Northfield Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Threats Against Girlfriend, Assault of Police Officer

A Northfield man has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for threatening his girlfriend and assaulting a Northfield police officer.

Michael Lee Schwebach, 22, was on probation when the incident took place in December.

Schwebach had previously been convicted of terroristic threats in June 2011, domestic abuse, terroristic threats and attempted assault of a peace officer in April 2011 and domestic assault in January 2011, according to Minnesota Court records. 

He pleaded guilty last month to one charge of terroristic threats and two charges of fourth-degree assault of a peace officer, all felonies. With the plea, charges of domestic assault, damage to property and obstruction of the legal process were dropped. The maximum penalty for the three charges he pleaded guilty to was up to 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint filed with Rice County District Court:

After a night of drinking in December, Schwebach got into an altercation with his girlfriend on the side of a road. After he allegedly shoved her down several times, injuring her knee and wrist, she was able to get away with the help of a friend. The girlfriend spoke with police to report the assault and said Schwebach had drank about a "half of a bottle" of alcohol and said if she called police that he'd kill her. She also told police that Schwebach carries a knife with him.

Terms of Schweback's probation required him to wear a monitoring bracelet, which he cut off that night. Schweback had hitched a ride to the Big Steer, the complaint says, but managed to get back to Northfield and to the residence his girlfriend was at. He began beating on the door and she called police. 

Northfield Police arrived and attempted to arrest Schwebach, but he spat at officers, yelled obscenities and resisted arrest. Schwebach was eventually restrained and placed in a police car, but beat his head against the cage and ripped off the door handle, all the while threatening the officers. 

Officers used a Taser on Schwebach, but it apparently had no effect. The complaint says he pulled the Taser probe out of his chest and smiled and kept saying, "Shoot him." Officers brought him to Northfield Hospital to subdue him but standard medicine didn't work. A shot of stronger medicine worked and he was secured to a hospital bed.

When Schwebach was released from the hospital to go to the jail, he refused to be shackled and threatened police. The complaint says he kicked one officer 18 times, causing bruising and swelling on his face, head and knee, and broke his glasses.

Schwebach is credited with 79 days of jail time. 

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