A Rochester man is being held on $2 million bond after being charged Friday with the murder of a former romantic partner.
Craig Hameister, 44, is accused of fatally attacking Melissa Hunt, 36, at a boat launch in rural Wabasha County. He faces two charges of second-degree murder, each of which carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint:
Wabasha County deputies were called to a residence in Kellogg on June 18 to a report that a woman had pulled into a driveway with significant injuries to her face, including missing teeth and injuries to her jaw.
The victim, identified as Hunt, told authorities that Hameister had assaulted her with a stick at a nearby boat launch. She was taken to a Wabasha hospital, where she died of her injuries hours later.
When deputies went to the boat launch, they found no evidence of a crime because of heavy rain at the time. However, they located Hameister’s truck outside Chatfield, about 25 miles south of Rochester, where they found a live 9-millimeter round on the floor.
A witness told officers that Hameister had shown up earlier and appeared “very frantic” before leaving on a motorcycle.
Hameister was later located at a trailer park in rural Olmsted County, where he tried to evade officers by climbing a tree. An hourslong standoff ensued before officers were able to get him into custody.