Deputy Assaulted In Duluth: Suspect Climbs Tree To Escape

At one point during the alleged assault, the suspect “aggressively strangled” the deputy, authorities say.

Rice Lake, MN (KROC-AM News)- Authorities say a suspect accused of strangling a northern Minnesota deputy is in custody.

St. Louis County Sheriff's Office: Man Who Climbed Tree After Strangling Deputy Arrested Following Negotiations

The deputy responded to the report of a suspicious male and found him in the 4100 Block of Willard Road in Rice Lake, which is on the northern edge of Duluth.

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The suspect began assaulting the deputy when the deputy tried to arrest him, the news release says.

At one point during the alleged assault, the suspect “aggressively strangled” the deputy, authorities say.

The man then fled on foot and climbed into a 30-foot-tall tree. He stayed in the tree for about four hours before coming down after negotiation with law enforcement, the news release says.

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Authorities took the man into custody without incident. His name has not been released and no charges have been announced as of Tuesday morning.

The reason for his arrest was not disclosed. The deputy was taken to a hospital where they were treated then released, the news release says.

The Largest Minnesota Wildfires In Modern History

While Minnesota has experienced even larger, more devastating fires like the 350,00-acre Hinckley Fire in 1884 of the 250,000-acre Cloquet-Moose Lake Fire in 1918, fires have thankfully been relatively smaller in more modern times.

Even though these more modern fires have been smaller, largely due to better firefighting capabilities, many have still been devastating and destructive. Here's a look at Minnesota's largest wildfires since 2007 based on information from the Minnesota Incident Command System.

Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper