Man Pleads Guilty in Gun Threat Against Teens

ST. CLOUD -- A South Haven man has pleaded guilty in a case where he was accused of pointing a gun at two juveniles and threatening them, then firing a shot into the air.

Forty-five-year-old Samuel Smith has pleaded guilty in Stearns County District Court to felony 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon for the February 2018 incident.

According to the charges, Smith made the threats when the teens went to the home in Fairhaven Township to see one of the boys' girlfriend. The girl was outside talking to the boys as they sat in the car.

Court records show Smith then came out of the house, tapped on the car window with a handgun and began pointing the gun at them and yelling for them to get out of the car. Smith reportedly told the boys to get on the ground and then fired a gunshot into the air while pushing one of them to the ground.

Witnesses say Smith continued yelling at the boys while pointing the gun at them. They say Smith then told them to leave and never come back or he would kill them.

Smith will be sentenced in December.