Blackduck police arrest man after Summit Avenue NW traffic stop altercation

Tyler Aery, 37, was arrested after Blackduck Police say he resisted cuffs and grabbed at an officer’s belt and firearm during a traffic stop on Summit Avenue Northwest, according to the criminal complaint filed in Beltrami County. The stop began at about 5:27 p.m. on Feb. 13 when Officer Hardie, stationary on patrol, observed a vehicle with expired registration and a loud exhaust.

Officer Hardie’s report documents that a young child was in the vehicle and that the driver displayed “glassy eyes” and “unnatural sporadic movements” in his left fingers. The complaint states the driver told officers he takes multiple medications, “including Adderall,” and refused to perform field sobriety tests.

An adult female passenger exited the vehicle and attempted to intervene during the stop, the complaint says. Officer Hardie reported feeling outnumbered without rapid backup and began to detain the driver; as he moved to place the man in handcuffs the complaint alleges the driver “pulled his hands away and confronted Officer Hardie,” forcing the officer to take the suspect to the ground where the struggle continued.

During the struggle the complaint alleges Officer Hardie “allegedly felt Aery pulling at the front of his belt and at his firearm.” The complaint concludes that the defendant was eventually handcuffed and placed in a patrol vehicle.

Beltrami County charging documents list a defendant identified as Tylor Gordon Aery, 37, of Blackduck, charged with Second Degree DWI and Obstructing Legal Process following the Feb. 13 stop. The criminal complaint summary provided to police names the driver as Tyler Aery, 37, creating a discrepancy in the spelling and use of a middle name between the arrest report and the charging document; court records should be consulted for the official legal name.

Charging documents further indicate officers later located the vehicle in a nearby driveway and observed extensive front-end damage and found “three unopened beers in a case in the back seat, along with one unopened beer in the passenger seat pocket.” Those vehicle observations appear in the filed materials and bear on the DWI allegation; investigators and the county attorney’s office will determine which items are part of the official evidence list.

The criminal complaint does not include public statements from Officer Hardie or from the defendant. The presence of a child under the age of 10 in the vehicle is recorded in the complaint; the documents do not specify whether child protection authorities were notified or whether additional citations were issued for registration or child endangerment. Court filings and the Blackduck Police Department’s incident report will provide further detail on charges, custody status and the scheduled court appearance.