Prosecutors to seek maximum sentence for Watson, Minnesota, man arrested after standoff

Dale Morin, West Central Tribune, Willmar, Minn.
·3 min read

Feb. 9—MONTEVIDEO

— The Watson, Minnesota, man who

posted threats

on his social media page — which led to

the lockdown of multiple schools

and the University of Minnesota — and was arrested an

hours-long standoff

at his residence may face up to 15 years of prison if convicted.

According to court filings in Chippewa County District Court, prosecutors will seek an aggravated sentence for Joseph Mark Rongstad, 41. He is charged with two counts of felony threats of violence and a single count of ineligible possession of ammunition.

Rongstad became the focus of a statewide investigation after threats against students at the University of Minnesota at the Twin Cities campus were posted on his Facebook business page on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11.

The posts cited in the criminal complaint also referenced law enforcement officers and district court judges in Chippewa and Yellow Medicine counties.

Assistant Chippewa County Attorney Matthew Haugen wrote in his new filing that the state intends to prove three factors that support a longer sentence: Rongstad's alleged conduct resulted in greater than normal danger to the public, multiple victims were involved and the alleged offenses occurred over an extended period of time.

According to the Feb. 7 filing, the state will seek the maximum 15 years of prison for the ammunition charge and the maximum five years for the threats charges.

Rongstad was arrested Jan. 11 and has since been in custody at the Chippewa County Jail, held on a $1 million bail.

According to the complaint, Rongstad told an investigator at the Chippewa County Jail that he had no plans to travel to the University of Minnesota campus, as stated in his social media posts.

He explained that he reportedly wanted to get the attention of Secret Service agents and "the Klein family." Rongstad asserted the family was involved with the National Security Agency, but admitted he did not know anyone in the family.

According to the criminal complaint, in an interview with an investigator, Rongstad said when he was the mayor of Watson he started catching onto "government stuff" such as mind reading, mind control, and "shadow government."

A search of Rongstad's home resulted in law enforcement confiscating several boxes of firearm ammunition, a black case with unidentified pills, a handmade envelope with writing, and letters written on paper (as seen in Facebook posts).

Rongstad's prior criminal history includes convictions from 2016 to 2019, all within Chippewa County, for charges of theft, burglary, and driving while impaired.

The most recent criminal case for Rongstad ended with a conviction a felony fifth-degree drug possession in Yellow Medicine County. A 15-month prison sentence was stayed and he was ordered to serve five years of supervised probation. On Dec. 13, 2023, the judge issued a 30-day jail sentence, but gave Rongstad credit for 20 days already served.

Rongstad was also convicted of a felony charge in 2021 after he drove a John Deere tractor with a front loader through a side door into the Watson Lutheran Church. He also received a stayed prison sentence in that case, five years of probation and was ordered to serve 30 days in Chippewa County Jail.