A Stewartville man pointed a gun at a gas station employee in Oronoco and demanded the victim’s phone before fleeing on a motorcycle, according to charges.
Norman Carl Sommerfield, 43, faces a charge of first-degree aggravated robbery.
According to the complaint, deputies responded to a gas station in Oronoco at about 4:27 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, after the victim reported being robbed. The victim, who was working alone, told officers that an adult male entered the store, did not purchase anything and asked for the victim’s phone.
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The victim said the man pulled out a small black gun, pointed it at the victim and again demanded the phone. The victim handed over an orange iPhone 17 Pro Max with a white case. The suspect then left the store, got on a red motorcycle and drove away.
The victim contacted a friend through Facebook, who then notified the store manager. The manager called 911, resulting in a delay before law enforcement was alerted. The victim described the suspect as a white male with hair down to his neck and shoulders, estimated to be 45 to 50 years old.
Later that evening, deputies found Norman Carl Sommerfield sitting outside the Olmsted Medical Center hospital emergency department. Officers noted that Sommerfield appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol and was speaking incoherently. He had a severely injured ankle and told deputies they needed to handcuff him or he would fight them. A friend who brought Sommerfield to the hospital said he had neither a phone nor a gun when picked up.
Deputies then went to a residence in Chatfield, where they spoke with an adult female who reported that Sommerfield had been using drugs and alcohol and had sent her a video of himself smoking drugs. She said Sommerfield had come to her workplace in Rochester earlier that day, pounded on the doors and was drinking. After that confrontation, she said Sommerfield went to Oronoco and stole the phone at the gas station, then drove to Chatfield and crashed his motorcycle, injuring his leg.
The woman turned over the stolen iPhone to deputies, who confirmed it belonged to the victim. She also reported that Sommerfield called her multiple times and sent text messages from the stolen phone, including a photo of himself with a bottle of whiskey and smoking a white substance. Deputies seized Sommerfield’s maroon Harley Davidson motorcycle, which had damage on its left side.
During an interview the next day, Sommerfield admitted taking the victim’s phone but denied brandishing a weapon, claiming he simply asked to use the phone.
The charge was filed Friday, September 11.
About This Charge
Minnesota distinguishes simple robbery (§ 609.24, up to 10 years) from aggravated robbery (§ 609.245), which the state may charge on either of two independent grounds: being armed with a dangerous weapon (real, simulated or implied), or inflicting bodily harm, with no weapon required. First-degree aggravated robbery carries up to 20 years; second-degree up to 15. Carjacking is charged under § 609.247.
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Jurisdictional Context
Olmsted County encompasses Rochester and is served by the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office through the Third Judicial District. Felony cases are heard at the Olmsted County Government Center in downtown Rochester.
