Sheriff John Stack and Chief Deputy Andrew Herlitz were shot and killed after responding to a dispute between two farmers over a tractor.

When the officers arrived one of the men shot Deputy Herlitz first, and then Sheriff Stack as he was trying to put Deputy Herlitz in the police vehicle. The man then turned himself in to police. The man was charged with two counts of first degree murder.

The suspect pled guilty to two counts of third degree murder and was sentenced to 40 years September 23rd, 1966.

Sheriff Stack had served with the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office for 10 years and was survived by his wife and four children. He was a chief petty officer at the Minneapolis Naval Air Station. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery, just West of Anoka, Minnesota.