Courtland Man Accused Of Pulling Gun On Shopper During Menard’s Confrontation
A Courtland man is accused of pulling a gun on a Menard’s shopper who confronted him about a comment made to a woman in the store. Gregory John Olson, 65, was charged with felony 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and felony threats of violence in Brown County Court.
According to a criminal complaint, Olson walked up to a woman in the New Ulm Menard’s on Saturday and told her: “You’re hot,” and walked away chuckling. The woman’s husband approached Olson in the parking lot and asked him to apologize to his wife, according to the charging document. The husband told police that’s when Olson pointed the gun at his face. A man who was backing out of his stall noticed the altercation and the victim asked him to call police.
The witness told responding officers that he had seen the two men pushing and yelling at each other. The witness said Olson had a gun in one hand and both hands on the victim’s chest with the gun pointed upward towards his face.
Police say Olson was unwilling to talk in detail about the incident, other than that he had a handgun on him, but wasn’t sure if the victim had seen it.
When police asked if he had a permit to carry, Olson also claimed to have a DD214, which he said was recognized by the State of Florida as a legal form to carry the handgun. Police later researched carry laws and found that Minnesota does not recognize Florida permits to carry, according to court documents.
The complaint says a loaded Ruger handgun with a round in the chamber was removed from Olson’s vehicle, along with an SKS rifle, two boxes of ammunition, and 25 loose pieces of ammunition.
Olson has not been issued a permit to carry in any Minnesota county, according to the complaint. He has also been charged with gross misdemeanor carrying a pistol without a permit in a public place, and misdemeanor counts of 5th-degree assault, reckless handling, and intentionally pointing a dangerous weapon. His bail has been set at $75,000.
