VIDEO: Squad Cam Captures Golf Club Assault
A still image from squad camera video shows Underleiter armed with a golf club.
Newly released video shows suspects damaging a vehicle in Saint Paul including one wielding a golf club and another with a knife.
Jesse Lee Underleiter and Nicholas Todd Spangler were seen around 3:10 p.m. on June 22nd, near Bennett’s Chop and Railhouse at 1305 Seventh Street West after a criminal damage to property report. The two men were observed damaging a vehicle in the area.
Officers arrived and saw Underleiter hitting the driver’s window of a 2008 Dodge Charger with a golf club. Officers saw Spangler slashing the Charger’s passenger side tires with a fixed-blade knife. Officers got out of their squad and ordered Spangler and Underleiter to the ground. Spangler immediately dropped the knife, but then took off on foot.
Underleiter yelled, “What the f*** are you going to do?” and threw the golf club directly at an officer. The officer sidestepped the golf club and was not injured. Underleiter tried to run but was tackled and taken to the ground where he continued to resist arrest until mace was sprayed in his face.
Officers spotted and arrested Spangler nearby. When stopped Spangler said, “Yeah, I was part of it,” and he put his hands behind his back to be arrested.
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Officers found the golf club and knife at the scene, with all the vehicle's windows broken with the exception of the rear passenger window. Both passenger side tires had been slashed, with at least $1000 in damage. The owner of the car said Spangler is her cousin and that Underleiter is related to Spangler. The woman said she heard from family members that Spangler believes she snitched on him regarding one of his many criminal cases.
Spangler has at least 6 prior felony convictions, and he committed this offense while awaiting trial on four separate felonies in Ramsey County, including burglary in the first degree, burglary in the second degree, and theft of a motor vehicle. Spangler has numerous prior convictions for felony theft, check forgery, financial card fraud, drugs, fleeing and domestic assault.
Underleiter was initially charged with 1st degree damage to property and 4th degree assault of a peace officer. Court records indicate that as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, the damage to property charge was dismissed and Underleiter was sentenced to serve two years of probation. Underleiter has previous convictions for domestic assault and misdemeanor theft.
The video, from 2020, was recently released to MN CRIME through an open records request after the case was closed.
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