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Hubbard County man charged with threatening state lawmakers

KAXE
Published February 26, 2026 at 2:56 PM CST
The Minnesota State Capitol.
Contributed
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Minnesota House Public Information Services
The Minnesota State Capitol.

John Tobias, 58, of rural Park Rapids, was arraigned Feb. 25, 2026, after allegedly threatening an attack on the state Capitol.

PARK RAPIDS — A rural Park Rapids man is facing two felony counts of making terroristic threats after an investigation between the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Capitol Police.

Sheriff Cory Aukes stated in a news release that an investigator from the Minnesota State Patrol contacted his office after a suspicious Facebook post by John Tobias threatened state Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen. Gruenhagen is a Republican who represents District 17, which includes Watertown, Glencoe and Hutchinson.

“The post was threatening in nature and included demands for money that the individual lost during the Covid shutdown and threats to kill the Senator,” the news release stated.
John Tobias, 58, of rural Park Rapids, faces felony counts of terroristic threats for allegedly making threats on the state Capitol and lawmakers in February 2026.
Contributed
/
Hubbard County Sheriff's Office
John Tobias, 58, of rural Park Rapids, faces felony counts of terroristic threats for allegedly making threats on the state Capitol and lawmakers in February 2026.

An individual claiming to be Tobias also called the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General and threatened to kill everyone in the state Capitol if he didn’t get back money he said he lost during the COVID-19 pandemic-related shutdowns.

Hubbard County investigators identified Tobias as a man who lives near Park Rapids. The Lakes Area SWAT Team executed a search warrant of his residence Tuesday, Feb. 24, and found nine guns and 40 boxes of ammunition.

In an interview with investigators, Tobias admitted to “sending the email and to making the threatening phone call,” Aukes stated.

John Tobias was arraigned Wednesday in Hubbard County court. Unconditional bail was set at $300,000.
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Local News Crime and CourtsGovernment & PoliticsMinnesota LegislatureHubbard CountyNorthwest MinnesotaKAXE
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