Grand Forks: Knife Threat, Felony Preventing Arrest

Grand Forks: Knife Threat, Felony Preventing Arrest
Grand Forks: Knife Threat, Felony Preventing Arrest

Grand Forks (trfnews.i234.me) — A Grand Forks man is charged with two felonies after a reported threat at an apartment building.

Michael Skinner of Grand Forks faces felony charges of terrorizing and preventing arrest.

Those charges are listed in court documents filed in Grand Forks County District Court.

What the complaint alleges

The case began on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, according to the filing.

Police were called to a Grand Forks apartment building at about 7:21 a.m.

The call reported a terrorizing complaint, the documents say.

A woman told police that Skinner made a violent threat.

The filing says he told her the woman’s husband would be “picking up her pieces.”

The complaint says Skinner then pulled out a pocketknife.

The report did not list any injuries in the summary provided.

It was not clear if the property was damaged, based on the filing summary.

Michael Skinner
Michael Skinner

Arrest details

Court records say Skinner fought with officers during the arrest.

The filing says he resisted as police took him into custody.

Prosecutors later charged him with preventing arrest as a felony.

What the charges mean

North Dakota law defines terrorizing as making certain threats that cause fear or disruption.

The terrorizing statute is found at N.D.C.C. 12.1-17.

The preventing arrest statute is listed at N.D.C.C. 12.1-08.

Charging levels can depend on the facts and the alleged risk of injury.

What happens next

The case remains pending in Grand Forks County District Court.

No trial date was listed in the brief summary available to TRF News.

Court hearings may be scheduled in the coming weeks.

Conditions of release, if any, are set by the court.

Criminal charges are accusations and are not proof of guilt.

Skinner is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

How to track the case

Readers can search North Dakota court records online by name.

The state provides the North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry website.

The court system explains the public site on its Courts on Odyssey page.

I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.

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