Rural Minnesota Man Charged After Sheriff's Deputy Was Wounded

The rural Minnesota man who was arrested in conjunction with the wounding of a sheriff's deputy who was aboard a helicopter is facing federal charges in the case.

The suspect has been identified as 71-year-old Carstie Lee Clausen (pictured in booking photo) of Clearbrook, MN. He has been charged with assaulting an agent, damaging a federal aircraft, and firing a gun during a violent crime. He is currently being held in the Clearwater County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bond.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that Clausen admits to pointing the rifle at the aircraft, but he told investigators it would be their job to prove that he had actually fired at the helicopter. He said he saw the aircraft flying overhead, and had at first made finger pistols and pointed at the helo, then he pointed a rake and a hoe at the aircraft. On a third pass, he grabbed his rifle and pointed it at the chopper, which was conducting a drug surveillance flight over Clausen's property.

What is known is that a bullet did strike the helo, and Minnesota State Pine to Prairie Task Force special agent Brandon Larson was injured.

When they arrived at Clausen's home, investigators found a loaded rifle, an empty cartridge ... and several marijuana plants.

FMI: www.mnd.uscourts.gov