KELLOGG, Minn. – A 44-year-old man is in custody after allegedly beating his ex-girlfriend to death and hiding in a tree to avoid arrest.
According to the Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office, on June 18, deputies responded to a report of a severely injured woman, 36-year-old Melissa Hunt, who was taken to the hospital. According to KSTP-TV, Hunt drove into the reporting party’s driveway while missing multiple teeth and a portion of her jawbone.
Hunt allegedly told investigators that her ex-boyfriend, Craig Hameister, struck her with a stick near a boat launch, and she described his vehicle. Hunt died from her injuries in the hospital.
According to KSTP, authorities discovered Hameister’s truck near a home in Olmsted County, along with a 9 mm round on the floor. Residents told police that Hameister arrived in a “very frantic” state and said, “Something bad happened.” Hameister allegedly told a resident of the house that law enforcement would arrive before fleeing on a motorcycle.
According to court documents reviewed by KSTP, authorities located Hameister in Olmstead County. He allegedly climbed a tree to avoid arrest, but authorities apprehended him after an hours-long standoff. Hameister is still being held in the Wabasha County Jail on charges of second degree murder.
