A 26-year-old Duluth woman is facing felony and gross-misdemeanor charges after prosecutors say she carried a gas can into a downtown boarding home, threatened to pour it on an employee, and then led police on a foot chase through an alley and a patch of tall grass before tripping and getting caught. Aiyana Lakota Rose Plenty Horse now faces third-degree burglary, gross-misdemeanor fifth-degree assault, and misdemeanor fleeing a peace officer on foot, according to a criminal complaint filed in St. Louis County District Court.
The incident happened on August 24, when officers responded to Miketin Boarding House in downtown Duluth, per the complaint cited by MN Crime. The facility, also known as Miketin Central Boarding, sits at 30 East 2nd Street and is listed by St. Louis County as an authorized board and lodge facility under the county's Group Housing Support provider program. Its lobby access is restricted to residents or people waiting for residents, according to the complaint, which alleges Plenty Horse entered through a usually locked door without consent while carrying the gas can.
Once inside, Plenty Horse allegedly lifted the gas can above the employee's head and made a pouring motion, per the complaint. The worker blocked the can's opening, but still ended up with gasoline on her hands, the complaint states. According to the filing, Plenty Horse also called the employee “little” and “little hands” and threw pizza at her during the confrontation. The employee later told investigators she felt shaken and terrified after the encounter.
A Struggle Over a Water Bottle, Then a Foot Chase
The complaint also describes Plenty Horse grabbing a pink water bottle before the employee took it back. She then left the boarding house still carrying the gas can, according to the filing. Police later spotted her walking on First Avenue East, and when officers approached, she fled on foot into an alley and an area with tall grass before tripping over an unknown object, allowing an officer to make the arrest.
In the squad car afterward, Plenty Horse reportedly told police she was the person with the gas can and said she was going to call the police herself, per the complaint. A search turned up tinfoil in her wallet, the filing states. The complaint, filed Wednesday, formally charges her with third-degree burglary, fifth-degree assault, and fleeing a peace officer on foot.
Why the Assault Charge Was Elevated
The fifth-degree assault charge against Plenty Horse was elevated from a standard misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor because of a prior fifth-degree assault conviction from April 2024, within the three-year window that triggers Minnesota's repeat-offender enhancement under Minnesota Statute § 609.224. A standard fifth-degree assault charge without prior convictions carries a maximum of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, according to Birkholz Law, but the gross-misdemeanor version she now faces carries up to 364 days in jail and a $3,000 fine. Minnesota classifies assault more broadly under statute sections 609.221, 609.222, 609.223, 609.2231, and 609.224, with penalties ranging from gross-misdemeanor exposure up to 10 years in prison for higher-degree charges depending on weapon use and harm caused; first-degree assault, the most severe tier, carries up to 20 years in prison.
The third-degree burglary charge is the most serious count Plenty Horse faces. Under Minnesota Statute § 609.582, Subdivision 3, third-degree burglary is a felony carrying up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for entering a building without consent while intending to commit a felony or gross misdemeanor. The charge alleges she entered a secure building without consent while intending to commit a crime. The fleeing charge, by contrast, is the least severe of the three: Minnesota Statute § 609.487 classifies fleeing a peace officer on foot as a misdemeanor, according to Sheridan & Dulas, P.A., distinct from the felony exposure that applies when a suspect flees by vehicle.
Court Appearance and What's Next
Plenty Horse was scheduled for a first appearance Wednesday in District Court Courtroom 4 before Judge Shawn L. Pearson under case file 69DU-CR-26-2751, according to MN Courts calendar records. No further court date had been set as of the complaint's filing. It remains unclear whether Plenty Horse had any prior connection to Miketin Boarding House, whether bail was set at her initial appearance, or whether court-ordered psychological or chemical dependency evaluations will be requested going forward.
A Downtown Corridor Under Increased Scrutiny
The case adds to a run of violent-crime filings in downtown Duluth this month. Hoodline previously reported on a stabbing tied to a trash dispute that led to a first-degree assault charge against a 38-year-old man who tried to flee on an e-bike, and on the arrest of a 42-year-old man following an August 8 shooting outside a Superior Street nightclub that left two people injured. The City of Duluth Police Department says its officers, working with the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force, conducted a targeted crime impact detail in downtown Duluth on August 13 as part of ongoing efforts to address public safety concerns in the commercial core.
The boarding home at the center of this case also reflects a broader housing crunch in Duluth. A Maxfield Research study commissioned by the city found market-rate rental vacancy at just 1.8% and affordable rental vacancy at 1.1% in late 2025, a scarcity that has increased reliance on supportive group housing facilities like Miketin Boarding House for residents who might otherwise struggle to find stable shelter.
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