An Adams, N.D., man pleaded guilty on Friday, Feb. 28, to barricading himself in a University Avenue home last year and threatening to burn the house down.
Patrick Donald Aune, 34, accepted a plea agreement for two counts of endangering by fire or explosion and one count of assaulting a peace officer. He was sentenced to six years in the North Dakota Department of Corrections and two years of supervised probation. He also was ordered to pay $12,607.34 in restitution to the victims.
The endangering charges, the most serious of the three charges, each carried a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a $20,000 fine. A charge of armed burglary and a charge of terrorizing were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
A Grand Forks resident reported that a friend, later identified as Aune, had a knife and had locked himself in her basement on March 10, 2019, according to court documents. Documents showed that officers attempted to open the basement door several times before they were successful because Aune was holding the door shut. As the door was opened, large amounts of smoke spilled from inside, according to the affidavit.
Between 3 and 4 a.m., Aune began breaking water pipes in the basement, and he told officers he was "going to make the place go 'boom boom,'" according to the affidavit. Soon after, there was a strong smell of gas and officers evacuated the home.
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Aune exited the home around 6:49 a.m. and was taken into custody, according to court documents.
