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Crime, Law and Justice
Matt Sepic
St. Paul

Celebrity chef Justin Sutherland admits threatening to shoot girlfriend, pleads guilty to felony

Twin Cities chef Justin Sutherland
Twin Cities chef Justin Sutherland poses for a photo at a screening of truTV's "Taste The Culture" and cooking demo during SXSW on March 13, 2022 in Austin, Texas.
Mat Hayward | Getty Images for WarnerMedia

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Twin Cities celebrity chef Justin Sutherland faces sentencing in December after admitting that he threatened to shoot his girlfriend.

Ramsey County prosecutors charged Sutherland over the summer with a felony count of making threats of violence, to which he pleaded guilty on Monday.

According to the criminal complaint, St. Paul police responded to several 911 calls on June 28, including one from the sister of Sutherland's partner, who reported that Sutherland took his girlfriend's phone and smashed it.

Another caller reported seeing an armed man outside a building in the Como neighborhood with a woman who appeared to be in distress. The 24-year-old told officers that Sutherland had pointed a gun at her, threatened to shoot, and also hit her in the chest with the weapon. A friend of the couple grabbed the gun from Sutherland’s hand, prosecutors said.

The plea deal calls for a 360-day jail sentence to be stayed for two years as long as he completes 100 hours of community service, undergoes a chemical dependency evaluation, and does not possess any firearms.

The final decision on Sutherland’s sentence is up to Judge Andrew Gordon, who has set a sentencing hearing for Dec. 13.

If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation with their partner, there is a 24-hour statewide domestic violence hotline. You can call Minnesota Day One at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995.