Pennington County Sheriff's Office searching for homicide suspect
Jul. 9—The Pennington County Sheriff's Office, as well as other surrounding law enforcement agencies, are searching for a man suspected to have been involved in a homicide on Friday.
Authorities are searching for Erik James Reinbold, 44, in connection to a July 9 homicide in rural Pennington County, Minn., where Thief River Falls is located. A July 9 news release from the sheriff's office there, urges people not to approach Reinbold as he may be armed. People with information as to his whereabouts, or who have seen him, are being urged to call the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, at 218-681-6161.
In Decemeber 2018, Reinbold was sentenced to 60 months in prison after a jury found him guilty of possessing pipe bombs at a hunting property located near Oklee, Minn.
Investigators also found a 32-page notebook in Reinbold's desk, titled "How one person can make a difference: Instruction booklet at the HCU (homemade commando university)," according to court documents. The book, which bore Reinbold's name, was a manual on how to "start the second American Revolution and Win."
The notebook contained writings on how to survive in the wilderness, how to build bombs and how to identify enemies, including the police, "The Rich" and teacher conventions.
Federal court records show Reinbold was granted a "compassionate care" release on March 18. According to court documents, Reinbold argued that his medical issues and the need to return to help take care of his family warranted a reduction in his sentence. The request, filed in January, details that Reinbold's wife had contracted and recovered from COVID-19 at an earlier time and that Reinbold's parents have had to watch their children because of finding daycare had been difficult, they were also apprehensive about potentially contracting the virus.
Probation had concluded that he would "have the proper support system and means to provide to his family should the Court decide to release Mr. Reinbold on compassionate grounds," court documents said.
In a 28-page response, the prosecution argued that Reinbold should not be released because it believed Reinbold failed to exhaust administrative remedies and felt he had not established "extraordinary and compelling reasons" to support a sentence reduction.
"Early release would also fail to account for the seriousness of the offense," the court document said. Reinbold systematically set about creating five pipe bombs with unnerving attention to detail and destructive capability. His crime was not the result of a mere passing interest in the creation of one rudimentary bomb. Instead, it was clear from Reinbold's handwritten notes in both his copy of the Anarchist Cookbook and his own Notebook that he spent substantial time studying how to create pipe bombs."
In 2016, Reinbold pleaded guilty to a June 2015 incident where he repeatedly rammed his pickup into a vehicle occupied by his wife and children.
A federal warrant has been issued for Reinbold's arrest.
The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office continues to search for Eric James Reinbold, who is suspected of murdering his wife Friday, July 9 in rural Pennington County.
Through an independent source, The Times has confirmed the victim is Reinbold’s 34-year-old wife, Lissette. The couple lived in rural Oklee and have two children together. Lissette Reinbold also has two children from a prior relationship.
Sheriff Ray Kuznia said autopsy results weren’t yet available Saturday morning.
If you have any information, contact the sheriff’s office at
681-6161.
July 19, 2021 –
Heard information from a family member that Lissette had gotten up and was getting ready for work on Friday morning. She had sent and received a text message with a co-worker a bit after 7:00am Friday (July 9th). She usually leaves for work around 7:30am, family said. The call went in to dispatch a bit before 10:00am. Lissette was found dead in her front yard toward the driveway. She was not killed by gunshot, but was killed by a person other than herself. Her oldest son found her in the yard after they awoke.
Lissette reported to family at an earlier date that she was unaware that Eric was being discharged from prison early. He was brought home unexpectedly by his parents. Lissette had nothing to do with his early release according to family. Lissette also did not have a daycare problem and did not even have COVID as the “compassionate release” request had expressed.
According to family, Eric’ mother (Lori) in a discussion with her mother (Shirley) had expressed her concern for Eric out on his own struggling and that he probably did not have much for clothes or money with him.
Aug 2, 2021 –
Criminal Complaint: Eric Reinbold Believed Wife Was Cheating
PENNINGTON CO., Minn. — A Pennington County woman was stabbed multiple times and left to bleed to death by her jealous husband, according to a warrant filed Friday as the search for the suspect continues.
Eric Reinbold is wanted on murder charges in the death of his wife Lissette at their home near Oklee.
According to the criminal complaint, she was found by her children lying in a driveway the morning of July 9.
When first responders arrived, they found her dead with stab wounds to her neck.
One of the children told investigators they thought Eric was upset because he believed Lissette was seeing another man.
Messages from the suspect’s phone, obtained by deputies by a warrant, detail Reinbold growing upset with their deteriorating relationship.
At the time of her death, Eric was living in a camper down the road from Lissette’s home.
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest.
Aug 4, 2021 –
Manhunt for Eric Reinbold ends; trail cam helps authorities arrest Oklee man wanted for murder
Eric Reinbold, of Oklee, Minn., was apprehended early (12:30am) the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 4, in rural Red Lake County.
Eric Reinbold, Pennington County booking photo
RURAL RED LAKE COUNTY, Minn. – A trail camera helped tip authorities to the whereabouts of a man wanted for murder and who had eluded police for more than three weeks.
According to a release from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Eric Reinbold, of Oklee, Minn., was apprehended early the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 4, in rural Red Lake County. Authorities were alerted of movement in front of a trail camera – most often used by landowners to detect and take photos of wild game – that had been set up in a wooded area near County Road 1, near the property of Reinbold’s parents.
Reinbold is charged with the murder of his wife, Lissette, who was found dead in a home near Oklee on July 9. Eric Reinbold has been declared the prime suspect in the case.
Shortly after 9:30pm Tuesday evening, agents were alerted to movement in front of a trail camera tha had been set up in a wooded area south of County Road 1 not far from Eric’s parents’ home. This area had been searched by law enforcement in the days following his disappearance.
After the movement was detected on the trail camera, deputies with the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Red Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshal Service, along with agents from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, converged on the area. According to the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office release, Reinbold was found hiding in the woods near an abandoned homestead and taken into custody shortly after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
He is being held in the Pennington County Jail in Thief River Falls.
A bail hearing has been set for Friday in Pennington County District Court in Thief River Falls. Reinbold also was being sought for violating the terms of his release from federal prison.
Aug 4th – taken from TRF Times –
Early Wednesday morning, murder suspect Eric James Reinbold, 44, Oklee, was arrested about four miles northeast of Oklee. Reinbold was charged last week with murdering his wife, Lissette, outside of their home Friday, July 9. He had been on the run ever since that time.
Reinbold was arrested without incident at an abandoned homestead at 32303 180th St. S.E., Oklee. He was found hiding in a wooded area. Shortly after his arrest at about 12:30 a.m., he was transported to the Pennington County Jail.
Three hours earlier, law enforcement was alerted to movement in front of a trail camera that had been erected in a wooded area near County Road 1, not far from property owned by Reinbold’s parents. Pennington County Sheriff Ray Kuznia said law enforcement had searched that area in the days following Reinbold’s disappearance.
Multiple agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Red Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, converged on the area. Reinbold was then taken into custody. The U.S. Marshals Service had initially issued a federal warrant for Reinbold’s arrest since he allegedly violated the conditions of his release from federal prison.
Reinbold was formally charged last week in Pennington County District Court with two felony counts of second degree murder, including one count alleging intentional murder. A bail hearing has been set for Friday, Aug. 6 in Pennington County District Court.
According to the complaint, Lissette Reinbold “suffered multiple sharp force injuries to her neck, torso and upper extremities.” The medical examiner provisionally determined that she had died from blood loss as a result of multiple sharp force injuries due to an assault. The manner of death was determined to be homicide.
Authorities were alerted about Lissette Reinbold’s injuries at about 9:15 a.m. Friday, July 9. EMTs were dispatched to the Reinbold home, 10583 340th Ave. S.E. in Oklee.
Upon arriving at the scene, EMTs encountered a boy leaving on a bicycle. He told them that his mom was laying on the ground and he was going to get his stepdad, who was staying at a camper down the road. Upon driving down the driveway, an EMT saw Lissette Reinbold, 34, laying on the ground near a vehicle. Blood was visible with a puncture wound seen on her neck near her jaw. She was barefoot, and her sandals were located a short distance from her body. Nearby, a cell phone was wedged under a tire. Dirt was on Lissette Reinbold’s face, and flies were on her body. EMTs then requested law enforcement.
Another of Lissette Reinbold’s sons was outside of the home. He didn’t know what had happened. Later, he told authorities that he awoke to find his mom’s vehicle outside even though she was supposed to work at 8 a.m. that day in Thief River Falls. He saw his mom’s bloody body on the ground. One of the boys then called their grandfather, who called 911.
Two of their siblings had spent the night at Eric Reinbold’s camper. However, they allegedly said he was gone when they awoke. One sibling recalled Reinbold wasn’t at the camper when he had used the bathroom at 6 or 7 a.m. The Reinbolds’ daughter recalled last seeing her dad around 9 or 10 p.m. a night earlier.
It was unclear when the girl had last seen her mom. However, she recalled her mom was crying at the time after her dad accused her mom of cheating on him. She said her dad was mad.
A search warrant was soon executed for Eric Reinbold’s phone. Messages between the couple indicated tension and attempts to reconcile going back to March. That month, Eric Reinbold had been released from federal prison.
From June 25 to July 7, Reinbold allegedly accused his wife of being unfaithful and demanded sex from her. They also fought over finances.
The day before Lissette Reinbold was found dead, Eric Reinbold allegedly asked whether she was being unfaithful to him. He continued to pressure her for sex and accused her of lying to him “in various ways.” She denied his accusations. During this exchange, Lissette Reinbold allegedly “reminded the defendant that he punched and choked her in 2015. The defendant continued to pressure her about sex, including claiming ownership of a part of her body.” At one point, Lissette Reinbold texted that she was waiting to hear why he had punched and choked her. “Later in the exchange, the defendant wanted her to quit her job, which she refused to do. She wrote that she cried on the drive home and could not go inside the house until she stopped crying, so the kids would not see her.”
Eric Reinbold responded by asking his wife “if she called the police and he told her to not threaten him with probation.” He continued to pressure her for sex.
There were no more text messages between the two of them even though he had gone to the house to take two of the children to the camper after those exchanges.
A friend told law enforcement that Lissette Reinbold had sent her and the friend’s sister a video via Messenger at 6:36 a.m. July 9. The friend sent a message to Lissette Reinbold at 7:26 a.m., but she never opened the message.
Also wanted
for
violating the conditions of his release
Eric Reinbold was also being sought for violating the terms of his release from
federal prison. He was released from federal prison in March after being
granted compassionate release. In his request, he cited COVID-19 concerns as
well as family medical issues.
Reinbold served time in federal prison for illegally possessing unregistered pipe bombs. He possessed the pipe bombs in 2017. At that time, authorities also found handwritten notes related to manufacturing pipe bombs, making homemade explosives, how to use pipe bombs, and diagrams of bombs. They also found a notebook in which Reinbold referred to starting a second American Revolution. In several locations, he indicated that the notes were for a Hollywood movie script titled “The Revolt.”
The notebook listed candidates for martyrdom, asking whether anyone in those 12 categories would be willing to start the revolution. It also listed reasons “why cops are garbage” and talked about “going Rambo” on the IRS when it says you owe $10,000. The notebook further noted targets, allies, plays, training and disguises.
Reinbold had also been sentenced in Pennington County District Court for a 2015 incident in which he blocked his wife and children’s exit from their property while he was armed with a handgun. A postal carrier witnessed Eric Reinbold ramming his wife’s vehicle three to four times while she and two children were inside. Lissette Reinbold was later able to leave the property. She and Eric Reinbold have two children together. Lissette Reinbold also has two other children from a prior relationship.
In that case, Eric Reinbold received a stay of adjudication and served 60 days in jail or on electronic home monitoring.