1st Degree Burglary, 2nd Degree Assault, Threats of Violence, and Criminal Damage to Property.  Additionally, Gerdes is also the subject of an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) that was granted on September 14th and is valid for one year.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the St. Joseph Police Department, the Avon Police Department, the Waite Park Police Department, the St. Cloud Police Department SWAT team, the St. Joseph Fire Department, and Mayo Ambulance Service.