A 38-year-old Pequot Lakes man faces six felonies for allegedly stalking, fleeing from authorities with excess speeds of 85 mph in Brainerd and then striking a county sheriff squad vehicle.
A criminal complaint was filed against Craig Robert Berg Tuesday, July 3, in Crow Wing County District Court in Brainerd for first-degree assault using deadly force against a peace office, According second-degree assault using a dangerous weapon, stalking, domestic assault and fleeing a peace officer.
According to the statement of probable cause, at 5:52 p.m. Monday a Crow Wing County sheriff deputy was parked in the parking lot of the Crow Wing County Judicial Center when he observed a woman, whom the deputy knew, walk to her vehicle and begin to get in. As she was getting into her vehicle, the deputy observed a truck, driven by Berg, pull up next to her vehicle.
The deputy had prior knowledge of an order for protection between the woman and Berg that prohibited contact between them.
After a short time, the woman backed out of her parking spot and exit the parking lot to travel north on South Fourth Street and the truck began following her. The deputy followed both vehicles east on Front Street until both vehicles turned into the parking lot of MidMinnesota Federal Credit Union. The woman entered a parking spot and put her vehicle in park and the truck began to drive around her vehicle.
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The deputy opened the driver's door of his patrol vehicle and loudly yelled "Craig stop," the complaint stated. Berg made eye contact with the deputy and then accelerated at a high rate of speed out of the parking lot. A pursuit began.
With the patrol vehicle lights and siren activated, the deputy followed Berg out of the credit union parking lot on Front Street to South Fourth Street to Washington Street to Northwest Second Street to James Street to Northwest Third Street to Jackson Street to Riverside Drive to Beaver Dam Road to Wise Road. During this time, Berg reached speeds in excess of 85 mph and he failed to stop at multiple stop signs/semaphore at various intersections.
At the intersection of Beaver Dam Road and Wise Road, Berg passed stopped vehicles, failed to stop and entered the opposite lane of traffic prior to turning west onto Wise Road. As Berg attempted to complete this turn, he lost control of the vehicle and began to spin out, the complaint stated. The vehicle entered the ditch on the south side of the roadway.
The deputy stopped his patrol vehicle on the shoulder of the roadway off the front of Berg's vehicle. As the deputy began to exit his patrol vehicle, Berg revved up his vehicle's engine and the vehicle came out of the ditch and struck the deputy's patrol vehicle head on, the complaint stated. After striking the patrol vehicle, Berg's vehicle went backward into the ditch and this time got stuck.
Berg then exited the vehicle and approached the deputy with his fists clenched. He refused commands to stop and had to be tased, the complaint stated. He then attempted to get up and an officer had to hold him down and deploy mace to get him handcuffed.
Berg has prior convictions for making terroristic threats and violating an OFP within the past 10 years. He currently has charges pending in an incident where he assaulted a woman and her father.
