Eagan Man Arrested for Threatening to Shoot Burnsville Bar Patrons

A 76-year-old Eagan man faces a felony charge after he allegedly threatened shoot up a local brew-and-burger joint.

Clifford Peter Gessner was arrest for making terroristic threats after an incident at JR's Bar & Grill. The charge is a felony which carries up to five years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

The Burnsville Police Department was called to the restaurant just before 10 p.m. on the night of May 5. Another patron told officers that Gessner confided that he wanted to shoot the man who had "run off with Gessner's ex-wife." Over the course of the evening, Gessner became angrier and angrier, the man said, and he began talking about shooting the people at the bar. A waitress at JR's told police that Gessner asked if she thought "God would forgive him" if he went on a shooting rampage at the restaurant.

Gessner allegedly said he had a loaded gun in his truck out in the parking lot and "nothing to lose."  

Gessner was released from police custody on May 9. Judge Richard Spicer denied his request for a public defender. His next court appearance is scheduled got Aug. 5.