A 39-year-old Minnesota Lake man is facing two felony counts of arson after allegedly setting his house on fire when Faribault County deputies tried to apprehend him on an active warrant last Friday night.
According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Department, deputies arrived at Timothy James Brandt’s residence on 240th Street around 8 p.m. to arrest him on a warrant for one of several recent domestic-related charges.
When authorities made contact with Brandt, he told them the house would go up in flames and advised them to bring a respirator if they entered.
Authorities reportedly backed away from the house and called for more officers around 8:13 p.m. and also put the Minnesota Lake Fire Department on stand-by.
Chief deputy Scott Adams says deputies used public address systems from squad cars, text messages and phone calls to communicate with Brandt.
“For about 3 ½ hours we used negotiation skills to try and get him to come out,” says Adams. “Once we saw a flash of flames from an upstairs window two deputies and I went in to save him. When we couldn’t take the smoke we got out.”
A court complaint says deputies also feared being ambushed after spotting an ax and a camouflage suit.
During the standoff Brandt reportedly texted authorities a threat about having weapons in the house and posted suicide threats on Facebook.
Brandt reportedly came out of the house from a second story glass patio door and fought with officers as they took him into custody.
The complaint says he allegedly had a folded knife clasped inside his hand during the confrontation.
Assisting at the scene were the Wells police and fire departments, Minnesota Lake Police Department, Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Department, Minnesota State Patrol and Minnesota Lake Ambulance.
Brandt was charged Monday in Faribault County District Court with felony arson, felony threats, felony and gross misdemeanor obstructing law enforcement, gross misdemeanor obstructing firefighters and misdemeanor restraining violation.
The latest charges are the 10th set of charges filed against Brandt in the last six months.
Last March he was charged with kidnapping and domestic assault after a woman said he coerced her into staying at his home while he abused her. A judge dismissed the kidnapping charges.
Brandt has since been charged six times with violating a protection order preventing him from having any contact with the woman involved in the March incident. He’s also charged with stalking that woman.
In July, Brandt allegedly turned a topless photograph of the woman into a decal that he put on his motorcycle. He was charged with two felony counts of non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images.
According to a court complaint, a woman called authorities on July 10 and said that Brandt had posted a photo on Facebook showing a decal made from a picture of her wearing only underwear.