Crow Wing County (trfnews.i234.me) A Brainerd man faces a felony escape charge. Police say he cut off a GPS ankle monitor.
Devon William Coolen, 25, of Brainerd, is the defendant. The alleged incident happened on February 14, 2026.
What court papers allege
A criminal complaint says an alert came in at about 12:10 a.m. The alert said the monitor was cut.
Coolen was on intensive supervised release. He was under the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
The complaint says he lived at a sober home. The home is on the 500 block of South 9th Street.
Police went to the home soon after the alert. Coolen was not there, the complaint says.
His vehicle was also gone, records say. It was listed as a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox.
Police found the cut bracelet at the home, according to court papers. A warrant was then issued.
Search and arrest
Police later found the Equinox near an apartment on Quince Street. The apartment was in Brainerd.
Court papers say the unit was tied to an adult woman. She was listed as an associate.
Police got a search warrant and entered the apartment at about 9:15 a.m. Coolen was found inside.
He was arrested without reported injury. He was then interviewed, records say.
The complaint says Coolen admitted to cutting off the monitor. He said he feared being taken into custody.
He also said he wanted to spend Valentine’s Day with the woman, the filing states.
Bail and next steps
Coolen was charged in Crow Wing County District Court. The case was filed on February 18, 2026.
Judge Charles Halverson set bail at $25,000 with conditions. Bail was $75,000 without conditions.
Coolen remained in custody after the hearing, court records show. The case is pending.
All charges are allegations. Coolen is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
For background, see Minnesota’s escape law at revisor.mn.gov.
For general release rules, see the Minnesota Department of Corrections website.
For public court lookup, see Minnesota Court Records Online.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.