Eagan Man Facing Jail Time for Allegedly Stalking Neighbors, Harassing Police

An Eagan man that has allegedly stalked and harassed his neighbors and Eagan police since 2007 was taken into custody on Dec. 2.

According to a Dakota County criminal complaint filed on Dec. 5:

Michael John Gunderson, 47, was arrested on charges of felony pattern of stalking conduct and gross misdemeanor stalking in connection with a series of incidents that began in 2007.  

The complaint states that during 2007-08 Gunderson's neighbors—a husband and wife (i.e. victims 1 and 2)—reported numerous incidents of harassment and vandalism to their Birch Pond Road property.

The reports included the following offenses:

• A garden hose was placed in a window well with the water running (2007)
• Water was placed inside their outdoor air intake for their furnace (2007)
• Their gas grill had been tampered with and emptied (2007)
• Their telephone, cable TV lines and garden hose were severed (2008)
• Their hummingbird feeder was thrown into the woods behind their home (2008)
• An eight-foot Aspen tree was cut in half (2008)
• Their air-conditioner had been disabled and parts were later found in the woods behind their home (2008)

According to the complaint, the victims installed surveillance cameras throughout their home and yard to record any additional vandalism.

Gunderson allegedly trained a laser beam on the victims' cameras in July 2008 in an effort to disable them. 

In July 2010, the victims reported several recent incidents in which Gunderson yelled an expletive at them and made an obscene gesture with his middle finger. 

The complaint also states Gunderson admitted to sending a letter to the Eagan city administrator in Aug. 2011 alleging knowledge of corruption and evidence tampering among Eagan police officers. 

The letter also allegedly implicated Eagan detectives in organized sex parties involving prostitutes and young children and accused the police chief of misconduct.

Gunderson also admitted to sending a series of letters to neighbors in Aug. 2011 warning them of an "ultra pervert neighbor" living at the Birch Pond Road address of victims 1 and 2.  

In Oct. 2011, Gunderson again sent a letter to the Eagan city administrator claiming to "have been run out of the room" during a meeting of the Eagan Citizens' Crime Prevention Assocation (ECCPA). 

Victim 2 is the president of the ECCPA and, in his letter, Gunderson claimed she "had been fired from every job she has had since 1985, due to misconduct and embezzlement."

During a police interview on Dec. 2, Gunderson asserted that it was difficult living next to victims 1 and 2 because the wife was "buddy buddy" with the police department and the husband "was a pervert" who used cameras to watch people.

Gunderson was then taken into custody and transported to the Dakota County Jail.   

If convicted of the crimes against him, Gunderson faces up to 11 years in prison and a$23,000 fine.