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FREEBORN COUNTY, Minnesota — June 25, 2025 — Justin Daniel Stuart’s name appears in both Minnesota combat-sports records and Freeborn County court records, with the latter documenting a felony burglary conviction that ultimately resulted in five years of supervised probation.
Court records show that Stuart pleaded guilty in December 2019 to an amended charge of first-degree burglary stemming from a February 2018 incident in Freeborn County. He was sentenced in June 2020 to a stayed 21-month prison sentence, 180 days in the Freeborn County Jail through work release and five years of supervised probation.
On June 25, 2025, the court formally discharged Stuart from probation.
Separately, public combat-sports records identify a Justin Stuart from Albert Lea as an amateur MMA fighter. In June 2020, Minnesota fight coverage described Stuart as an Albert Lea fighter who stepped into a kickboxing event on two days’ notice. He lost the bout by unanimous decision.
The court documents and the fight report identify Stuart as being from Albert Lea, but the court records supplied for this article identify the defendant as Justin Daniel Stuart, born June 10, 1996. The MMA source refers to him as Justin Stuart.
The 2018 Freeborn County case
According to the probable-cause complaint filed in Freeborn County District Court, officers were dispatched to a residence in the early morning hours following a report of disorderly conduct.
The complaint alleged that Stuart went to the residence of a former girlfriend, who was also the mother of one of his children. According to the complaint, Stuart knocked on the back door, entered the residence without consent and went into a bedroom where another man was present.
Prosecutors alleged that Stuart struck the man repeatedly in the head and neck.
The complaint said officers found the alleged victim having difficulty communicating. Officers also documented a large bruise developing on his neck and a significant contusion near his right eye. He was taken to a hospital and was reportedly complaining of severe jaw pain.
The complaint further alleged that Stuart spit in the face of his former girlfriend before leaving the residence.
These were allegations contained in the original probable-cause complaint. The case was later resolved through a guilty plea to an amended burglary charge rather than a trial on the original charges.
Stuart’s account to police
The court complaint also describes statements Stuart allegedly made after officers located him.
According to the complaint, Stuart told officers that he had gone to his former girlfriend’s home because he was angry after learning that she had begun dating someone else.
The complaint states that Stuart admitted seeing the other man in the bedroom and “snapped.” He acknowledged striking him and also admitted spitting in the woman’s face.
Stuart was arrested and initially held at the Freeborn County Adult Correctional Facility.
Four original charges
The original complaint contained four counts.
The two most serious were separate counts of first-degree burglary involving an assault, charged under Minnesota Statute § 609.582, subdivision 1(c).
He was also charged with:
- Fifth-degree misdemeanor assault
- Gross-misdemeanor domestic assault
The original first-degree burglary counts carried a potential maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a $35,000 fine.
Stuart was initially released under conditions that included no contact with the victims, restrictions on alcohol and controlled substances, random testing, a prohibition on entering bars or liquor stores and a prohibition on assaultive or threatening behavior.
A missed court appearance and warrant
The case continued through 2018 and 2019, with multiple release orders imposing increasingly specific conditions.
A court warrant dated October 14, 2019, states that Stuart failed to appear for a scheduled plea hearing.
The warrant ordered that he be arrested and brought before the court.
A release order issued four days later again imposed conditions including no contact with the victims, random testing, no alcohol or drugs, no assaultive or threatening behavior and a domestic-abuse no-contact order.
Guilty plea in December 2019
The case ultimately changed significantly from the original charges.
On December 2, 2019, Stuart entered a guilty plea pursuant to Minnesota’s Rule 15 procedure.
Under the written plea agreement, he agreed to plead guilty to an amended Count I — first-degree burglary under Minn. Stat. § 609.582, subd. 1(a).
The agreement called for Count II to be dismissed, along with the remaining assault and domestic-assault charges.
The plea agreement contemplated a stayed sentence with a mandatory six months in jail, restitution as ordered by the court and a presentence investigation.
In his plea petition, Stuart acknowledged that he understood the charges and the constitutional rights he was giving up by pleading guilty, including his right to a jury trial and his right to confront witnesses.
Presentence investigation problems
After the guilty plea, the Minnesota Department of Corrections began preparing a presentence investigation.
A January 30, 2020 letter to the sentencing judge stated that the assigned agent had attempted multiple times to contact Stuart.
According to the letter, an agent attempted to reach Stuart by telephone on January 9 and January 16 but could not leave a voicemail. A letter was then sent scheduling a presentence-investigation appointment for January 27.
Stuart did not appear for that appointment, according to the letter.
The agent reported another unsuccessful attempt to reach him on January 29 and informed the court that the presentence investigation would not be completed by the scheduled sentencing date.
The 2020 sentence
On June 25, 2020, District Court Judge Steven Schwab sentenced Stuart on the amended first-degree burglary conviction.
The court imposed a 21-month sentence to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, but stayed execution of that sentence for five years.
Stuart was also sentenced to 180 days in the Freeborn County Jail, to be served through work release. He received credit for six days already served.
The court placed him on five years of supervised probation, monitored by the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
His probation conditions included obeying all state and federal criminal laws, reporting contact with law enforcement, notifying his probation officer of new charges, submitting to searches based on reasonable suspicion, providing a DNA sample when directed and obtaining permission before leaving Minnesota.
The court also imposed restrictions concerning alcohol and controlled substances, random testing, firearms, assaultive or threatening behavior and contact with the victim.
Stuart was ordered to complete domestic-abuse counseling or treatment.
Additional requirements in 2021
The court later amended the sentencing order.
An amended order dated October 6, 2021, maintained the stayed 21-month sentence and five-year probation term.
The amended order added cognitive-skills training and a sentence-to-service requirement. It also required Stuart to complete a “Responding to Violations” tool and restart and successfully complete a domestic-abuse program.
The underlying prison sentence remained stayed.
Stuart’s MMA career
While the criminal case was moving through the courts, Stuart also had a documented connection to Minnesota’s regional combat-sports scene.
A June 2020 report from Minnesota Boxing Events described Justin Stuart of Albert Lea as an experienced amateur MMA fighter with an 11-4-1 record. Stuart accepted a kickboxing main-event opportunity on two days’ notice at Valhalla Combat’s Father’s Day Fracas in Fridley, Minnesota.
He faced Andrew Case-Allan and lost by unanimous decision.
More recent public records also identify a Justin Stuart from Albert Lea in football, listing him as a defensive lineman/tight end for the Albert Lea Grizzlies.
The available sources use the name Justin Stuart, while the Freeborn County court records identify the defendant as Justin Daniel Stuart. The shared Albert Lea connection and matching biographical information are consistent with the identities being the same person, but this article does not rely on the sports records to establish the criminal conviction.
Probation ends in 2025
The final document in the court record is an Order Discharging Probationer — Stay of Execution.
The order lists Stuart’s probation length as five years and its expiration date as June 25, 2025.
The court ordered that Stuart be discharged from probation and stated that, where applicable, his civil rights and right to hold public office were restored.
The discharge did not erase the underlying felony conviction. The order specifically notes that restrictions associated with other convictions or legal matters are not affected.
The order also contains a warning concerning Minnesota’s firearm restrictions for qualifying felony crimes of violence.
The case at a glance
Defendant: Justin Daniel Stuart
Court: Freeborn County District Court, Third Judicial District
Court file: 24-CR-18-195
Offense date: February 5, 2018
Original charges: Two counts of first-degree burglary, fifth-degree assault and gross-misdemeanor domestic assault
Final conviction: First-degree burglary under Minn. Stat. § 609.582, subd. 1(a)
Guilty plea: December 2, 2019
Sentence: 21 months in prison, stayed for five years
Local jail: 180 days, work release; six days’ credit
Probation: Five years
Probation discharged: June 25, 2025
Where the case stands
As of June 25, 2025, the court records provided for this article show that Stuart had completed the five-year probationary period imposed following his first-degree burglary conviction and had been formally discharged from probation.
The conviction itself remains part of the court record. The original assault and domestic-assault charges, as well as the second burglary count, were dismissed as part of the plea disposition.
This article is based primarily on Freeborn County District Court records supplied for review. Allegations from the original probable-cause complaint are identified as allegations and should not be confused with the ultimate conviction. The sports information is based on independently published combat-sports records.