BRAINERD, Minn. — Officials are still piecing together what transpired in the lead-up to a 35-year-old Brainerd man allegedly shooting another man to death and then abducting a pregnant woman and her children.

At about 1:50 a.m. Friday, Nov. 1, Crow Wing County sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting on Loerch Road in Oak Law Township east of Brainerd. Deputies arrived in the area and found, along with a burned shed, an adult male deceased in the driveway from an apparent gunshot wound.

Chad Aanerud, 35, of Brainerd, Minn., was arrested Nov. 1, 2024, after allegedly shooting another man to death and then abducting a pregnant woman and her children.

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

Law enforcement identified Chad Aanerud as a suspect in the shooting. Following the shooting, Aanerud allegedly went down the street to his girlfriend’s home, shot a rifle round into the ceiling and took her and her four children against their will from a residence on Loerch Road, leaving the scene in a white 2017 Chrysler Pacifica.

Those taken were identified as a 33-year-old pregnant woman and four juveniles, ages 14, 11, 7 and 3 years old. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension issued a statewide Amber Alert regarding the abduction at about 6:30 a.m. Friday.

During a news conference Friday afternoon, Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang said Aanerud was in custody in the Crow Wing County Jail.

“I just want to make a note in appreciation for the Amber Alert,” Klang said. “The Amber Alert worked just the way it was supposed to work. When that was sent out this morning, there was a very astute Morrison County resident who located that vehicle and matched it up to that Amber Alert. He was able to call law enforcement, and within short order, a Morrison County deputy and state trooper located that vehicle in that area and were able to make a felony stop on that vehicle and take the individual into custody.”

The sheriff’s office reported it believed the shooting death and the apparent abduction were related but did not provide further information on the connection.

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

Aanerud was taken into custody without incident, and the five abducted individuals were located in the vehicle unharmed.

Klang said the motive for the shooting and abduction is still under investigation, but the department has had interactions with Aanerud in the past.

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

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

“The District and Brainerd High School are forming a team to support students, families, and staff,” Rusk said in the email. “Our thoughts are with the families at 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 receiving care through community services.

Assisting at the scene were the Brainerd Police Department, the Brainerd Fire Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Aanerud’s criminal history

Aanerud’s criminal history includes several convictions on felony charges, including third-degree criminal sexual conduct, improperly registering as a predatory offender, threats of violence, theft, and several instances of third-degree burglary.

Most recently, Aanerud was charged July 26 in Crow Wing County District Court with felony threats of violence and gross misdemeanor domestic assault after he allegedly threatened a family member and another person with a knife. He also threatened to burn down the family member’s house and vehicles.

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

A plea hearing in that case is scheduled for Nov. 14.

In 2008, Aanerud was charged with felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct against a 15-year-old victim in Brainerd. In 2011, he received a stay of adjudication from the court, was sentenced to 150 days jail and placed on 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 release of 10 years after confinement.

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

In 2010, Aanerud was charged in Crow Wing County District Court with felony theft and felony third-degree burglary. In 2012, he was sentenced to 15 years prison, which was stayed while he served five years supervised probation.

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

Aanerud faced a third charge in Crow Wing County for felony third-degree burglary in 2010 in which, after violating his probation requirements, he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison. That sentence was served concurrently with the previous sentence.

In 2021, Aanerud was charged in Aitkin County District Court with felony threats of violence. In 2022, he was sentenced to 29 months in prison, which was stayed by the court while he served 180 days in jail and five years of supervised probation.

In that case, Aanerud was accused of calling and texting threats to his ex-girlfriend and her mother. The threats included Aanerud telling his ex-girlfriend he was going to come and get her, that he was going to watch her every move and that he would not stop calling and texting her and her mother. When an Aitkin police officer told Aanerud to stop, Aanerud replied, “That is not going to happen,” according to the criminal complaint.

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