Pine Island Standoff Charges

A Pine Island man has been charged in Olmstead County Court with multiple felonies after a hours long Saturday standoff with multiple law enforcement agencies.

37-year old Michael Molitor has been charged with first- and second-degree assault, committing a crime while wearing a bullet resistant vest, and terroristic threats.

Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call around 10:45 am Saturday for a possible domestic dispute in the south east area of Pine Island. Molitor made threats of using firearms against law enforcement while being seen dressed in body armor, and he said was holding a female hostage.

Goodhue County SWAT team, Rochester Police, and the Olmstead County Emergency Response Team arrived and after negotiating with Molitor for hours, authorities fired chemical munitions and pepper balls into the home after 7 pm.

Molitor allegedly fired nearly two dozen shots, some of which struck an armored vehicle and a nearby home. No one was injured.

According to the criminal complaint, Molitor had threatened to kill himself Saturday, specifically making reference to "suicide by cop,".