The western Minnesota man who became the subject of a statewide investigation of online threats against the University of Minnesota in January was sentenced Thursday to serve prison time — after he was granted his wish to speak about the reasons for his actions.
Joseph Mark Rongstad, 41, was in custody in the Chippewa County Jail in Montevideo, Minn. on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 after allegedly making threats to shoot people on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. (Courtesy of the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office)
Joseph Mark Rongstad, 42, of Watson, was sentenced in Chippewa County District Court to serve 21 months of prison. He was given 224 days’ credit for time already served. Rongstad previously pleaded guilty to one count of felony threats of violence. In exchange, one count of ineligible possession of ammunition and another felony threats of violence count were dismissed.
According to the plea petition filed ahead of his June 28 guilty plea, Rongstad specifically requested he be allowed time at sentencing to explain his actions.
In a letter filed to Chippewa County District Court, Rongstad apologized for naming district judges in erratic Facebook posts on his business page from Jan. 10-11.
Rongstad said he had attempted to contact the U.S. Secret Service detail for former President Donald Trump through his lawyer. Rongstad claimed he had information on “serious matters going on in this country” but did not elaborate.
Rongstad said the Secret Service had advised his lawyer, “the case on me (Rongstad) was closed and they were not willing to talk to me.”
Rongstad asserts that had the information gotten to Trump, the July 13 assassination attempt on him would not have happened, referencing the shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pa.
The FBI has identified the gunman in that incident as a 20-year-old resident of Bethel Park, Pa. The man was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene.
FBI investigators say they have not identified a clear motive for the shooting.
In court, Rongstad claimed a “shadow government” is planning to deploy a biological weapon against the people of Chippewa County in order to condemn the land and build a wind farm and hydroelectric dam on the Minnesota River. Rongstad said the planned attack would then be blamed on Russia and China through news media.
Rongstad claimed Russia, China, North Korea, India and Iran are “our allies … not the shadow government and NATO.”
At the conclusion of Thursday’s hearing, Judge Jennifer Fischer told Rongstad, “Our perception changes when we take care of ourselves and our mental health.” She added that “you did not always think this way.”
Rongstad thanked Fischer, saying, “I’ll take that into consideration.”
Rongstad has been in custody since his arrest Jan. 11 outside his home. It came after an hours-long standoff that began with threats posted on social media, specifically stating that he would go to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus and “start killing kids” the same morning. The posts have since been deleted from Facebook.
In April 2024, Rongstad was found competent to stand trial. An evaluation by Dr. Shane Wensing, a forensic psychiatrist at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter, said that Rongstad’s competence-related abilities were currently intact. He wrote that Rongstad “had symptoms that likely impaired his reasoning and knowledge, (symptoms) that flowed from the use of drugs and/or alcohol,” according to the court order.
The Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office previously said that attempts were made to contact Rongstad a day before the standoff due to his known criminal history involving erratic and violent behavior.
Incidents included driving a tractor into the town’s Lutheran church, firing a rifle through the sunroof of a vehicle “to stop corpses” and burglarizing the now-former Watson mayor’s home as he and his family slept.
Rongstad will also have to pay approximately $2,192 in restitution to the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office for the SWAT team response to his Watson home, according to court documents. He also requested to immediately execute two stayed 15-month prison sentences for probation violations in Yellow Medicine and Chippewa counties. He received 245 days credit and 265 days credit respectively for both sentences.
Rongstad will serve all three sentences concurrently. In Minnesota, convicted offenders must serve at least two-thirds of their sentence in custody and can serve remaining time on supervised release. According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, Rongstad’s expected release date from prison is March 11.
