{"id":72732,"date":"2026-11-10T14:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T20:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=72732"},"modified":"2026-11-09T19:08:46","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T01:08:46","slug":"pequot-lakes-man-accused-of-pointing-rifle-at-2-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/pequot-lakes-man-accused-of-pointing-rifle-at-2-men\/","title":{"rendered":"Pequot Lakes Man Accused of Pointing Rifle at 2 Men"},"content":{"rendered":"

PEQUOT LAKES, Minn.<\/strong> (trfnews.i234.me<\/a>) \u2013 A Pequot Lakes man faces two felony assault charges after allegedly following a father and son and pointing a loaded AR-style rifle at them.<\/p>\n

According to court documents, Joshua David Nelson, 45, was arrested following the October 7, 2026, confrontation.<\/p>\n

The incident reportedly occurred near Highway 371 and West Twin Lake Drive, south of Pequot Lakes.<\/p>\n

Investigators allege Nelson approached the victims while carrying a rifle and made statements about demons.<\/p>\n

Father and Son Report Being Followed<\/h2>\n

At approximately 9:11 a.m., authorities received a report about a man threatening two people with a firearm.<\/p>\n

According to the criminal complaint, the victims had recently left Lakes Latte in Pequot Lakes.<\/p>\n

The father and son reported that a black GMC pickup began following their vehicle closely.<\/p>\n

They continued southbound on Highway 371 before turning onto West Twin Lake Drive.<\/p>\n

When they stopped, the pickup reportedly pulled in behind them.<\/p>\n

Man Allegedly Points AR-Style Rifle<\/h2>\n

According to the complaint, a man wearing a purple shirt exited the GMC pickup carrying an AR-style rifle.<\/p>\n

The firearm reportedly had a magazine inserted.<\/p>\n

The suspect approached the driver’s side window and allegedly pointed the rifle at both occupants.<\/p>\n

While pointing the weapon, the man reportedly shouted, “demons get out.”<\/p>\n

The father quickly drove away from the confrontation.<\/p>\n

When officers arrived, they observed that the father appeared frightened and was visibly shaking.<\/p>\n

The victims provided investigators with a description of the suspect and his vehicle.<\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/a>
Joshua David Nelson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Police Locate Suspect in Pequot Lakes<\/h2>\n

Officers later spotted a vehicle matching the description traveling eastbound on East Sibley Street.<\/p>\n

Police followed the GMC pickup until it stopped along Rasmussen Road between Butler Street and East Woodman Street.<\/p>\n

Officers ordered the driver out of the vehicle, and he complied.<\/p>\n

The driver was identified as Joshua David Nelson.<\/p>\n

According to the complaint, Nelson told investigators he had a loaded Smith & Wesson revolver in his front pocket.<\/p>\n

Officers removed the firearm and detained Nelson.<\/p>\n

Suspect Makes Statements About Demons<\/h2>\n

After receiving his Miranda warning, Nelson agreed to speak with investigators.<\/p>\n

According to court documents, Nelson claimed he was trying to help people by removing what he described as evil entities.<\/p>\n

He reportedly told officers that he believed the two people he followed were demons.<\/p>\n

Nelson allegedly admitted chasing their vehicle and confronting them with his .300 Blackout AR-style firearm.<\/p>\n

He also admitted pointing the weapon at both occupants, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n

When questioned about the firearm, Nelson reportedly stated that it was loaded.<\/p>\n

Investigators also documented his statements about following other vehicles during the previous evening.<\/p>\n

Additional Weapons Discovered<\/h2>\n

During a search of Nelson’s pickup, officers reportedly discovered three additional firearms, ammunition, magazines, and a bow.<\/p>\n

Investigators also located a costume-style vest displaying the words “Livestock Agent.”<\/p>\n

According to the complaint, an acquaintance told investigators that Nelson’s behavior had become increasingly concerning in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

The individual expressed concerns about personal and family safety.<\/p>\n

Two Felony Assault Charges Filed<\/h2>\n

Nelson faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.<\/p>\n

Each felony charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, a $14,000 fine, or both.<\/p>\n

Under Minnesota Statute 609.222<\/a>, assault involving a dangerous weapon is classified as second-degree assault.<\/p>\n

The case is filed in Crow Wing County District Court under court file number 18-CR-26-3771.<\/p>\n

The complaint includes an order of detention.<\/p>\n

All allegations remain unproven. Nelson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.<\/p>\n

I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Pequot Lakes man faces two felony assault charges after allegedly following a father and son and pointing a loaded AR-style rifle at them near Highway 371.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"","timeOption":"","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":""},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12],"tags":[1135,30831],"trf_mt_town":[],"trf_mt_county":[],"trf_mt_topic":[29493],"trf_mt_series":[],"class_list":["post-72732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","tag-assault","tag-joshua-david-nelson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72732"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72734,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72732\/revisions\/72734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72732"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_town","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_town?post=72732"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_county","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_county?post=72732"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_topic?post=72732"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_series?post=72732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}