Man Sentenced in Domestic Assault, Police Standoff

ST. CLOUD -- A St. Cloud man involved in a standoff with police last December has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a charge of felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.  Twenty-four-year-old Bryan Walks was sentenced to nearly three-and-a-half years in prison.

Court records show Walks became angry with his live-in girlfriend on the evening of November 30th, struck her on the head with a glass jar and apologized. Walks later kicked her in the leg, slapped her and again apologized.

A few hours later, Walks pushed the sleeping woman off the bed and she went to hide in the closet. Court documents show he then grabbed a knife and cut the victim on her legs and also put the knife to his throat threatening to kill himself.

The woman was able to flee the home and go to a friend's home to call police.

When police arrived at the home in the 200 block of 10th Avenue North, Walks refused to come out. The SWAT team was called in and negotiated with a distraught Walks for nearly eight hours. During that time, Walks was sending text messages and facebook posts saying he was going to die and that he will "go out by suicide by cop".

Officers entered the home and found Walks hiding in the attic. He denied cutting the woman, saying she cut herself with the knife.

Walks has a handful of previous domestic violence convictions, including one in Stearns County.