Jail for destroying exercise balls at two educational facilities, received his latest sentence Thursday in St. Louis County District Court in Duluth. The gross misdemeanor conviction carries a maximum of one year in jail, which Judge Mark Munger imposed but stayed in favor of the probationary term under a plea agreement with the St.
The terms of probation include requirements that Bjerkness abstain from alcohol and drug use and follow any treatment recommendations after receiving a mental health evaluation. He also must stay away from Essentia facilities, except for medical purposes. Second St. The Essentia incident was the first in a spree of incidents over two days. UWS officials later discovered at least 10 exercise balls that were slashed in the dance studio at the campus wellness center, with surveillance video showing that Bjerkness had entered the facility about an hour before he was arrested at the high school.
Bjerkness, who has previously admitted to having a fetish for slashing exercise balls, has had a series of highly publicized break-ins extending back more than a decade. He was convicted in of slashing exercise balls at the University of Minnesota Duluth Sports and Health Center; in for slashing exercise balls at the St. Bjerkness served a month prison sentence after violating the terms of his probation in He had successfully completed his prison term and supervised release by the time of his May arrest.
By Tom Olsen tolsen duluthnews.
