Inset: Chase Michael Oothoudt (Beltrami County Sheriff's Office). Background: The Beltrami County Adult Detention Center in Bemidji, Minn. (Google Maps).
A Minnesota man may have made his custody battle harder for himself.
Chase Michael Oothoudt, 29, posted bond after he was arrested and booked into jail on charges of terroristic threats, which police said he directed toward the mother of his child, her fiance, and members of law enforcement. According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Law&Crime, Oothoudt's former partner reported to police on June 7 that Oothoudt allegedly threatened to come to her home and take their 7-year-old son without her permission.
Police said Oothoudt's threats continued to escalate, and the woman said he told her he would not only come to her home, but he would kill her and her fiance if they tried to stop him from taking the boy.
According to the complaint, the woman explained that the relationship between her and Oothoudt ended several years earlier, and she had allowed him to spend time with the son they shared. But she told police that those visits became less frequent because she noticed his behavior becoming "erratic." On June 7, police said Oothoudt sent the woman a text that read, "I'm coming to get my son." In a follow-up text, he allegedly said he would "breach the door and take [the boy] by force."
Police said the woman repeatedly told Oothoudt to stop contacting her. Then, as the complaint outlined, the threats allegedly became more disturbing. In one text, police said Oothoudt wrote, "[Y]ou take my child away from me and I will take your husband from you. That's not a threat, it's a promise." In another, police said he wrote, "[Y]ou put alot [sic] of faith in those glass 'security doors' I sure hope [your fiance] is the man you think he is. NO ONE will stand between me and my son."
Oothoudt then allegedly took his threats to Snapchat and sent the woman a video. Police said Oothoudt was heard saying, "Soo, I don't know if this confession or like a suicide letter but ah… yeahhh you take my son from me and I'm gonna shoot your boyfriend in the head and every deputy that wants to come and f— around is gonna find out! I sure hope they have a family they (law enforcement) gonna run like f—ing hell! F— around and find out, b—!"
Police determined that Oothoudt presented a threat to the woman and her family, so they went to Oothoudt's house. After arresting Oothoudt, police executed a search warrant at his house and found "high powered rifles strategically placed near windows as if Oothoudt was preparing for a gun fight with responding officers." Police seized a total of 14 weapons including "rifles, shotguns, and pistols."
Oothoudt was booked into the Beltrami County Jail and posted $50,000 bond on Tuesday; he was released with conditions, including no contact with the woman or her family. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 15.