Posted: 9/23/02

Man allegedly fires shots;
stand-off in FL ends with arrest

Cliff Buchan
News Editor

An overnight stand-off at a home on the south shore of Clear Lake has led to the arrest Saturday of a man who allegedly fired shots in the direction of other homes.

Kenneth Robinson Leeson, 35, of 4974 N. 210th St. is being held in the Washington County Jail in Stillwater on two felony charges after his arrest last Saturday morning.

Leeson has been charged with making terroristic threats and intentional discharge of a firearm in violation of state law, said Sgt. Ron Hanegraaf of the Forest Lake Police Department.

Hanegraaf and other city officers were called to the area of Leesonís home at 9:44 p.m. Friday night after neighbors reported three gunshot blasts coming from the direction of Leesonís home. Police said Leeson was last seen going into the home with a weapon.

Hanegraaf said nine Forest Lake officers were at the scene and established perimeters and asked residents of eight nearby homes to evacuate. By 10:23 p.m., Forest Lake police called in the Washington County Special Response Team and later summoned the Anoka County SWAT Team.

The calls for additional help came after city officers were unsuccessful in persuading Leeson to leave the home. Hanegraaf said he spoke briefly with Leeson by telephone once Friday night but subsequent calls were not answered or rolled into a home answering machine, he said.

Attempts overnight on Friday and early Saturday morning did not bring Leeson from the home. Shortly before noon on Saturday, however, officers of the SRT team fired tear gas-like chemicals into the home and entered with gas masks to make the arrest.

Leeson was brought out of the home in hand-cuffs uninjured at 11:40 a.m, Hanegraaf said. He was alone in the home.

A dog in the home was safely removed and placed in the care of Leeson relatives, police said.

Forest Lake police, using a search warrant, found six long rifles in the home on Saturday. They included a mix of shotguns and rifles, Hanegraaf said.

History of problems

A history of problems with Leeson led police to act cautiously, Hanegraaf said.

ìWe probably had someone in the house that we didnít want to go get,î Hanegraaf said. SWAT teams from Anoka and Washington counties have specialized training and equipment to deal with situations like this one, he said.

Hanegraaf said city officers have been to Leesonís home on two other occasions this month.

On Sept. 8, officers responded to a call from neighbors after Leeson allegedly shot a pellet rifle or air rifle at a pontoon boat. That case is now in the hands of the city attorney for possible charges.

On Sept. 18, police were called to Leesonís home after a report of a drunken male dancing in his underwear in the backyard, Hanegraaf said.

On both occasions, Leeson was inside the home when police arrived and would not cooperate with police.

But last Fridayís incident took on a more serious tone, Hanegraaf said. ìWe believe it was a shotgun,î he said of the report of three shots fired from the Leeson home.

Three empty 12 gauge shotgun cartridges were found on Leesonís property, police said.

Incident notes

The report of shots fired in the 4900 block of N. 210th St. came at somewhat of an opportune time for city police Hanegraaf said.

ïTwo officers working security at the Forest Lake High School football game were dispatched to the scene on the south shore of Clear Lake.

ïWith the late-evening shift change about to take place, additional officers were coming on duty to assist those at the scene who worked beyond their regular shift.

ïWith Forest Lakeís manpower committed to the neighborhood near Clear Lake, city police received back-up from Chisago County Sheriffís Office deputies who handled local calls in Forest Lake.

ïWhen SRT and SWAT officers arrived from the two county police agencies, a total of 30 specialized and heavily-armed officers were on the scene.

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