NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 30, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT: Wade Backstrom
218-726-2323 or backstromw@stlouiscountymn.gov
Joint Media Statement from Sheriff Gordon Ramsay and County Attorney Kim Maki regarding Michael Todd Hart
This statement is issued to correct the record regarding the release of Inmate Michael Todd Hart from the Itasca County Jail.
While the circumstances surrounding Mr. Hart’s custody status were unusual, given his multiple cases in multiple jurisdictions and his prior escape from custody, the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office played no role in his release.
To the contrary, the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office took the following actions to ensure Mr. Hart remained in custody:
- Filed a Complaint, issued as a warrant charging Mr. Hart with First-Degree Burglary (Court File No. 69DU-CR-25-433)
- Successfully argued for, and obtained, an increase in bail totaling $300,000 after an earlier, lower bail setting
- Filed a separate Complaint and obtained a warrant charging Mr. Hart with Escape from Custody following his escape from the Northeast Regional Corrections Center (NERCC) (Court File No. 69DU-CR-25-202)
- Sought and secured an additional $40,000 bail after Mr. Hart was apprehended for escape
- Secured an arrest warrant after learning Mr. Hart had been mistakenly released from the Itasca County Jail
The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office did not authorize, request, or facilitate Mr. Hart’s release. Rather, the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office has consistently fought to keep him incarcerated. He was released despite two active cases and substantial, unpaid bail amounts. This was a system failure, not a prosecutorial decision.
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and Attorney’s Office urge Mr. Hart to work with his legal counsel to turn himself in. Anyone with information about Mr. Hart’s whereabouts should call 911.
Sheriff Gordon Ramsay and County Attorney Kim Maki
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