Man who threatened officer with knife inside northern Minnesota dollar store found not guilty due to mental illness

A man charged with threatening a police officer with a knife inside a northern Minnesota dollar store before the officer shot him has been found not guilty due to mental illness, according to court records.

Two examiners determined Dillon Kloehn qualified for a mental illness defense, with one noting he was "laboring under such a defect of reason as to not know the nature of the acts constituting the offense with which he is charged or that his actions were wrong."

Kloehn had been charged with first-degree assault, first-degree attempted aggravated robbery, fleeing a peace officer by a means other than a motor vehicle and two counts of second-degree assault in connection with the Aug. 8, 2025, incident.

According to the charges, 32-year-old Kloehn entered a Dollar General in Walker, Minnesota, wearing only boxers and carrying a knife. A witness described him as "acting intoxicated." Walker police officer Kent Cleveland entered the store, and Kloehn threw things at him and threatened to stab or cut him multiple times, the criminal complaint said.

Kloehn allegedly told Cleveland he would kill him and charged at the officer as he backed out of the store, at which point Cleveland shot him once. 

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting. Cleveland has not been charged.

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.

In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.