Twin Cities celebrity chef Justin Sutherland charged with threatening to shoot girlfriend

Ramsey County prosecutors have charged Twin Cities-based celebrity chef Justin Sutherland with a felony alleging he threatened to shoot his girlfriend.

Sutherland, 39, appeared Monday in Ramsey County District Court on a single count of threats of violence after being arrested on Friday night in St. Paul. The court documents also say Sutherland allegedly choked his girlfriend and smashed her phone before pointing a gun at her.

John Daly, Sutherland’s attorney, told MPR News on Monday the criminal complaint is “riddled with false truths.” He said his client never choked the woman and “never pointed a gun at anybody.”

Sutherland was released without bail pending his next court appearance. He was ordered to surrender his firearms. He’s due back in court next month.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police responded to multiple 911 calls Friday night to an address on Front Avenue in St. Paul from people concerned for the safety of a woman later identified as Sutherland’s girlfriend.

One caller, a passerby, reported seeing a man with a gun and a woman with her hands up, who appeared to be in distress.

Another caller, the woman’s sister, reported they had been on the phone when the caller heard the woman’s boyfriend — allegedly Sutherland — threaten to kill her before taking the phone away and throwing it on the ground.

Sutherland’s girlfriend told officers that he pointed a gun at her and threatened to shoot, and that he had previously been verbally abusive and violent, including reportedly smashing her car’s windshield two days earlier.

The woman said she and Sutherland had argued about not going to a music festival as planned, and that Sutherland had been upset about neighbors being racist toward him. She told police that Sutherland had put his hands around her neck, that she got away and ran to a neighbor’s house, and that Sutherland pointed the gun at her when she returned. A friend reportedly took the gun away from Sutherland.

Officers found 10 firearms in the home, including two on a case on top of a bed. They also found the woman’s broken phone.

The complaint states that when Sutherland spoke with an investigator at the jail, he denied making threats.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the judge noted that the only past conviction on Sutherland’s record is for a DWI charge more than 15 years ago, and that he has made court appearances as scheduled in the past.

Sutherland is the chef behind several well-known Twin Cities restaurants. He’s appeared on TV's “Top Chef” and “Iron Chef America,” co-hosts the show “Fast Foodies,” and won an Emmy for hosting his show “Taste the Culture.”

Last month, Sutherland and several partners announced plans to open two restaurants this fall in a new development in Minneapolis’ Mill District.

And in May, the Rondo Community Land Trust announced a partnership with Sutherland and his father to develop a new concept for Golden Thyme Coffee and Cafe in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood.

If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation with their partner, there is a 24-hour statewide domestic violence hotline. You can call Minnesota Day One at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995.

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