Man Found Dead in Blue Earth County; Son Held on Suspicion of Murder

Jun 4

A 47-year-old man is in custody after allegedly killing his father in Blue Earth County early Tuesday morning.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were first called just after 2 a.m. on June 3 for a vehicle that had gone off Highway 22 near the Terrace View Golf Course, south of Mapleton.

A witness told deputies the driver had walked away from the scene along the highway, but law enforcement was unable to locate him after arriving.

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Deputies then went to the Mapleton home listed as the vehicle owner’s address. Inside, they found a man dead with obvious signs of trauma.

Investigators learned another person lived at the apartment on the 200 block of Silver Street West. As officers from several agencies searched the area near the abandoned car, a man approached them and was taken into custody.

The victim was later identified as 71-year-old Blaine Lars Almhjeld. Authorities say he lived in the apartment with his son, Troy Blaine Almhjeld, who is now being held pending formal charges.

Troy Almhjeld is being held on probable cause second-degree murder. Formal charges are expected to be filed by the Blue Earth County Attorney’s Office soon.

Troy Almhjeld has a lengthy criminal history in Minnesota, with 25 criminal cases filed against him since 1997, according to court records. His record includes felony convictions for kidnapping, domestic assault, assaulting a peace officer, fleeing police and failing to comply with predatory offender registration requirements.

He has also been convicted of multiple DWIs, kidnapping, felony drug and check forgery offenses, and misdemeanors including disorderly conduct, property damage and interfering with a 911 call.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting with the investigation, along with Mapleton Police and the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office.

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