Man Charged with Assaulting Boyfriend with Knife in Burnsville

A Burnsville man has been charged with assaulting his boyfriend and damaging his car this week after the two argued on Sibley Street in Burnsville.

Joe Lee Brandt, 21, faces two felony counts: second-degree assault, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine, and first-degree criminal damage to property, which has a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

He is also charged with domestic assault, a gross misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, Burnsville police were called to Sibley Street just after 6:30 p.m. Monday after someone reported a man attacking another man with a knife.

Police were told that Brandt had fled on foot, and was bleeding, but another witness said Brandt had been given a ride to a nearby store. When police found Brandt, he had a cut on his hand.

The victim told police that Brandt, whom he identified as his boyfriend, had attacked him with a knife and slashed the tires on his car before fleeing the area.

The victim said he had ended a four-year sexual relationship with Brandt earlier that day. That evening, the victim said he saw Brandt walking in the area, and he stopped and offered him a ride. The victim, Brandt and another friend went to a store in the area, where the victim and Brandt began arguing about their relationship.

The victim said when he tried to leave the store, Brandt pulled out a folding knife, held it to his throat and threatened to stab him if he left.

The victim ran back into the store and asked employees to call 911. Brandt left on foot; the victim told the employees that the 911 call wasn’t needed, and drove home.

When he arrived home, he found Brandt in the parking lot. The victim said Brandt ran toward his car and jumped on the hood; the victim locked the car doors and tried to drive away, knocking Brandt off the hood.

Brandt pulled out his knife, extended the blade and stabbed one of the car’s tires, according to the complaint. He then jumped back onto the hood of the car and walked on car’s hood and roof, causing “significant damage” to the vehicle, the complaint says.

When the victim tried again to drive away, Brandt stabbed two more tires, according to the complaint.

The victim told police that he was “very scared” of Brandt, believing that he was going to hurt him. Three witnesses gave police the same version of events, and one speculated that Brandt likely cut his hand when he stabbed the first tire and had to work to extract the knife from the tire.

Brandt told police he and the victim went to Savage to get pizza, and began arguing. He said the victim abandoned him in Savage, and when he got home, the victim tried to run him over with his car. He told police there was no “physical altercation,” but couldn’t explain how he cut his hand.

The estimated damage to the victim’s car was $1,500 to $2,000, not including the cost of replacing the tires.

Brandt’s criminal history includes a conviction in October 2009 for third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

He remained in the Dakota County Jail Friday on a $90,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled for Oct. 31 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.