Amber Alert leads to arrest of Brainerd man who allegedly killed 1, kidnapped woman and four kids

BRAINERD – A man responding to the pleas of four children was shot and killed Friday morning, allegedly by a Brainerd man who abducted the children along with their mother before he was arrested a short time later.

Chad Aanerud, 35, of Brainerd is suspected of fatally shooting Lyle Maske, 62, before kidnapping a pregnant Nikkole Dobson, 33, and the children at gunpoint. The mayhem sparked a statewide Amber Alert that was called off after “a very astute Morrison County resident” saw a minivan that matched the alert and called 911, said Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang.

Aanerud, a seven-time convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms, was arrested by a Morrison County deputy and a state trooper within an hour after the alert was sounded.

Crow Wing County Attorney Donald Ryan declined to comment on the anticipated charges against Aanerud, who was being held in the Crow Wing County jail.

“Having an Amber Alert working like that, that’s the way it’s supposed to work and we are very pleased with the outcome,” said Klang. “Otherwise ... the turnout could have been a lot different.”

Dobson and her children were found in the minivan traumatized but otherwise unharmed, Klang said. “We’re trying to help with giving them the right care.”

Crow Wing County Sgt. Kris Brose said the sequence of events was unclear in the “pretty unusual investigation,” but he explained the chaos that led up to fatal shooting of Maske and the kidnapping of the Dobsons around 1:50 a.m. Friday.

Dobson’s four children, ranging in age from 3 to 14, ran down Loerch Road, a rural road east of Brainerd, to Maske’s house for help. Maske went to Dobson’s home and was confronted by Aanerud in the driveway, where he was fatally shot.

Aanerud then went to Maske’s house, where the children had fled. Aanerud fired a warning shot to force the children inside the minivan, Brose said, and then drove south with Dobson and her children.

Brose said Aanerud also burned down a home on Dobson’s property, though it was unclear whether that happened before or after the shooting. Area fire departments responded to the scene, which was processed by the State Fire Marshal and investigators with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Sheriff’s Office, State Patrol and local police.

Maske’s cousin, Eileen Borg of Brainerd, was distraught at the scene Friday. She said Lyle Maske “died as a hero.”

“He was helping the woman and her kids out and protecting them, or trying to,” Borg said. “He was one of the most generous, compassionate, helpful men I’ve known. He was a beautiful person, inside and out. He helped anybody and everybody and never asked for anything in return.”

Barb Groshong, whose sister Lois was married to Maske and who lives between the Dobson and Maske homes, said her sister was having a difficult time dealing with the situation.

“That’s all he was doing, is trying to help,” Groshong said of her brother-in-law. “It’s something that should never have happened.”

Groshong said she got a call from Dobson’s mother, who was out of town, telling her that a house was on fire and that she was worried about her grandchildren.

“I could see the fire and the smoke going up and there was ambulance and fire trucks, and everybody like crazy going up and down the road,” Groshong said.

Though court records indicate that Aanerud was living with Dobson, Groshong said he wasn’t supposed to be near her.

Aanerud’s Facebook biography states: “Nikki Dobson YOU AND MY KIDS ARE WORTH IT SOBER LIFE IS THE WAY IM LIVIN 1DAY@A TIME!! I LOVE Y’ALL!!”

The sheriff said Aanerud was well-known to his agency. The suspect has five pending criminal cases in Crow Wing County, including charges of drunken driving and threats of violence in July.

Aanerud’s mother and stepfather, Terry Sam Nix, said he held them at knifepoint and threatened to slit their throats after an argument at his mother’s home. In a request for a restraining order, Nix wrote that Aanerud threatened to “burn down both houses” and added that his stepson had “become increasingly violent” due to his drug use.

Aanerud’s lengthy criminal history includes seven felony convictions, most recently for threats of violence against an ex-girlfriend in Aitkin County in 2021. Aanerud was brought back into court on that charge for a probation violation this year, and in late July was given credit for time served and released back on probation.

His other felony convictions, all in Crow Wing County, include three convictions for third-degree burglary, and one each for motor vehicle theft, third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, and knowingly violating the registration requirements for predatory offenders, according to court records.

An Amber Alert is issued when a child younger than 17 is believed to be in imminent danger, according to the BCA. It requires detailed information to disseminate to the public, such as a suspect vehicle description. Once those criteria are met, the alert goes out statewide on cellphones. Officials are careful not to overuse the system and desensitize the public.

Since Minnesota launched the Amber Alert system in 2002, all but one of the 46 children who were subjects of the alerts were safely recovered, most within hours.

David Taintor and Paul Walsh contributed to this story.