New York Mills man gets probation after gun threat in domestic dispute

Cody William Steinbach, 34, was sentenced to three years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to threats of violence in a New York Mills domestic dispute that prosecutors said turned dangerous when a handgun was introduced.

The case began around 9 a.m. on January 27, 2025, when the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of a disturbance involving a firearm. Steinbach’s former partner had returned to his home the day after the couple broke up to pick up belongings. She told investigators that Steinbach let her into the garage, then pushed her and told her to leave. He then went back inside, came out with a handgun, fired one round and pointed the gun at her chest. She later said he pressed the gun against her forehead as the encounter escalated.

A witness arrived at the house and interrupted the confrontation. The victim told the witness to call police. Deputies later located the complainant and the victim, and Steinbach was detained after he left the house.

Steinbach was originally charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, but that count was dismissed as part of a plea agreement. He pleaded guilty in March 2026 to threats of violence, and Otter Tail County District Court imposed the probation sentence on Monday, May 18, 2026.

The outcome leaves Steinbach under court supervision rather than serving prison time. Under Minnesota law, threats of violence under Minn. Stat. § 609.713 can carry up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, while second-degree assault under Minn. Stat. § 609.222 allows for a sentence of up to seven years and a fine of up to $14,000. The plea deal reduced the case from the more serious assault charge to the threats conviction, but the felony judgment and three-year probation term remain in place in Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District.