Man allegedly threatens to kill cops

An Owatonna man faces a federal charge after he is accused of threatening to kill cops at a pro-Trump rally and selling undercover agents homemade firearms.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged Dayton Charles Sauke, 22, with a single count of possession of an unregistered firearm.
Sauke appeared in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis Thursday before Magistrate Judge David T. Schultz for his initial appearance. During the hearing, the judge decided to keep Sauke locked up for now. “At present I find there are no set of restrictions that I can impose that will reasonably ensure the safety of the community,” the judge said.
Authorities took Sauke into federal custody on Jan. 15 after a lengthy investigation going back to last summer.
According to the federal complaint, the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office received information on July 30 that Sauke was selling narcotics and manufacturing and dealing firearms without a license.
Beginning on Dec. 6, law enforcement agents began monitoring Sauke’s Snapchat account in which he allegedly made numerous posts consistent with manufacturing and dealing firearms, as well as using and dealing drugs. Between Dec. 6 and Jan. 12, Sauke posted pictures of a short-barreled shotgun and made several threatening posts about killing law enforcement and politicians, the federal complaint alleges.
“We’re all from the same cloth,” Sauke allegedly wrote. “Don’t be showing out for any politicians we gotta murder every single one of them.”
In another social media post, Sauke was seen pointing a gun at the camera. On Dec. 20, he wrote, “I got one of the most liberal states armed to the teeth in ghost glocks.”
On Jan. 15, two undercover agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives met with Sauke and purchased from him a privately made firearm for $1,500, the complaint said. During the conversation, Sauke allegedly showed the undercover agents photos of firearms they could purchase and said he had a “sawed-off shotgun” in his car. The transaction took place at a parking lot in Faribault.
The undercover agents agreed to purchase two additional firearms from Sauke and paid him $900 toward the purchases. Once the transaction was completed, agents took Sauke into custody.
The complaint said agents recovered from Sauke’s vehicle a short-barreled shotgun similar to the gun shown in his Snapchat posts and a box of shotgun ammunition.
Federal law requires shotguns with reduced barrels and overall lengths to be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, according to U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald. She said the shotgun was not registered to Sauke.
There are several social media posts from Sauke outlined in the federal complaint. In one of them, Sauke allegedly said, “Im just not the sucker who brings my fists to a gunfight. And I’m going to win in a gunfight every single time. I have more firearms training and better nerves than the average cop.” He went on to say in the same post, “Doesn’t matter if you’re a felon or not you should be conceal carrying everywhere you go in 2021. I can help you with that.”
The federal complaint also detailed comments that Sauke allegedly made to his probation officer. He allegedly wrote in December, “I carry guns wherever I go and wish that somebody ANYBODY would find the courage to play games with me. It’s a Christmas miracle that I haven’t put anyone in the dirt yet. Cops can feel my wrath too. I’ve been tazed, stabbed and numbed numerous times that (expletive) doesn’t phase me. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”
Jurisdictions involved in the investigation included ATF, FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, the South Central Drug Investigations Unit and the Cannon River Drug Task Force.