A Faribault man was involved in a domestic disturbance that later turned into a standoff with law enforcement, according to the Rice County Attorney's Office. After over two hours of confrontation at his Second Avenue SW residence, Zachary Tussing, aged 40, was arrested and has since been charged with felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and misdemeanor domestic assault, as reported by Rice County Minnesota.
The incident was triggered when a juvenile female alerted the police at around 1:30 p.m. on August 26, reporting that an adult female was being assaulted by Tussing. The victim later described the event to authorities. The Rice County Attorney's Office, in a press release, recounted her stating how Tussing had pushed her head into a basement wall and, grabbing a knife, menacingly warned her, "you think this is funny, it's not going to be funny next time," as stated by Rice County Minnesota.
The Faribault Police and Rice County Sheriff's deputies had to quickly to safely extricate the two females from the home when their efforts to persuade Tussing to surreptitiously come out were unsuccessful. It was a Sheriff’s deputy and his K-9 partner who eventually located Tussing, and this after the use of less-lethal weapons, hiding behind a basement closet door.
At a bail hearing held on Wednesday, Judge Carol M. Hanks set the bail for Tussing at $75,000 with conditions, and $150,000 without. As of yet, an omnibus hearing has been scheduled for 9 a.m. September 18. The Chief Assistant County Attorney Wendy Murphy expressed gratitude towards the officers' response, saying, "We appreciate the response from our law enforcement officers and are thankful no one involved in the incident was physically injured," She told Rice County's official site.
