Minnesota Man To Serve 1 Year In Prison After Mask Policy Scuffle With Store Worker

A Minnesota man who hit a Menards employee with a piece of wood and assaulted a police officer using a hammer has been sentenced to one year in prison. The man was told by the worker in April to wear a mask under the store's COVID-19 policies.

Luke Oeltjenbruns, 61, of Hutchinson, has been ordered to perform community service, write letters of apology to his victims, and serve 10 years of probation besides his 12 months of prison time, Associated Press reported.

Oeltjenbruns pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and second-degree assault for the incident. His wife, Robbie Lyn, said during her husband’s sentencing that the latter has been struggling with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. “I know for a fact that Luke wants help and our family really wants him to get help,” Lyn said. Oeltjenbruns was also ordered to undergo therapy.

In April, Oeltjenbruns was accused of hitting the Menard’s employee multiple times over the head with a piece of lumber when the worker asked him to wear a mask during checkout, WCCO-TV reported. Responding officers pursued Oeltjenbruns when he fled the scene until they reached an intersection.

The man refused to leave his vehicle. Officer Steven Sickmann closed in on the vehicle and reached inside to grab Oeltjenbruns’ keys. The man closed the window while Sickmann’s arm was still inside the car, dragging the officer with the vehicle as he sped off. Oeltjenbruns then smashed his vehicle into squad cars and used the officer’s rescue hammer to hit Sickmann in the head when the latter tried to free his trapped arm from the window.

Footage shot by a witness from the scene showed Oeltjenbruns driving off at high speed while Sickmann was still hanging from the man’s pickup truck, NBC affiliate Kare 11 reported. Officer Sickmann was a veteran in the field. After the assault, he was transported to the hospital and received eight staples on the head to close the wound as well as treatment for arm abrasions.

During the hearing, Judge Jody Winters said that the sentence was affected by the fact that Oeltjenbruns has no past criminal history. On the other hand, Winters said that if Oeltjenbruns violates the orders in his sentence, his prison time will be extended.