A Lakeville man was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor for using a gun to threaten a repair man who had come to his neighborhood to fix a severed internet cable.
Michael John Jackson, 53, allegedly cut the line leading to his neighbor's house as part of a long-running feud with his neighbors and pointed a shotgun at a Charter Spectrum Communications employee who was dispatched to make the repair on July 30, according to a criminal complaint filed last week in Dakota County District Court.
Jackson's neighbors called the worker to the 16500 block of Linch Path and assumed Jackson had cut the cord two weeks prior. The Charter employee asked Jackson if he had cut the cord with his lawn mower. Jackson said he did it on purpose and ordered the repair man to get off his property. The Charter employee told him he had the right to access the utility box. An argument ensued, then Jackson went into his house and got a shotgun, the complaint said.
Jackson shook the shotgun in the air and told the worker, "This is for you." The worker called 911 and got in his van to leave.
Jackson's wife stood in front of the worker's van, but the worker was able to drive away unharmed. When police arrived, Jackson told police that after the repairman "saw the shotgun, he could not wait to leave," the complaint said. Jackson was arrested and police seized a shotgun.
In June, a court order prohibited Jackson from harassing his neighbors. The order was issued after he harassed his neighbors multiple times after one of the neighbors shot Jackson's daughter's dog in December 2015.
Jackson was charged with threats of violence with intent to terrorize, damage to energy transmission/telecommunications equipment and violation of a restraining order.
Jackson is due in court Sept. 21.
