Suspect arrested in Aitkin County
The suspect in a shooting Monday in Northfield was arrested early Wednesday morning in Aitkin County after leading officers from several agencies on a chase on a snowmobile.
Aitkin County Sheriff Scott Turner said his department received information early Wednesday from the Northfield Police Department that the suspect, Joshua Paul Barron, 26, Northfield, may be at a residence of an acquaintance on Partridge Avenue near Tame Fish Lake.
Barron was wanted following the Monday shooting of a 51-year-old Cannon Falls man in Northfield. The Northfield Police Department said the shooting happened after the victim went to a home in Northfield where there had been a domestic assault.
When the victim tried to leave, Barron allegedly went to the pickup, grabbed a rifle and fired at the victim's vehicle several times.
Police say the victim was hurt, but is recovering.
According to the Northfield News Web site, police believe Barron fired at least four rounds from a rifle into a truck occupied by the victim and his 19-year-old son as the pair fled a domestic incident involving themselves, Barron and the victim's adult daughter on Dresden Avenue in Northfield. One shot struck the victim, passing through his body and narrowly missing his heart, said a family member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
About 2 a.m. Wednesday, the Aitkin Sheriff's Department with assistance from the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Department, the State Patrol and a State Patrol helicopter, and the Aitkin Police Department, approached the house and Barron fled on a snowmobile.
Officers pursued Barron for about 20 minutes as he drove the snowmobile along roads, snowmobile trails and across the lake. The chase ended when Barron crashed his snowmobile into trees and brush along Highway 169.
Barron was arrested, treated for minor scrapes and cuts at Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin and is being housed in the Aitkin County Jail, Turner said.
Joshua Barron
State records show that Barron has been convicted nine times for felonies since 2003, including several controlled substance crimes, fleeing, theft and criminal property damage.
Turner said he appreciated the assistance of the other agencies in apprehending Barron.
"When you get somebody that is involved in a shooting, you want to get enough people to not only keep the public safe but the officers' safe," Turner said.
Two other adults at the Partridge Avenue residence, a 27-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man, were arrested on fifth-degree controlled substance charges.
(This story contains information from the Associated Press)
MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.