Curtis Alan Felt was a 23-year-old Deputy Sheriff with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office when he was killed on June 29, 1978, while transporting a suspect to the Fergus Falls Jail. The suspect had been arrested about a month earlier and was being taken after a conviction for DUI and a 30-day sentence for contempt of court for failing to pay a fine. The suspect was not searched during his court appearance or when taken into custody, and while Deputy Felt arrived to move him, the suspect produced a hidden firearm and opened fire.

Reports state the suspect was armed with multiple weapons at the time, including 9 mm handguns in his belt, a .25 caliber handgun in his pocket, and a .357 caliber handgun in his boot. After the shooting the suspect fled and was later shot and killed following a brief chase; additional ammunition and a pipe bomb were found in the suspect’s truck. Curtis Felt was survived by his wife, two brothers, and his parents. A park near Alexandria was named in his honor in 2000.

Did anyone in the area at the time have information about the arrest or transport that could shed light on how the suspect carried those weapons onto court grounds?