The motive in Friday morning's shooting and kidnapping remains unclear – Brainerd Dispatch

BRAINERD – Officials are still reconstructing the events leading up to the crime that a 35-year-old Brainerd man allegedly shot and killed another man and then kidnapped a pregnant woman and her children.

On Friday, November 1, at approximately 1:50 a.m., Crow Wing County Sheriff's deputies responded to a shooting on Loerch Road in Oak Law Township, east of Brainerd. When officers arrived in the area, they found an adult male dead from an apparent gunshot wound in the driveway along with a burned shed.

The victim was later identified as Lyle Maske, 62, Brainerd.

Police identified Chad Aanerud as a suspect in the shooting. After the shooting, Aanerud allegedly walked down the street to his girlfriend's house, shot the ceiling with a rifle and took her and her four children from a residence on Loerch Road against her will. He left the scene in a white 2017 Chrysler Pacifica.

Those arrested were a 33-year-old pregnant woman and four teenagers aged 14, 11, 7 and 3. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension issued a statewide Amber Alert regarding the kidnapping around 6:30 a.m. Friday.

Post / Minnesota Department of Corrections

During a press conference Friday afternoon, Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang said Aanerud is currently incarcerated at the Crow Wing County Jail.

“I just want to make a comment in thanks for the Amber Alert,” Klang said. “The Amber Alert worked exactly as it was supposed to work. When this was sent out this morning, a very smart Morrison County resident was present who located the vehicle and assigned it to the Amber Alert. He was able to call law enforcement and within a short period of time, a Morrison County deputy and state trooper located the vehicle in the area and were able to stop the vehicle for a crime and take the individual into custody.”

The sheriff's office reported that it believed the shooting death and the apparent kidnapping were related, but did not provide further details on the connection.

At approximately 7:15 a.m., the vehicle was located and stopped by Morrison County law enforcement. Klang said thanks to Amber Alert, the vehicle was noticed after repeatedly driving up and down the same road.

Aanerud was taken into custody without incident and the five abducted people were found unharmed in the vehicle.

Klang said the motive for the shooting and kidnapping remains under investigation, but the department has interacted with Aanerud in the past.

Around 11 a.m. Friday, Brainerd High School Principal Andrea Rusk sent a letter to the students' parents informing them of the updated Amber Alert, which said the children and mother were safe.

The children are all students in the Brainerd School District, Rusk said.

“The district and Brainerd High School form a team to support students, families and staff,” Rusk said in the email. “Our thoughts are with the families during this difficult time. We want to assure you that the safety of our children is our top priority.”

Klang said the children and mother are being cared for through community services.

Responding to the scene were Brainerd Police, Brainerd Fire Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Aanerud's criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, including third-degree criminal sexual conduct, improper registration as a predatory offender, threats of violence, theft and multiple counts of third-degree burglary.

Most recently, Aanerud was charged in Crow Wing County District Court on July 26 with aggravated threats of violence and aggravated domestic violence after he allegedly threatened a family member and another person with a knife. He also threatened to burn down the family member's home and vehicles.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, the victims told a Crow Wing County sheriff's deputy that Aanerud threatened to cut their throats with a knife and that during the altercation he said he was “going to do meth again.”

A hearing in the case is scheduled for November 14.

In 2008, Aanerud was charged with third-degree sexual assault against a 15-year-old victim in Brainerd. In 2011, he received a deferred sentence from the court and was sentenced to 150 days in jail and 15 years of supervised probation. He violated his probation in that case in 2011 and twice in 2012. In 2013 he was sentenced to 36 months in prison with a conditional discharge of ten years after delivery.

In 2018, he was sentenced in Crow Wing County District Court to 31 months in prison for knowingly violating registration requirements or providing false information as a predatory offender.

In 2010, Aanerud was charged in Crow Wing County District Court with third-degree larceny and burglary. In 2012, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, suspended while he served a five-year sentence.

Aanerud initially received a suspended sentence on a separate third-degree burglary charge in Crow Wing County in 2010, but was sentenced to 21 months in prison after violating his probation twice in 2013.

In Crow Wing County, Aanerud was charged with third-degree burglary for the third time in 2010, where he was sentenced to one year and one day in prison after violating his probation. This sentence was served concurrently with the previous sentence.

In 2021, Aanerud was charged in Aitkin County District Court with aggravated threats of violence. In 2022, he was sentenced to 29 months in prison, which was suspended by the court while he spent 180 days in prison and five years on probation.

In this case, Aanerud was accused of calling his ex-girlfriend and her mother and sending them threatening text messages. The threats included Aanerud telling his ex-girlfriend that he would pick her up, that he would watch her every move and that he would not stop calling and texting her and her mother. When an Aitkin police officer asked Aanerud to stop, Aanerud responded, “That's not going to happen,” the criminal complaint states.

TIM SPEIER, staff writer, can be reached on Twitter

@timmy2thyme

call 218-855-5859 or email

[email protected]

.