(KNSI) – Bail has been set for the man accused of going on a crime spree and engaging police in a standoff Thursday morning in Holdingford.
Bail for Christopher Kleve has been set at $350,000 after being charged in Stearns County court with first-degree assault, first-degree burglary, threats of violence, and fifth-degree assault.
Kleve is accused of breaking into a garage and stealing tools from a homeowner just outside Holdingford shortly before 7:00 a.m. Thursday. The homeowner told police he confronted Kleve before Kleve allegedly punched him in the face several times before fleeing the scene in a white pickup truck. The homeowner also told police Kleve was armed with a knife.
That truck was found in the area of County Road 17 east of Highway 238 in Krain Township, and when a deputy tried to pull the driver over, they say he initially complied but then took off, forcing another vehicle off the road and into the ditch. Kleve then allegedly continued to drive eastbound on County Road 17 toward Holdingford.
A deputy was waiting by the Wobegon Trail, and police say they spotted the truck turn off a side street and park. Officers say Kleve then fled on foot and went into a building at 521 Main Street in Holdingford. That building contains several apartments, one of which Kleve is reportedly renting.
Police set up a perimeter around the scene and waited for other units to arrive, including the Stearns County SWAT team.
Negotiators tried making contact with Kleve to get him to come out, but he reportedly refused. Officers with the SWAT team eventually entered the apartment, where they say he again would not comply with police. A K9 unit was sent in, and Kleve was then taken into custody just after 11:00.
Police say the truck Kleve was driving in the first burglary was allegedly stolen from a home in Millwood Township. Kleve is also accused of stealing a snowmobile from an address also in Millwood Township. Another truck Kleve was seen driving was also allegedly stolen from Sauk Centre. He also reportedly committed a gas drive off Wednesday night in Albany, and that vehicle was later found on County Road 186, just outside Sauk Centre.
His next court appearance is set for February 8th.
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