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An Austin man has made a first appearance in Mower County District Court to face charges related to a Feb. 11 incident involving a firearm.

Aaron Duenes, 28, is facing a felony charge of first degree burglary as well as a gross misdemeanor charge of obstructing the legal process. He’s also been charged with three misdemeanors for domestic assault, fifth degree assault and fourth degree property damage.

According to the court complaint officers were dispatched to an Austin residence at around 10:13 p.m. for a burglary in progress where the suspect, allegedly Duenes, was also carrying a firearm.

When police arrived, an officer noted Duenes walking away from the residence to a running car on Second Avenue SE. The officer ordered Duenes at gunpoint to stop, but Duenes kept walking to his vehicle.

The officer approached Duenes and took him down to the ground and tried to secure Duane’s arms. After back-up officers arrived, the struggle continued in order to secure his arms, discovering at one point that Duenes was holding keys in such a way as to stick out between his fingers.

After applying pepper spray, officers were able to secure Duenes’ arms and discovered an RIA 1911 45 caliber handgun in the front pocket of his jacket. Officers noted that the hammer on the weapon was drawn back and that a hollow-point round was loaded in the chamber.

Seven more hollow-point rounds were inside the gun’s magazine.

One of two victims at the residence, of which Duenes had a prior relationship with, stated that Duenes allegedly tried getting into the residence through a window and then later a door by trying to force his way into the residence.

Once in the residence Duenes allegedly demanded to know where the second victim was, a male who the first victim thought Duenes was going to harm.

Duenes then walked away when the second victim said he had the police on the line, after which Duenes was arrested and taken to the Mower County Jail.

The initial responding officer observed and photographed damage to both the window and the door as well as noting footprints beneath the window with matching treads to the shoes belonging to Duenes.

The male victim also noted that Duenes had made prior threats to him in the past and that Duenes was caught on video showing up at his home in Albert Lea.

When questioned at the jail, Duenes allegedly told the officer that there was no hostility during the incident and that he had been calm when he had been at the home. He denied going to the window and claimed the first victim came to the door when he knocked and that he did not try to force the door open, however, Duenes claimed that he thought “something was fishy.”

He also claimed to see the male victim run.

Duenes allegedly continued to deny being outside the window, even after the officer noted the footprints found there, and that he left after having a brief argument with the first victim.

The report states that Duenes claimed to not know the male victim, despite calling him by his name during the interview and despite there being video, Duenes denied going to the victim’s Albert Lea home.

However, after being confronted with knowledge of the videos, Duenes stopped the interview.

Duenes next court appearance is an initial appearance on Feb. 27