More Info Released on Stearns Co Incident

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office has released more information about an incident in Meire Grove Monday.

Authorities say they responded to a possible domestic incident at an apartment building and on arrival, they spoke with the caller and established probable cause for misdemeanor domestic assault.

The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Anthony Joseph Vankirk, was also the subject of a felony arrest warrant for second degree arson from an incident in Albany in August of 2022.

After failing to make verbal contact with Vankirk from the hallway of the apartment, the Stearns-Benton SWAT team was called to the scene and eventually forced open an apartment door to facilitate more effective communication with Vankirk.

Shortly after that, Vankirk began responding to commands, exited the apartment, and was placed under arrest on the domestic assault charge and the warrant and was taken to the Stearns County Jail.