Man with History of Domestic Abuse and Drug Charges Arrested After Assaulting Children’s Mother in St. Cloud

(KNSI) – A man with a history of domestic abuse and drug charges is back in jail after he allegedly skipped court and assaulted the mother of his two kids.

According to authorities, Craig Allen Zuleger was first arrested in December on an unrelated warrant out of Wright County after the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force tracked him to a hotel in St Cloud. They found methamphetamine in the 40-year-old’s car, hotel room and in the purse of a woman who was staying with him. In all, they seized more than ten ounces of the drug.

Zuleger’s court appearance in that case was set for January 31st, but court records say he was a no-show, leading to another warrant being issued.

On February 16th, police responded to a home in St. Cloud after a woman called 911 to say Zuleger barged in and threw her to the ground. According to the criminal complaint, she was sleeping in the living room with their two younger children when he woke her up and was yelling about their van. He was upset because the woman had removed a fuse to prevent him from taking it. As Zuleger looked around the apartment for it, she reached for her cell phone in a diaper bag. He saw her, grabbed her wrist, and threw her on the couch. The woman says she was afraid because Zuleger had been physical with her in the past and had gone to jail for it.

Court records show Zuleger was previously convicted in 2020 of misdemeanor domestic assault and fifth-degree assault.

He is charged in Stearns County District Court with one count of first-degree drug possession and two felony counts of domestic assault. Prosecutors have filed a motion to seek an aggravated sentence because the crime was committed in front of a child.

Unconditional bail was set at $500,000, or $250,000, with conditions for release. His next hearing is set for February 27th.

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