Two charged in armed dispute
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Mar. 30—The Free Press
NORTH MANKATO — Two people are now charged in a confrontation in North Mankato that prompted a brief lockdown at Dakota Meadows Middle School.
Jason Lee Martin, 33, of North Mankato, and Jawaun Tyrell Taylor, 28, of Mankato, were charged with felony counts of threats of violence Monday in Nicollet County District Court.
A witness reported seeing four people arguing outside a residence on Kingsway Drive Friday morning and one person had what appeared to be a rifle.
Police officers stopped a car that was leaving the scene. The two occupants reported Martin and Taylor both threatened them with a gun during an argument over stolen property, according to a court complaint. Martin had the gun and pointed it at them first, they said. Taylor then allegedly took the gun and pointed it at them. Someone also threw a brick at their car, they said.
Martin and Taylor were still outside the residence and were arrested. They acknowledged a dispute but both denied having a gun.
The witness who called police gave officers a photo taken during the confrontation that shows Taylor holding the rifle, the charges say.
Another witness reported seeing a neighbor take the gun. The neighbor turned over an air-powered pellet rifle with scope that he said Martin had given to him.
