On or about January 5, 2026, Dilworth Police Officer L. Monaghan was on patrol in Dilworth, Clay County, Minnesota, when he observed a Toyota pickup with an out taillight. Officer Monaghan ran the license plate of the vehicle, which showed it was associated with MICHAEL JACOB BENDEL-PAULSON, [DOB REDACTED], hereinafter "Defendant". Law enforcement databases also showed that Defendant had active warrants for his arrest. Officer Monaghan followed the vehicle for a short distance before initiating a traffic stop by activating his squad vehicle's emergency light and siren.
Defendant pulled over and came to a stop. Officer Monaghan made contact with the driver, who he confirmed was the Defendant. Due to the active warrants, Officer Monaghan informed Defendant he was under arrest. Defendant did not exit the vehicle and asked to smoke a cigarette first. Officer Monaghan repeatedly requested that Defendant exit his vehicle, to which Defendant responded with, "What happens if I run." Defendant then reached for the ignition of his vehicle and attempted to shift his vehicle into drive.
Officer Monaghan physically held onto the vehicle's shifting lever to prevent Defendant's attempts to get it in gear. Defendant was able to shift the vehicle into neutral, whereupon he pressed the accelerator pedal and revved the engine. Officer Monaghan struck Defendant to prevent him from driving away, but Defendant continued to press on the accelerator. After several more seconds of attempting to drive away, Defendant abandoned his vehicle and fled out the passenger side door. Defendant ran northbound, but fell after a short distance.
Officer Monaghan was able to catch up to Defendant and attempted to detain him. Officer Monaghan positioned himself on top of Defendant in an effort to detain him. Defendant struggled with Officer Monaghan and attempted to grab at the front of his duty vest, succeeding in pulling Officer Monaghan's earpiece out of his ear. Defendant eventually stopped resisting and allowed Officer Monaghan to detain him. As they were walking back to the vehicles, Defendant began to tense up. Officer Monaghan brought Defendant to the ground and warned Defendant he would be tased if he continued to resist.
Defendant then rolled onto his stomach and was placed in handcuffs. Officer Monaghan transported Defendant to the Clay County Jail. At the jail, jail staff discovered a suspected narcotic in Defendant's belongings. Officer Monaghan observed a crystalline rock that was rolled up in a receipt in a brown paper bag. The substance was photographed and weighed in the evidence bag provided by the jail. The substance weighed 5.8 grams in the evidence bag. The substance was sent off to the BCA for further testing. ### PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: Pursuant to Minn.
Stat. 609.49., intentional failure to appear for duly scheduled court appearances may result in additional criminal charges, and in addition to any arrest warrant that may otherwise be issued by the Court.
