'Don't make me stab the dog:' Kalin Sunde charged in pursuit, standoff involving stolen van

WAUKESHA COUNTY -- Charges were filed Tuesday, June 11 against Kalin Sunde, 31, of Pewaukee in connection with a pursuit and five-hour standoff involving a stolen minivan on Tuesday, June 4 near I-94 and Highway 67 in the Village of Summit.

Sunde faces the following charges:

According to a criminal complaint, this all started with a report of a burglary in Germantown on June 3, the day before the pursuit and standoff. A man told police his parents' home had been burglarized while they were in Las Vegas. A vehicle was reported missing from the garage -- the minivan involved in the pursuit and standoff. A handgun officials said Nathan Halfmann was in possession of was also taken in this burglary. The complaint said the man interviewed by police indicated Kalin Sunde could've been at his parents' home.

The complaint said Sunde said the van belonged to a customer who "pays her for sex." She said it was Halfmann's idea to go to the customer's home and take property to satisfy an outstanding debt. She said she went along to make sure he didn't "trash the place." She said Halfmann found a pistol and keys to the van. She said she drove the van away from the Germantown home.

The next day, June 4, a park superintendent at the Kettle Moraine State Forest had contact with a vehicle at the Horseriders Campground in Palmyra. It was found parked near a campsite with no proof of having been registered for the site -- and was illegally parked. At one point, the complaint said a female jumped into the driver's seat and drove away.

Around 4:15 p.m., a DNR warden on routine patrol at the Paradise Springs Nature Area in the Town of Eagle observed a minivan parked in the lot matching the description of the vehicle from the earlier incident. It was found the minivan didn't have a State Park entrance sticker in the windshield as required. A man and woman were found in the minivan. At one point, the complaint said the woman put the minivan in reverse, and as the warden yelled, "Ma'am, stop," she drove off after shrugging her shoulders and smiling.

The warden pursued the minivan, and learned it had been listed as stolen.

The complaint said stop sticks were being set on Highway ZZ at the beginning of a construction zone, where workers were resurfacing pavement. A deputy was unable to set the spike strips in time. At one point, in the construction zone, the complaint said a large construction truck attempted to cut the minivan off, but the minivan went to the right around the truck.

At Highway 67, the van briefly came to a stop at a stop sign due to traffic, turning left to head north on Highway 67, requiring several other drivers to stop to avoid a collision.

Stop sticks were deployed between Upper Genesee Lake Road and Delafield Road, and the minivan swerved to avoid the sticks, but both driver's side tires ended up deflated. More stop sticks were deployed at Delafield Road, which were hit by the van. Even more stop sticks were deployed at Blue Ridge Road. As the pursuit passed Blue Ridge Road and began the incline towards the I-94 overpass, a deputy got in position to perform a PIT maneuver.

At this point, the complaint said the man in the van leaned out of the front passenger seat holding a black handgun -- initially pointing it at the warden and then pointing it at a deputy. The warden drew his service weapon and aimed it at the passenger side of the van through the windshield. The deputy rolled down his window and fired two shots at the van, which swerved into a guard rail and came to a stop on the east side of the I-94 overpass. Sunde told investigators neither she nor Halfmann were struck, and said Halfmann did fire at the police.

This is when the standoff ensued -- around 4:30 p.m.

The complaint said contact was made with Nathan Halfmann, who indicated he had a hostage.

According to the complaint, Sunde said the suspect "had a gun to her head." Sunde indicated her 2-month-old baby was in the vehicle. Halfmann and Sunde indicated Halfmann had been shot in the knee.

The complaint said negotiations with Halfmann didn't go well, as he didn't behave in a rational manner and was extremely agitated. The complaint said Halfmann and Sunde would make demands and then hang up the phone.

According to the complaint, law enforcement officials were very concerned about the possible child in the van. It was determined Sunde's children had been taken from her by Child Protective Services. It was also noted they did not make any demands for diapers or formula for the baby, and it was suspected they were lying about the baby being in the van. It was further determined that Halfmann had been nicked, not actually shot.

The complaint noted throughout negotiations, Sunde didn't seem to be very agitated, and displayed no fear in her voice. It was suspected they were using controlled substances during the negotiation. Sunde was streaming live to Facebook during the standoff.

During negotiations, the complaint said Halfmann at one point pointed a handgun out the driver's side window of the minivan, pointing it directly at the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office's Bearcat vehicle. He did not fire.

It was eventually decided gas would be deployed into the van. Halfmann and Sunde exited the van when the gas was deployed. As two tactical officers approached the van, shots were fired. Halfmann fell to the ground, and Sunde ran toward the east side of Highway 67.

According to the complaint, Sunde struggled to climb a chain link fence on the side of the overpass. She then began crawling through tall grass. Negotiators tried to get her to surrender, and she indicated he had a knife -- threatening to stab a police dog if it approached her, saying, "Don't make me stab the dog. I'm not dropping the knife."

Gas was deployed, and Sunde approached officers, saying, "You're going to have to kill me." A less-lethal impact round was deployed and struck Sunde in the lower back. She screamed and continued walking across the highway.

Sunde was eventually taken into custody, and a deputy ordered that investigators, "Find whatever she stabbed the dog with." Officials said K-9 Justice was stabbed by Sunde, and was treated and released.

Sunde was interviewed on June 5. She said Halfmann was her boyfriend, and they intended to drive to Fond du Lac with a half ounce of cocaine, six to 14 grams of heroin, and a smaller amount of meth. She said they opted not to "because her drug customers there did not have enough money." She said meth "was her thing," and she would purchase a ball of meth for $150 and then double her money when selling it. She admitted to using heroin "off and on." She said on the way to Fond du Lac, they stopped at Horse Rider's Park in Palmyra after getting some heroin and crack cocaine in Milwaukee. She said she grabbed the keys from Halfmann and drove to Rainbow Springs where they were approached by park police. Sunde said Halfmann told her to "drive," and admitted he was armed. She said she thought about pulling over during the pursuit, but she "didn't want to be in the middle of whatever Halfmann would do." She said Halfmann fired at police during the pursuit, and police fired back. Neither she nor Halfmann were struck, she said.

According to prosecutors, she said during the standoff, Halfmann began to "freak out" and put blankets up in the windows so officers couldn't see in. She said it was Halfmann's idea to tell police there was a child in the van in the hopes that police would not approach, and she "went along with it."

She said Halfmann made several statements that he didn't want to go back to prison and that he would shoot at officers and her. She said he held the pistol to her head at various times. She said Halfmann was injecting cocaine during the standoff, the complaint said.

She said she ran after gas was deployed into the van "because she is afraid of the police," the complaint said.

She said she armed herself with an underwire from her bra "to defend herself from the dog." She said she didn't remember striking the dog, but after the dog bit her, she was taken into custody.

She's also facing charges filed Friday, June 7 in connection with her alleged attempt to escape from Aurora Summit Medical Center, where she was taken for treatment after her arrest.

According to a criminal complaint, on Thursday, June 6, Sunde was informed she would be discharged from the hospital and taken to the Waukesha County Jail.

Prosecutors said Sunde requested that a deputy open the window, using an IV pole as a cane to walk towards him, telling him, "Open the window. I'm not going back to jail." The deputy refused, at which point the complaint said Sunde held the IV pole as if she were holding a baseball bat, telling the deputy, "I'm not going to jail. Just shoot me." The complaint said she ignored repeated commands to drop the pole. The deputy had to grab it from her and drop it to the floor. According to prosecutors, Sunde continued to resist, and had to be assisted to the ground by the deputy -- where she kicked her legs at the deputy in an attempt to get away. The deputy threatened to use his Taser, and the complaint said Sunde said, "You won't (expletive) tase me." The deputy was eventually able to get her into handcuffs, and she was re-secured to her hospital bed.

It was determined there were no further injuries to Sunde, and she could be discharged. She was placed in a restraint chair and taken to the Waukesha County Jail.

Sunde made her initial appearance in court on the pursuit/standoff charges Tuesday, June 11. Cash bond was set at $70,000, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 20.

She also appeared on the charges filed in connection with the incidents that prosecutors said took place at Aurora Summit Medical Center. A preliminary hearing was set for June 20 in that case as well. Cash bond was set at $30,000 in that case on June 7.

Finally, a deferred prosecution hearing was set for June 20 in the November 2017 case in which Sunde was charged with possession of narcotic drugs.

As of Tuesday, June 11, charges had not been filed against Nathan Halfmann in connection with the pursuit and standoff.