Austin man accepts a plea agreement for felony aiding an offender

Published 4:25 pm Saturday, October 1, 2016

AUSTIN — One of three people charged with aiding a felon who led to police shutting down two Austin roads for searches took a plea agreement Friday, while the other two failed to appear at scheduled hearings.

Andrew Lynn Gulbrandson, 30, of Austin pleaded guilty to a felony charge for aiding an offender in Mower County Court Friday, whileMiranda Marie Brede, 23, of Austin and Shalayna Dee Belden, 26, of Albert Lea failed to appear at scheduled hearings. The also face felony charges for aiding an offender.

Their charges stem from the April 1 arrest of Tom Heuangsayaseng, 30, of Austin, who had multiple felony warrants and allegedly assaulted a woman the day before he was arrested and charged with felony domestic assault, third-degree assault and gross misdemeanor theft.

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On March 31, officers were dispatched to the 1600 block of 12th Street Southwest and blocked the street to speak with the assault victim and search, unsuccessfully, for Heuangsayaseng.

At around 7:40 p.m. on April 1, officers were searching for Heuangsayaseng on the 200 block of 12th Avenue Southwest and saw a grey Chevy Silverado pull in the driveway and a man walk into the house, according to court records.

The truck was determined to belong to Gulbrandson, and law enforcement believed he may be assisting Heuangsayaseng. About 15 minutes later, a white Chrysler Pacifica pulled up to the residence, and the driver told police he’d heard Gulbrandson was hiding someone in the house and that’s why he was there. He entered the house and came out a few minutes later and told police Heuangsayseng was in the home.

Officers secured the area, and Brede exited the house, who repeatedly denied Heuangsayseng was inside the home, even after being told she could be charged with aiding an offender if she wasn’t telling the truth and he was in the home, according to court records.

She also told officers they “were going to be sorry” and would pay for anything that happened to the house, the report states.

Later after the the Special Incident Response Team (SIRT) was called to the scene, she changed her story and said Heuangsayaseng had been at the residence earlier but had left in his Escalade about five to 10 minutes before Gulbrandson got to the house.

However, officers informed her they had been watching the house for over an hour and no Escalade or any other vehicle had been or stopped at the house. Brede continued to tell officers he left in the car.

Gulbrandson and Belden then came out of the house, and police informed both of Heuangsayaseng’s numerous felony warrants. Both denied he was in the house, though Gulbrandson admitted to arriving about 30 to 45 minutes earlier that night in the truck.

After obtaining a search warrant, SIRT found Heuangsayaseng on the main floor living area at the base of the upstairs stairway and arrested him.

Brede and Belden’s pre-trial is scheduled for Sept. 30 and the jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 10.

Heuangsayaseng previously pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of being a violent felon in possession of a firearm. He was also charged with felony domestic assault, third-degree assault and gross misdemeanor theft.

Gulbrandson was charged with felony aiding an offender on Thursday, May 19 in Mower County court.