Thief River Falls man who caused police standoff sentenced to 60 days in jail

Michael Roy Nelson, 46, was convicted of a misdemeanor assault charge and received a stay of adjudication for a felony terroristic threat charge stemming from an April 10, 2016, incident in which he attacked his son and father. He was sentenced Monday, Aug. 21, by Pennington County District Court Judge Kurt Maben.

Nelson was initially charged with two counts of attempted arson, a felony, but those charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

A stay of adjudication is not a conviction, but means the case is pending while Nelson is on probation. The charge will be dismissed if he makes it through a five-year probation period. Nelson will be allowed to serve his 90-day sentences in two 45-day periods, court records show, and can spend 30 days of the sentence on house arrest.

Witnesses told police Nelson used a match to light an ether can and spray flames at his son, which lit his son's sweatshirt on fire. The dispute allegedly arose from a disagreement over family members giving his juvenile son a loan to purchase a dirt bike, according to court documents.

While out on bail, Nelson was arrested again, on Oct. 10, 2016, when he attacked two women in a domestic assault at a Thief River Falls apartment. The incident resulted in an hours-long standoff with police in which Nelson barricaded himself within the apartment, according to court documents.

In May, Nelson pleaded guilty to one count of fifth-degree assault and one count of domestic assault, both misdemeanors. A felony domestic assault by strangulation charge against Nelson was dismissed as part of a plea deal. He was sentenced to 58 days in jail in that case, which he will serve concurrently with his other assault conviction.