St. Joseph Man Arrested After 12-Hour SWAT Standoff, Axe Break-In

(KNSI) – A St. Joseph man is in custody after a 12-hour standoff with police that started when he allegedly broke into a home armed with an axe.

According to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, a 911 call came in at about 6:22 p.m. Wednesday from a home in the 9300 block of County Road 138 in St. Joseph Township. The caller reported that a man they knew had broken in and was carrying an axe. While still on the phone, the caller said the man was leaving and gave dispatchers his name, a description of him and his car, and the direction he was headed. The sheriff’s office identified him as 39-year-old Ernest Henry Gerdes of St. Joseph.

Deputies and St. Joseph police went to both the caller’s home and Gerdes’ home in St. Joseph. The sheriff’s office says officers saw him inside, still holding an axe, and that he refused to come out despite repeated attempts to talk him into leaving. The Stearns-Benton SWAT team was called in at 7:48 p.m.

Negotiators spent several hours trying to get Gerdes to surrender. According to the sheriff’s office, he refused and could be heard yelling threats at officers outside. The SWAT team used chemical munitions during the standoff.

The St. Cloud Police Department SWAT team arrived at about 3:25 a.m. Thursday to relieve the Stearns-Benton team, which had been on scene for hours. At about 6:40 a.m., St. Cloud SWAT members forced their way into the home and arrested Gerdes, authorities say.

Mayo Ambulance paramedics treated him at the scene for minor injuries. He was taken to St. Cloud Hospital to be checked out and then booked into the Stearns County Jail.

The sheriff’s office says Gerdes is also the subject of an Extreme Risk Protection Order, granted September 14th and in effect for one year. Under Minnesota’s “red flag” law, which took effect in 2024, a judge can bar someone from having or buying guns if they’re found to be a significant danger to themselves or others. Family members, law enforcement and prosecutors can ask for the order. State law requires a court hearing before an order lasting that long can be granted.

The Avon, Waite Park and St. Joseph police departments, the St. Joseph Fire Department and Mayo Ambulance also assisted at the scene.

Gerdes is being held on possible charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree assault, threats of violence and criminal damage to property.

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