Deborah Ann Gulbranson faces three charges in Douglas County District Court: first-degree burglary, possession of a firearm by an ineligible person, and tampering with a motor vehicle. The charges stem from an October 23 incident in Osakis described in a criminal complaint.
The complaint, cited by mncrime.com, says Douglas County deputies responded to a reported burglary at about 10:57 a.m. The homeowner told investigators she heard the garage faucet turn on while she was inside her house, then found Gulbranson barefoot in the attached garage, holding the homeowner's cat.
A Garage Standoff, Then a Truck Break-In
The complaint says the homeowner first told Gulbranson to leave. Gulbranson instead locked the garage door from inside, then unlocked and opened it. The homeowner then saw Gulbranson holding the cat and told her to put it down and leave. Gulbranson left the property and crossed the street to a Freightliner truck parked outside Northstar Bottled Water Solutions. She entered the truck and rummaged through it, according to the complaint.
Gulbranson left the truck a few minutes later, the complaint says. The truck's owner later told deputies the vehicle's only set of keys was missing; the keys were found at the jail after being removed from Gulbranson, according to the complaint.
Deputies Cite Possible Mental Health Crisis
The complaint says deputies suspected Gulbranson was experiencing a mental health crisis after she made statements indicating she believed she was a biblical figure. It notes that she did not threaten herself or others. Gulbranson told a deputy she had firearms at her residence and was taken to jail.
That disclosure led investigators to seek a search warrant for Gulbranson's home, according to the complaint. It says she was most recently civilly committed as mentally ill in September 2022 and had been judicially committed to a Minnesota treatment facility under two separate district court files. The complaint states there was no indication she had petitioned to restore her firearm or ammunition eligibility.
Four Firearms Recovered From the Home
During the search, deputies collected four firearms, along with ammunition, handgun magazines and spent shell casings, the complaint says. The firearms were a Ruger LCP handgun, a Stoeger Condor 12-gauge shotgun, a Savage .22 long rifle Model 64 and a Remington .870 20-gauge shotgun. The complaint states there was no evidence that Gulbranson's firearm rights had been restored.
The firearm-possession count against her specifically cites a prior judicial commitment as the basis for her ineligibility, according to case records reviewed by mncrime.com. Under Minnesota law, a person who enters a building without consent intending to commit a crime, or who enters without consent and commits a crime inside, can be charged with first-degree burglary — an offense that carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, according to the Minnesota Revisor's Office.
Minnesota's first-degree burglary statute requires more than unlawful entry: a qualifying circumstance must also apply. These include another person's presence in a dwelling when the burglar enters or while the burglar is inside, possession of a dangerous weapon or explosive, or an assault in the building or on its appurtenant property, according to the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes. The statutory language alone does not determine how the charge applies to this particular attached garage; the charge remains an allegation.
Minnesota law provides for restoration of firearm rights after a qualifying commitment under subdivision 4, according to the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes.
The case against Gulbranson is listed as an allegation sourced from a criminal complaint, and the case materials note that criminal charges are allegations only — defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No court disposition, hearing date, or attorney statements have been verified in connection with the case.
