A Hastings man — upset his cellphone had not been returned to him after he was charged with pointing a gun at a neighbor in August — called the police department’s deputy chief last month and threatened to kill him, according to prosecutors.
Nathan Ray Justice, 30, was charged Friday in Dakota County District Court with felony threats of violence in connection with the Oct. 22 incident. He was arrested Wednesday on an unrelated warrant and remained jailed Monday in lieu of $60,000 bail. An attorney is not listed in the court file.
Nathan Ray Justice (Courtesy of the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office)
Justice was charged with the same offense in August after pointing a gun at his neighbor during a dispute over dog feces, prosecutors say.
According to the latest criminal complaint:
Hastings police seized Justice’s cellphone as part of its investigation into the alleged Aug. 23 gun-pointing incident. The phone was given to the county’s electronic crimes unit for forensic examination.
Beginning on Sept. 6, Justice repeatedly emailed and texted the deputy chief over the cellphone. Officers told Justice it would likely take several weeks to process, however, he continued to contact the police department, particularly the deputy chief. “(Justice’s) communications throughout the month of September became increasingly profane,” the complaint says.
Justice called the deputy chief Oct. 22 and demanded his phone be returned. During the conversation, Justice told the deputy chief he was going to kill his “(derogatory term) ass,” the complaint alleges.
Justice then called a civilian employee of the electronic crimes unit on her direct line. “(Justice) was profane and demanded his phone back,” the complaint says. He later left the employee a profane voicemail and contacted her through her private LinkedIn account.
Recently, Justice has tagged the city of Hastings in numerous Facebook posts.
“(Justice) posted that this ‘didn’t have to come to this’ and that he was ‘on my way,’ ” the complaint says.
According to the August criminal complaint, Justice’s neighbor reported on Aug. 23 that Justice called him and his dog “pieces of (expletive)” before going inside his house and coming out with a handgun. Justice cocked the gun, pointed it at his neighbor and stated “talk some more (expletive).”
Officers executed a search warrant at the home and located a Sig Sauer 9mm black handgun in a dresser drawer and a magazine with bullets in the living room.
The homeowner told police Justice was watching her dog while she was away. She said she would not leave her gun magazine in the living room and believed that Justice knew where she kept her gun.
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In an interview with police, Justice acknowledged he had an argument with his neighbor. He said the man followed him back to his home and threatened to “beat his (expletive).” He denied possessing a gun or pointing one at the man.
Justice has a third open case in Dakota County. He was charged in November 2023 with fleeing police in a motor vehicle and third-degree driving while impaired.
Justice was convicted in Dakota County of misdemeanor driving under the influence of an intoxicating substance in October 2021. He later violated terms of probation by failing to complete a chemical assessment and a victim impact panel, court records show.
He was convicted of motor vehicle theft in Aitkin County in June 2021 and disorderly conduct in Washington County in October of that year.
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