The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office requested an Amber Alert early Friday after a Brainerd man was accused of killing a man and kidnapping a pregnant woman and her four children at gunpoint.
Brainerd man in custody after Amber Alert issued for pregnant mother, 4 children kidnapped at gunpoint
The suspect is also accused of fatally shooting a man and burning down a home.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 1, 2024 at 2:03PM
About an hour after the Amber Alert was issued for a white minivan, the sheriff’s office said the vehicle was located and stopped by law enforcement in Morrison County, just south of Crow Wing County.
Authorities say Chad Aanerud, 35, kidnapped Nikkole Dobson, 33, at 1:50 a.m. Friday along with her four children Brandon (14), Haley (11), Gracie (7), and Chloe (3).
Aanerud was taken into custody. Dobson and her children were located in the vehicle unharmed, the sheriff’s office said.
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 Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in the alert that Aanerud arrived at a residence on the 15000 block of Loerch Road, just west of Brainerd, where Dobson and her children were staying.
“He fired a rifle round into the ceiling of the residence and forced Dobson and her children to leave with him,” the BCA said.
Aanerud is accused of shooting and killing a man and burning down a nearby home, according to the alert.
The sheriff’s office identified the gunshot victim as Lyle Maske, 62, from Brainerd.
Aanerud has seven felony convictions in Minnesota, the most recent being threats of violence against an ex-girlfriend, which occurred in Aitkin County in 2021. He 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 to probation.
All his other felony convictions were in Crow Wing County and include three convictions for third-degree burglary, and one each for motor vehicle theft, third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and for knowingly violating the registration requirements for being a predatory offender, according to court records.
What is Minnesota’s Amber Alert system?
Minnesota’s last Amber Alert issued in northern Minnesota in March was also called off within an hour because that’s exactly how the system is designed to work, with efficiency and urgency.
The state is careful not to overuse the system and desensitize the public. The BCA issues an alert only by request if certain criteria are met.
The BCA requires a child to be in imminent danger and younger than 17. There has to be detailed information to disseminate to the public, too, such as a suspect vehicle description. Without that, the public wouldn’t know what to look for.
Once criteria are met, the alert goes out statewide with the emergency notices delivered to cellphones.
When a 3-year-old boy from Red Lake was abducted by his mother in March, the alert rang out. Within an hour, a citizen spotted the suspect’s vehicle and called 911. The boy was in pain, but safe. His mother, Jennifer Stately, stands accused of killing his two brothers.
Since Minnesota launched the Amber Alert system in 2002, all but one of the 46 children subject of the alerts here were safely recovered — most within hours.
Staff writer Jeff Day contributed to this report.
Greater Minnesota
Brainerd man in custody after Amber Alert issued for pregnant mother, 4 children kidnapped at gunpoint
The suspect is also accused of fatally shooting a man and burning down a home.
