Craig Gilbert

REGIONAL — Greenwood Township Supervisor Craig Gilbert, 56, of Tower, has been charged in Itasca County District Court following an altercation earlier this month in a parking lot at Wizard’s Sports Bar and Grill in Nashwauk.
Gilbert faces misdemeanor charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving an attended vehicle and third-degree property damage. The charges stem from a June 11 incident involving Michael Broker Jr., 25, of Nashwauk.
According to a probable cause statement filed by Nashwauk Police Officer Corey Bloom, police were dispatched to Wizard’s Sports Bar and Grill at about 9:07 p.m. on June 11 following a report of a hit-and-run property damage incident.
When Bloom arrived, he found Broker vacuuming shattered glass from his Ford pickup truck. Broker told police he had been cleaning the interior of the vehicle in the rear parking lot while wearing headphones when a white Chevrolet Equinox attempted to back out of a parking space and struck the rear passenger-side bumper of his truck.
Broker told police he tapped on the driver’s window to get the driver’s attention. He alleged that the driver exited the vehicle carrying an ice scraper, used it to shatter the rear window of the pickup, and then left the scene.
Broker provided police with a description of the driver and the vehicle, including a Bois Forte license plate that read “GO DOGGS.”
Bloom reported observing two small dents on the truck’s rear passenger-side bumper as well as a shattered rear window.
Police also obtained a statement from a Wizard’s employee who witnessed the incident.
According to the employee, she was outside on a break when she observed the driver of the Equinox enter the vehicle and comment that Broker’s truck was in his way. The employee told police she advised the driver that Broker’s door was open and that he could simply ask Broker to move the vehicle.
The employee reported seeing the Equinox back into Broker’s truck. She said Broker then confronted the driver about hitting the vehicle, which led to a verbal argument.
According to the employee’s statement, the driver denied hitting the truck. As Broker attempted to disengage from the argument, the employee told police, the driver retrieved an ice scraper from his vehicle, pursued Broker down the alley, and struck the rear window of Broker’s truck, shattering it before leaving the scene.
Police later used the license plate information to identify the vehicle as being registered to Gilbert.
Bloom also reported that Broker later provided him with a photograph of surveillance footage from inside the establishment. According to the complaint, Bloom concluded that Gilbert’s driver’s license photograph matched the individual shown in the image as well as the descriptions provided by Broker and the witness.
Bloom later obtained a telephone number for Gilbert through the Hibbing Police Department and left a voicemail requesting a return call. According to the complaint, he received no response.
The following day, Bloom went to Mesabi Metallics, where security personnel confirmed Gilbert was working on site as an employee of Hunt Construction. According to the complaint, security personnel escorted Bloom onto the property and arranged for Gilbert to be brought to a security building, where he agreed to speak with police.
According to the complaint, Gilbert offered a different account of the incident.
Gilbert told police he had stopped at Wizard’s after work for a couple of beers. He said Broker’s truck was parked behind him when he attempted to leave and acknowledged telling a waitress he was going to move around the vehicle.
Gilbert denied striking Broker’s truck with his vehicle.
According to the complaint, Gilbert told police Broker got out of his truck, began yelling at him, and struck Gilbert’s vehicle with his fist. Gilbert told police Broker accused him of hitting the pickup and damaging it.
Gilbert also told police that Broker made statements about killing him and that he became concerned Broker might retrieve a firearm. Gilbert said he retrieved an ice scraper from his vehicle because of those concerns.
Gilbert told police he was attempting to obtain Broker’s information when Broker began swinging at him. He said he never swung at Broker and was uncertain whether he had swung the ice scraper in an effort to keep Broker away. According to Gilbert, the ice scraper slipped from his hand and struck the rear window of Broker’s truck.
Gilbert told police he left the scene because he believed Broker might retrieve a gun.
According to the complaint, Gilbert acknowledged that he did not call 911 after leaving.
Gilbert was arrested on June 12 and booked into the Itasca County Jail. Court records indicate he was later released on his own recognizance subject to conditions that include remaining law abiding, making all court appearances, and having no contact with Broker.
Bloom later contacted Broker by telephone. Broker denied making threats against Gilbert and told police that while he insulted Gilbert during the argument, he did not threaten him. Broker maintained that Gilbert threw the ice scraper at the rear window, causing it to break.
Gilbert was elected to the Greenwood Town Board in March 2024.