Bemidji man pleads not guilty in officer-shooting case, trial nears

A Bemidji man charged in a shooting involving two officers near Frazee has pleaded not guilty, pushing the case into the stage where an actual trial date could finally be set.

Todd Ole Burris, 37, appeared by video on May 13 from the Otter Tail County Detention Center and asked Otter Tail County District Court to set jury roll call and trial dates. The request matters because the case has already spent months in the pretrial pipeline, and a scheduling order would move it closer to a jury hearing evidence about the July 2025 encounter near Highway 10.

The charges stem from a July 9, 2025, incident that began as a domestic disturbance in rural Becker County. Deputies responded around 5:36 p.m. after a woman reported that Burris assaulted her, slashed her tires and took her handgun. Authorities said he then fled a traffic stop in Detroit Lakes, crossed into Otter Tail County and stopped at the Frazee rest stop on Highway 10, where officers made contact and shots were fired.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified Burris as the man involved in the use-of-force incident and said it would send its findings to the Otter Tail County Attorney’s Office after the investigation. The package of charges has included two counts of first-degree attempted murder of a peace officer, two counts of first-degree assault against a peace officer, two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of fleeing.

The officers identified by investigators were Becker County Sheriff’s Lt. Luke Johnson and Becker County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Michael Silva. Neither officer was injured. Burris was struck in both legs, taken to a hospital in Fargo, later released and booked into the Otter Tail County Jail.

The path to trial has also been slowed by competency proceedings. On Aug. 11, 2025, the court ordered Burris to undergo a competency evaluation. A Sept. 22, 2025 order found that he is competent to stand trial, but on the same day his attorney, Brian Geis, sought another exam related to mental illness or deficiency, and Judge Sharon Benson ordered that exam.

For Beltrami County readers, the Bemidji connection keeps the case close to home even though the alleged offenses unfolded in neighboring counties. What now matters most is the next courtroom decision: whether the criminal case stays in pretrial motion practice or finally gets a trial date after a year of investigation, evaluation and charging decisions.