Man arrested on domestic charges following ‘active incident’ in Stearns County

A man is in custody after a standoff with law enforcement in Stearns County on Monday morning.

Anthony Joseph Vankirk, 42, of Meire Grove, was taken into custody in connection with the incident, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says.

Deputies from Stearns County responded to a report of a domestic incident at around 9 a.m. on Monday, according to a news release from Stearns County.

At the scene, law enforcement identified the suspect as Vankirk and established probable cause for misdemeanor domestic assault. Deputies also found a felony arrest warrant for Vankirk for second-degree arson in connection with an incident in Albany in August of 2022, according to court records.

Officials say law enforcement tried to make contact with Vankirk from the hallway for over an hour before a SWAT team was called in and the community was notified to shelter in place.

For several more hours, law enforcement and officials tried to get in contact with Vankirk without success.

At 1 p.m., the SWAT team forced open an apartment door and were able to communicate better with Vankirk, according to Stearns County officials. He eventually left the apartment and was arrested on the domestic assault charge and the warrant.

RELATED: Person taken into custody in Stearns County following ‘active incident’

Vankirk is currently in custody at the Stearns County Jail.