Motive remains unclear in shooting, kidnapping near Brainerd, Minnesota – Twin Cities

BRAINERD, Minn. — Officials are still piecing together what happened leading up to a 35-year-old Brainerd man allegedly fatally shooting another man and then kidnapping of a pregnant woman and her children.

At approximately 1:50 a.m. Friday, Nov. 1, Crow Wing County sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting on Loerch Road in Oak Law Township, east of Brainerd. Officers arrived to the area and, along with a burned-out shed, found an adult male dead in the driveway from an apparent gunshot wound.

The victim was later identified as Lyle Maske, 62, Brainerd.

Law enforcement identified Chad Aanerud as the suspect in the shooting. After the shooting, Aanerud reportedly went down the street to his girlfriend’s home, shot a gun through the ceiling and took her and her four children against their will from a Loerch Road home, leaving the scene in a white Chrysler Pacifica from 2017.

The detainees were identified as a 33-year-old pregnant woman and four youths, ages 14, 11, 7 and 3 years old. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension issued a statewide Amber Alert about the kidnapping around 6:30 a.m. Friday.

During a news conference Friday afternoon, Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang said Aanerud was in custody at the Crow Wing County Jail.

“I just wanted to make a comment in appreciation of the Amber Alert,” Klang said. “The Amber Alert worked exactly as it was supposed to work. When that was sent out this morning, there was a very astute Morrison County resident who located that vehicle and linked it to that Amber Alert. He was able to call law enforcement, and within a short period of time, a deputy sheriff and a Morrison County state trooper located that vehicle in that area and were able to execute a crime on that vehicle and take the individual into custody.

The sheriff’s office said it believed the shooting and apparent kidnapping were related, but did not provide any further information about the connection.

At approximately 7:15 a.m., the vehicle was located and stopped by Morrison County police. Klang said the vehicle was spotted after repeatedly driving up and down the same road thanks to the Amber Alert.

Aanerud was taken into custody without incident and the five abducted persons were found unharmed in the vehicle.

Klang said the motive for the shooting and kidnapping remains under investigation, but that the department has had interactions with Aanerud in the past.

Around 11 a.m. Friday, Brainerd High School Principal Andrea Rusk sent a letter to students’ parents notifying them of the updated Amber Alert, stating that the children and mother had been found safe.

The children were all students in the Brainerd School District, Rusk said.

“The District and Brainerd High School are teaming up to support students, families and staff,” Rusk said in the email. “Our thoughts are with the families at this difficult time. We want to assure you that the safety of our children is our top priority.”

Klang said the children and mother are receiving care through community services.

Assisting at the scene were the Brainerd Police Department, Brainerd Fire Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Aanerud’s criminal history

Aanerud’s criminal history includes several felony convictions, including third-degree criminal sexual conduct, improper registration as a predatory offender, threats of violence, theft and several counts of third-degree burglary.

Most recently, Aanerud was charged in Crow Wing County District Court on July 26 with threats of violence and gross misdemeanor domestic violence after he allegedly threatened a family member and another person with a knife. He also threatened to burn down the relative’s home and vehicles.

According to the criminal complaint filed in that case, the victims told a Crow Wing County sheriff’s deputy that Aanerud threatened to slit their throats with a knife and that during the altercation he said he was “going to use meth again.”

A plea hearing in that case is scheduled for Nov. 14.

In 2008, Aanerud was charged with felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct against a 15-year-old victim in Brainerd. In 2011, he was granted a deferred adjudication by the court, sentenced to 150 days in jail and placed on 15 years of supervised probation. In that case, he violated his probation in 2011 and twice in 2012. In 2013, he was sentenced to 36 months in prison with a conditional release of ten years after incarceration.

In 2018, he was convicted in Crow Wing County District Court of knowingly violating registration requirements or providing false information as a predatory offender and sentenced to 31 months in prison.

In 2010, Aanerud was charged in Crow Wing County District Court with felony theft and third-degree burglary. In 2012, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, which was served while serving five years of supervised probation.

On a separate 2010 charge of third-degree burglary in Crow Wing County, Aanerud initially received a deferred prison sentence, but after twice violating his probation requirements, he was sentenced in 2013 to 21 months in prison.

Aanerud was charged a third time in Crow Wing County with third-degree burglary in 2010, where he was sentenced to a year and a day in jail after violating his probation requirements. This sentence was served concurrently with the previous sentence.

In 2021, Aanerud was charged in Aitkin County District Court with threats of violence. In 2022, he was sentenced to 29 months in prison, which was suspended by the court while he served 180 days in jail and five years of supervised probation.

In that case, Aanerud was accused of calling and texting threats against his ex-girlfriend and her mother. The threats included Aanerud telling his ex-girlfriend that he would come for her, that he would watch her every move and that he would not stop calling and texting her and her mother. When an Aitkin police officer told Aanerud to stop, Aanerud responded, “That’s not going to happen,” according to the complaint.