| Man charged with five felonies |
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| Friday, 28 September 2007 | ||
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by Peter Bodley Managing editor A Coon Rapids man was arraigned in Anoka County District Court Sept. 27 on seven charges, five of them felonies, in the wake of incidents Sept. 25, which culminated in shots being fired by police officers at a vehicle on a Highway 10 entrance ramp from Foley Boulevard. Judge Michael Roith set bail at $25,000, although the Anoka County Attorney’s Office had requested that bail be set at $150,000. Mickle posted bail the evening of Sept. 27, but the judge did issue a no contact order effective for a year, banning Mickle from having any contact, direct or indirect, with his wife or the residence. His next court appearance is Oct. 25. Mickle had been taken to North Memorial Medical Center Sept. 25 with a non-life threatening head wound but was released from the hospital and jailed the afternoon of Sept. 26. According to the complaint, Coon Rapids Police responded to a 911 call from the 120th Avenue address shortly after 4 p.m. Sept. 25 where Mickle’s wife said that Mickle had pointed a gun at her head and threatened to kill her in front of two of their children. Mickle allegedly took a handgun from a holster he was wearing following an argument and knocked a cell phone from his wife’s hand when she was trying to call police. She alleged she believed Mickle was going to shoot her, but he let her go when one of the children said police would not be called. According to the complaint, Mickle then put the gun under his own chin and threatened to kill himself, but when his wife again picked up the cell phone, a struggle took place and Mickle hit the phone from his wife’s hands. Mickle left the residence in one of the family’s vehicles, taking with him a second handgun. Police recovered other guns, for which Mickle had a permit, as well as ammunition from the home. A search for Mickle by officers from several departments began and the car was found unoccupied about 5:40 p.m. in a convenience store parking lot about two blocks from the residence. At the same time, Blaine Police were asked to check an address at 101st and Cottonwood where police were told Mickle might go, according to Coon Rapids Deputy Police Chief Tim Snell. About 6 p.m., Mickle arrived at the Cottonwood Street address in a van driven by the resident of that home, then allegedly took off alone in the van when police attempted to apprehend him. The complaint alleges that Mickle pointed a gun at himself and waved it in the direction of the officers during a brief standoff before fleeing in the van. Police pursued the van south on Foley and when it turned on to the east Highway 10 entrance ramp, the van allegedly accelerated and struck a passenger car in the intersection, causing damage, but did not stop. On the entrance ramp, a Coon Rapids Police officer did what Snell described as a “pursuit intervention,” causing the suspect’s vehicle to spin out. According to the complaint, as the van was turned around so that it faced pursuing squads, Mickle accelerated toward the squads and police fired at the van before it struck two police vehicles. Mickle allegedly showed police where he had thrown his gun and police found it nearby. In a post-Miranda statement, Mickle allegedly admitted pointing a gun at his wife’s forehead, threatening her with intent to cause her fear in front of two of their children, and that he intentionally prevented her from calling 911. He also allegedly admitted he fled in the van as police pursued him, running a red light and colliding with another vehicle without stopping. According to Mickle’s statement, he admitted that when he saw police at the Cottonwood Street residence, he put the gun to his chin and told officers to put down their guns or he would shoot himself. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is investigating the shooting incident involving the police officers. Additional charges may be filed pending the results of the BCA investigation, said Coon Rapids Police Det. John Stahnke, who investigated the case. Peter Bodley is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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