Thief River Falls (trfnews.i234.me) — Pennington County prosecutors filed a felony complaint against Elijah Lee Louis Belgarde.
Court records say the case stems from Snapchat messages sent on November 30, 2025. The alleged target is a Thief River Falls teen. A second teen also gave a statement, according to the complaint.
What the complaint alleges
The complaint says a Thief River Falls teen reported receiving short videos on Snapchat. She said the videos showed Belgarde holding what looked like a black handgun. Records say Thief River Falls teen then received a message that threatened to shoot her.
The Thief River Falls teen told investigators she feared for her safety. She also feared for others at the home where she was staying, according to the records. Court documents say the teens thought the threat could be real.
Officers went to a home on 4th Street West in Thief River Falls, the complaint says. They made contact with Belgarde inside the residence, according to the records. The complaint says Belgarde told officers the gun was a CO2 BB pistol.
Records describe it as a Glock 19-style BB pistol, black in color. Police seized the pistol as evidence, according to the filing. Court documents say the Thief River Falls teen and her friend identified the pistol as the one shown.
The charge
Belgarde is charged with felony terroristic threats. The charge is listed under Minnesota Statute 609.713. The maximum penalty listed is five years in prison. The filing also lists a $10,000 fine.
Case status
Belgarde was arrested and booked into the Pennington County Jail, records say. The case is filed in the Minnesota District Court in Pennington County. The court file number listed is 57-CR-25-820. The prosecutor’s file number listed is 25-600-107.
For public court records, see the Minnesota Judicial Branch public access site. For safety reporting tools, visit the Snapchat Safety Center.
As with all criminal cases, the charge is an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
5 years for a BB gun is outrageous I get that he threatened them but still 5 years over a photo😆
Jaquan Tompson he was just arrested for stealing a moped too
He’s such a fuckin dumb ass
He really needs everyone’s prayers right now That’s what he really needs Eli really is a good kid. He really just needs someone to help him that wants him to be around to supervise him to guide him not a jail cell not a prison guard either That will not help him It will make him worse I watched my brother go to prison at age 17. I’ve watched him go to prison almost every year since. He’ll be 47 in August. I just wonder what could have been done differently Maybe he’d be different maybe I could have my brother back. Right now I’m trying to get him in a teen challenge my brother and I pray to God that this works for him that he finds God because without God you can’t have anything else good in your life.
No. He terrorized someone and that causes permanent damage.
He shouldn’t have had a gun either.
You clearly have no idea what getting those kinds of threats does to someone.
But a girl at bemidji highschool can make threats on her snap and get away with it. Or try to run someone over with their car and get away with it. Bailey schmidt
Another young human being , the system is trying to make all young natives with a negative image.. just needs understanding , guidance , yes I believe he’s showed messed up behavior .. but not worth hving him hving a record follow him . But the white government systems does.