Two Harbors man charged after alleged assault at rescue garage

Benjamin Lee Robinson of Two Harbors is facing three criminal charges after police say he assaulted and resisted officers at the Lake County Rescue Squad garage while firefighters and emergency crews were responding to the Stewart Trail Fire north of town. Court records identify the man in the vehicle as a worker for the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office, putting the confrontation inside a public-safety response scene rather than an ordinary street dispute.

Officers were called to the area near 16th Avenue on May 17, 2026, where they found Robinson on top of another man inside a Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s vehicle. According to the court documents, the driver told police he needed help immediately. Robinson told officers he was with search and rescue and said the other man had tried to kill him. Police said Robinson refused commands to get off the driver and had to be pulled from the vehicle.

Officers also reported seeing a utility knife and a multi-tool on Robinson’s waist. When he continued resisting, they used a Taser to subdue him before handcuffing him. He was taken to the hospital and then booked into jail. The driver told police Robinson had jumped onto the vehicle asking to go with him, tried to get inside, and threatened to bite his thumb off. The driver was not injured.

Robinson told police he had gone to the rescue garage to help with firefighting efforts and said he was a member of the Lake County Rescue Squad. In his account, he said he panicked and believed he was under attack. He also told police he had consumed three 15 mg THC gummies that day. He is charged with obstructing the legal process with force or threat of force, fifth-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

The setting has drawn attention in Lake County because the rescue squad is a volunteer group that assists the sheriff with search and rescue and other emergencies, with equipment based in Two Harbors, Silver Bay and Finland. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is part of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and supports fire departments statewide through fire investigations, public education and fire-safety inspections.

The confrontation unfolded during one of the county’s most disruptive fire events in years. The Stewart Trail Fire started May 15 about 3 miles north of Two Harbors. By May 17, it had burned 355 acres, was 30% contained and had destroyed 34 structures, including eight primary homes and 26 outbuildings. By May 19, county officials said all evacuation zones had been lifted, the fire was 100% contained and U.S. Highway 61 north of Two Harbors had reopened after being closed between the Stewart River and the Silver Cliff Tunnel for firefighting operations.

Fox 21 also reported that Robinson had been a member of the Lake County Rescue Squad at the time of the incident but has since been dismissed. That leaves Lake County residents with a broader accountability question as the community continues to recover from the fire and rely on volunteer emergency crews, state responders and mutual aid agencies working under heavy strain.