By: Alex Evans
HERMANTOWN, Minn. – A Hermantown fire that destroyed four classic cars in May, is linked to the man also accused of strangling a deputy and causing an hours-long standoff by fleeing into a tree, court records show.
Charges including second-degree arson and burglary were filed Friday against Gideon Joseph Martin, 37. Martin is already in custody and charged with a May 26 incident when he allegedly choked a St. Louis County Deputy over possession of a substance he called “milk honey.” In that instance, Martin reportedly retreated into a nearby tree, and a four-hour standoff with deputies ensued.
One of Martin’s new cases references a garage fire that occurred on May 23 at a property on the 3800 block of Lavaque Road in Hermantown. Court records showed that the property owner’s daughter called 911 at 1:12 p.m. to report “that the detached garage on the property was fully engulfed in flames.”
At 1:15 p.m., the victim told dispatch that the garage’s roof had caved in and “she could hear explosions.”
Along with lawnmowers and vehicle batteries, the garage reportedly contained 4 classic cars, including a “1985 Porsche, 1961 Austin Harley 300 Convertible, 1964 Thunderbird, and a 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe 4 door.” When officers arrived, they “observed a detached garage that was almost completely level with the ground.”
Hermantown Police reviewed the property’s surveillance footage, which showed a man, later alleged to be Martin, enter camera view at 12:02 p.m. that day. Martin is seen rummaging through a vehicle outside before he then attempts to enter the garage.
At 1:00 p.m., the property’s cameras showed Martin exit the garage as “smoke can be seen coming out from inside of the garage through the door and building.” Martin then reportedly “walks around the garage to the backside and then reappears on the side watching the fire and smoke build.” He is seen a minute later running down the driveway.
As police were speaking with the victim, they learned that a nearby resident had reported an unknown male in the woods on their property at 1:28 p.m. who “appeared to be coming from the direction of the sirens,” and fleeing the area. Surveillance cameras on that property also reportedly show a male matching Martin’s description.
At 1:35 p.m., an off-duty Hermantown Police Deputy Chief called a detective who was on duty, and “asked if they were looking for anybody and that he had located a suspicious male walking into his yard from the woods.” The detective drove to the Deputy Chief’s residence on Hermantown Road, located just south of the fire, and identified the suspicious man as Martin.
At 1:51 p.m., police detained Martin, who told them that he was on his way to visit a friend when he heard sirens and got scared. Martin reportedly “had a pair of wet black socks, a lighter, loose-leaf tobacco, and rolling papers.”
Martin was taken into the Hermantown Police Department and questioned about where he was that day and the day prior. He reportedly told police he was going to visit his friend, “but heard sirens and he had ‘dope’ in his hand,” so he decided to leave the area. Martin said, “he ended up in the swamp and then walked into some guy’s yard.”
A detective asked Martin if he knew anything about the garage fire, to which he replied, “No, I don’t go around burning down sh***.” Martin was also asked about specific items of clothing that he was wearing on surveillance footage, but no longer had with him. Martin claimed that the clothing, such as a pair of camo pants, had been stolen.
Detectives and a Hermantown Fire/Arson Investigator took photos of the property where the fire occurred. Prints were taken from the vehicle in the driveway that Martin allegedly entered, and from one of the garage’s broken windows.
Second ‘New’ Case, Same Area
Martin is also charged with a new case for receiving stolen property. The criminal complaint alleged that Hermantown Police were notified on May 29 of a stolen dirt bike from a different property on the 3800 block of Lavaque Road. One of the bike’s owners said, “The side wall paneling from the shed where the dirt bike was stored had been ripped off.”
According to the complaint, Hermantown Police learned that Martin was pulled over by St. Louis County Deputies on May 24. Body camera footage and records from the stop reportedly showed that Martin was driving the stolen dirt bike.
Martin’s first appearance on the two new cases is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Monday at the St. Louis County Courthouse in Duluth. Prior to Monday’s court appearance, his bond was set at $200,000.
The Twin Ports Report 