By Devin Fry
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A Park Rapids, Minnesota, man is facing multiple felony charges after police say he broke into a Fargo hotel’s employee-only office early Thursday morning, threatening a worker with a shovel.
Joshua Wayne Herdina was arrested at approximately 4:33 a.m. Thursday at the Bison Inn and Suites, 3518 Interstate Blvd. S., in Fargo.
According to a Fargo Police incident report, Herdina entered the hotel lobby and asked a front desk employee to borrow her cell phone. When she refused, Herdina forced his way into the secure, employee-only office area. The employee told him to leave multiple times. A hotel guest helped remove him, and the victim locked the office door.
Police say Herdina then retrieved a snow shovel from the hotel vestibule, returned to the lobby, and used it to smash through the glass security door, shattering it completely. The victim, who was already on the phone with 911, barricaded herself in a side room with a couch after Herdina entered the office, still holding the shovel. She told officers she feared for her life.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found Herdina inside the locked office. He repeatedly questioned whether officers were real police and refused commands to exit before eventually being detained without further incident.
Herdina told officers he broke the door because he felt unsafe and wanted to use a phone to call police. He also said he wanted to be visible on the hotel’s security cameras.
At Essentia Health, where he was taken for medical clearance, Herdina told medical staff he had used methamphetamine approximately four hours before the incident, describing it as “four hits.” He also told officers he had PTSD and requested psychiatric care rather than jail. At booking, Herdina said this was the fifth time he had committed similar offenses due to mental health issues.
He is currently in custody at Cass County Jail
