STILLWATER, Minn. — A man believed to be a person of interest in a homicide that occurred in Hugo on Monday night is in custody after an extensive manhunt that lasted more than 17 hours, according to officials.
In a press release, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said crews were sent to a house in the 15900 block of Ingersoll Avenue after getting an open-line 911 call. Emergency dispatchers said they heard a woman moaning and a man shouting in the background.
When deputies arrived they said they heard a struggle inside and entered the house. They found a man inside, leaning over a 68-year-old relative. The woman was badly bruised and groaning in pain, officials said.
Officers tried to subdue the man with a taser, but he broke free and fled the house.
Despite efforts by medics, the woman was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Law enforcement agencies across the metro launched a manhunt to find the suspect overnight Monday into Tuesday morning. Sheriff's officials said the suspect was considered dangerous and warned people not to approach the man if they saw him.
KARE 11 arrived on a scene overnight as Washington County deputies and additional law enforcement searched a scene about four miles from where the suspect was last spotted. There was a heavy law enforcement presence as officers searched the area.
Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, a person in the 9800 block of 152nd Street North saw a person matching the suspect's description in their trailer. KARE 11 spoke to the woman who owns the trailer, and she says her dogs were growling at the trailer, and when she opened the door the suspect was sleeping inside. She says she screamed to her son who was working on the property to call 911 and she ran inside her house as the suspect attempted to follow her.
Her son told the suspect not to move and wrap himself around a tree. Her son had a brief conversation with the suspect, and then the suspect ran down the road with no shoes to another property where, according to officials, police arrested the man without incident.
According to court documents, in 2021 the suspect was sentenced to 203 days in prison for violating a domestic abuse no-contact order. While serving that sentence, the suspect was convicted of 4th-degree assault against a correctional officer. They were placed on supervised probation for four years beginning in April of 2022.
As of Tuesday, the suspect is in custody at the Washington County Jail pending formal charges.