Update: 4 arrested after gun incident in Princeton Township

Among those arrested was 77-year-old Charles M. Rigge, who was charged Tuesday, Jan. 17 in Mille Lacs County District Court with 2nd degree assault with a dangerous weapon, harassment using a dangerous weapon, and making threats of violence with the purpose of terrorizing or having a disregard for one’s safety.

Also arrested were Sharon Rigge, Cristy Collins and George Collins. The three were each charged with one count of obstructing the legal process. George Collins also faces one count of attempting to disarm a police officer.  

The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT team, Princeton Police Department, and deputies from both Isanti County and Sherburne County were called to the scene on Saturday, Jan. 14 where at about 7:30 p.m. a Mille Lacs County deputy went to the residence to serve a civil document on Charles Rigge. 

The deputy observed people inside the residence and attempted to make both verbal and visual contact with the occupants. That included the deputy identifying himself and shining a flashlight on his uniform so the occupants can see he is a deputy, Burton told the Union-Times.  But no one responded to him, Burton said.

“The deputy makes eye contact with the group and at one point a male subject appears to get up as if to answer the door.  A female party grabs him and sits him back down at the table so he does not answer the door,” Burton told the Union-Times. That female was later identified as Sharon Rigge, according to multiple criminal complaints filed in Mille Lacs County Court.

The incident progressed after the deputy observed a red laser dot on his chest. That laser marking came from a gun that George Rigge allegedly pointed at the deputy, the complaint states.

Contact was made with Sharon Rigge but she terminated the call, court records state. A multi-hour stand-off followed after George Rigge allegedly corresponded with law enforcement through the use of text messaging to state he was not coming out and was not going to speak with law enforcement, Burton said.

The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s SWAT Team and its mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle arrived on scene. So did a drone team.

“As we attempted to continue negotiations, the male suspect exited the house and was taken into custody.  Shortly after he was taken into custody, numerous other individuals exited the house and attempted to leave in several vehicles,” Burton said.

Deputies confronted these people and attempted to detain them.  “These individuals were not cooperative with the deputies,” Burton said.

Court records state that the individuals went straight to their vehicles, locking their doors and refusing law enforcement commands to exit and surrender. The situation became protracted and when the individuals were taken out of their cars- two individuals were arrested for interfering with police and attempting to disarm one of the officers.

Cristy Collins, 70 of Princeton, and George Collins, 72 of Princeton, were physically removed from one of the vehicles and taken into custody.  Both of those individuals verbally and physically resisted the deputies, Burton said. George Collins is also accused of grabbing a deputy’s Taser unit, which law enforcement was successful in removing from George Collins’ grasp, the complaint states.

In total, eight people were detained , with four eventually being arrested and booked into the Mille Lacs County Jail, according to Burton.  Three were booked on charges of obstructing the legal process  while a suspect who authorities believe pointed the firearm at the deputy was booked on charges of felony 2nd degree assault. The other 4 were released at the scene after being identified and interviewed by investigators, Burton said. 

“A search warrant was executed on the house and we recovered what we believed to be the firearm used in the incident,” Burton added.

During the executing of the search warrant, law enforcement discovered a bedroom that contained multiple firearms including several handguns and two long guns, according to the criminal complaint. The two long guns were observed to be in plain view. A a 12 gauge Remington 870 pump-action shotgun had an attached laser sight on the front end that emitted a red beam- like what was pointed at the deputy, the complaint states.

Recently, law enforcement has been no stranger to the residence at 2769 56th Ave. in Princeton Township, Burton said.

“We have been to this address multiple times in the last few weeks attempting to serve these documents and the individuals at this residence have been avoiding service,” Burton told the Union-Times.  “We have left multiple door tags advising them we have some documents for them and to contact the sheriff’s office to arrange for service.”