Duluth Man Accused of Choking Deputy, Fleeing Arrest

May 30

A Duluth man is in custody after allegedly choking a sheriff’s deputy until the deputy nearly lost consciousness earlier this week.

Gideon Joseph Martin, 37, is charged in St. Louis County with first-degree assault for the use of deadly force against a peace officer, along with felony obstruction, fourth-degree assault, and misdemeanor fleeing on foot.

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According to the criminal complaint, a St. Louis County deputy, Hermantown officer, and Proctor officer were dispatched around 12 p.m. to a home on Hermantown Road for a report of an unwanted barefoot man on the property. Officers found the man, later identified as Martin, sitting in tall grass with a bleeding foot wrapped in a towel, and a backpack and camouflage tarp nearby. Martin reportedly told the officers he was running from police and trying to get to Red Lake.

After initially detaining him, officers released Martin when they found no evidence tying him to a recent burglary. However, officers wanted to secure his backpack for a search warrant. Martin opened it to show its contents, including a jar of what he called “milk honey.” Officers later agreed to give Martin a ride to an address on Willard Road in Rice Lake, but kept the backpack for further investigation.

The complaint says the situation escalated when the deputy dropped Martin off and attempted to leave. Martin blocked the deputy from getting into the squad vehicle and refused to move until he got his belongings back. After Martin ignored several warnings, the deputy attempted to arrest him.

Martin resisted and allegedly tried to trip the deputy, leading to a struggle that ended in a ditch. At the bottom of the slope, Martin reportedly climbed on top of the deputy, wrapped both arms around his neck, and began choking him. The deputy later told investigators he couldn’t breathe or speak, his vision went dark, and he feared for his life as Martin referenced the “milk honey” during the assault.

Eventually, the deputy offered to return the beverage, prompting Martin to loosen his grip. The deputy then pulled his Taser, but Martin fled, climbed onto a trailer and up into a pine tree more than 25 feet high.

Authorities spent about four hours trying to coax Martin down. While in the tree, he reportedly yelled about fighting police, made violent threats, and said none of his attempts to kill anyone had worked—mentioning guns, vehicles, and chokeholds. He eventually surrendered and was taken into custody.

Martin remains jailed as of publication. If convicted on the top charge, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

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