On January 15, 2026, at approximately 1:30 P.M., Detective Irvin with the Washington County Sheriff's Office was on duty and returning from a detail to the Law Enforcement Center located in the city of Stillwater, Washington County. Detective Irvin was driving an unmarked Subaru Outback belonging to the County. Detective Irvin travelled down Oxborrow Avenue North and observed a blue Ford pickup truck ahead of him that was trying to turn into the Government Center/Courthouse parking lot. The driver missed the turn, abruptly stopped in the middle of the road, and then reversed directly into Detective Irvin's vehicle, striking the front end.
Detective Irvin spoke to the driver, who appeared frantic and stated that he was late for court. When asked for his driver's license and proof of insurance, the driver stated he did not know where his license was and instead handed Detective Irvin a paper that appeared to be an insurance document. Additional officers arrived on scene and spoke with the driver, while Detective Irvin returned to his vehicle and observed damage to the grill and a cracked front bumper. Detective Irvin activated the vehicle's emergency lights (integrated into the grill) and noted they were also damaged.
Detective Irvin returned to the driver and again inquired about his driver's license. The male ultimately admitted that he had active warrants for his arrest and really wanted to get to court so that he did not receive an additional warrant. At that point the male was detained and pat searched. Officers located the driver's Minnesota Identification Card, which stated his name was MATTHEW CHRISTOPHER DAIL KURTENBACH, [DOB REDACTED]. Detective Irvin observed KURTENBACH'S vehicle and noted that it bore paper dealer permits from South Dakota.
The VIN listed on the paper permits did not match the vehicle's actual VIN. Detective Irvin ran the VIN on the vehicle and determined that it was listed as stolen out of South Dakota from Big City Motors. Officers confirmed that KURTENBACH had several outstanding warrants throughout the metro area and arrested him. During a search of the vehicle KURTENBACH was driving, Detective Irvin located a black wallet containing a plastic baggie with a white, crystalline substance which NIK-tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed.1 grams.
Inside a pair of jeans, Detective Irvin located a second plastic baggie that contained a white, crystalline substance, which NIK-tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 8.7 grams. A third plastic baggie containing a white, crystalline substance was located in a gray backpack on the backseat, which NIK-tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed.9 grams. KURTENBACH was transported to the Washington County Jail where he remains in custody.
