A barefoot woman was found inside a stranger’s garage in Osakis, locked herself inside with the resident’s cat, then crossed the street and rummaged through a parked truck before deputies arrived, according to the complaint.
Deborah Ann Gulbranson faces three charges in Douglas County District Court: first-degree burglary for unlawfully entering an occupied dwelling without consent, possession of a firearm by an ineligible person due to a prior judicial commitment and tampering with a motor vehicle. The charges were filed October 26.
According to the complaint, at about 10:57 a.m. on October 23, Douglas County deputies responded to a report of a burglary at a residence in Osakis. The victim told deputies she was inside her home when she heard someone turn on the faucet in her attached garage. When she went to investigate, she found Gulbranson standing barefoot inside the garage.
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The victim told Gulbranson to leave, but Gulbranson locked the garage door from the inside. After a short time, Gulbranson unlocked the door and opened it. The victim saw Gulbranson holding her cat and instructed her to put the cat down and leave immediately.
Gulbranson then walked across the street to a Freightliner truck parked outside Northstar Bottled Water Solutions. The complaint states she entered the truck and began rummaging through the interior. After a few minutes, Gulbranson exited the truck. Officers arrived shortly after.
Deputies suspected Gulbranson was experiencing a mental health crisis, as she made statements indicating she believed she was a biblical figure, but she did not make any threats to herself or others. Gulbranson told a deputy she had firearms at her residence. She was transported to jail.
The owner of the Freightliner truck later told deputies he could not find the only set of keys for the vehicle. The keys were ultimately found at the jail after being removed from Gulbranson.
The complaint says Gulbranson had most recently been civilly committed as mentally ill in September 2022, and there was no evidence her firearms rights had been restored. Deputies obtained a search warrant for her residence and collected a Ruger LCP handgun, a Stoeger Condor 12-gauge shotgun, a Savage .22 long rifle Model 64, a Remington .870 20-gauge shotgun, ammunition, handgun magazines and spent shell casings.
According to the complaint, Gulbranson was previously judicially committed to a treatment facility in Minnesota under two separate district court files. There was no indication she had petitioned for restoration of her eligibility to possess firearms or ammunition.
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