ST PAUL, Minn. — Court documents show celebrity chef Justin Sutherland has pleaded guilty to charges alleging he pulled a gun and threatened to shoot his girlfriend last June. 

Sutherland signed a document in Ramsey County pleading guilty to one count of threats of violence – reckless disregard in the incident, which took place the evening of June 28. A criminal complaint issued against Sutherland says St. Paul police responded to an apartment building and were told by a woman who claimed to be Sutherland’s girlfriend that he pointed a gun at her and then hit her in the chest with it, allegedly saying “don’t come back here or I am going to shoot you.”

Other allegations included in the complaint include:

• Sutherland and the victim began arguing because they were no longer going to a music festival; Sutherland was upset by racist neighbors and was taking out his frustration on the victim.
• The victim said Sutherland put his hands around her neck and said “I want you dead.”
• The victim said when she ran from the house, Sutherland told her, “Don’t come back here or I am going to shoot you.” After he hit her with the gun, she put up her hands and said, “Don’t shoot me.”
• The victim said when Sutherland’s friend arrived, he was able to get the gun away from him.
• In a follow-up interview, the victim told police Sutherland strangled her, broke her phone and threatened to kill her more than once.
• When police arrived to arrest Sutherland, he screamed “You should just f****** kill me,” before surrendering while yelling racially derogatory remarks at the officer. 

Documents say that by pleading guilty, the chef and reality television star will receive a 360-day suspended sentence, which he will have to serve should Sutherland violate the terms of the agreement. He will also serve two years probation, perform 100 hours of community service, undergo a chemical dependency evaluation, and not possess firearms, among other stipulations. 

Justin Sutherland, a St. Paul native, competed on Season 16 of “Top Chef” and won Iron Chef America, where he went head-to-head with Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli. He has also served as co-host of TruTV’s “Fast Foodies” with Kristen Kish and Jeremy Ford, started Big E on Grand Ave. and is chef at Northern Soul at MSP Airport. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and needs help, call 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 to be connected with someone from the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline includes more options for support and identifiers of abuse on its website. 

For Minnesota residents, Cornerstone MN offers resources and safe housing for domestic abuse survivors and crime victims. Call 1-866-223-1111 or chat online with the crisis hotline.

ST PAUL, Minn. — College is a luxury that many smart and hardworking students may not be able to afford. 

With Minnesota’s North Star Promise Scholarship, many qualified students are now able to access quality education without tuition or fees. Metro State University has seen a lot of success with this new program implemented this fall. 

The university has awarded $2.1 million in funding to more than 1,000 students who otherwise would not have been able to afford college this year. The scholarship covers the balance of a student’s tuition and required fees after other scholarships, grands and waivers have been applied. 

This scholarship is possible at all Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, all University of Minnesota campuses and all Tribal Colleges. 

Metro State University leaders are sharing their findings with the public in a free webinar on Nov. 13 at 1 p.m.

As for eligibility, applicants must be a Minnesota resident and have a family Adjusted Gross Income below $80,000. For the full list of requirements and more information on the scholarship, click here. 

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas’ Minister of Culture has spoken!

In a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, longtime Longhorn fan Matthew McConaughey spoke out against fans throwing trash onto the field after a controversial play call during UT’s Saturday night loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.

McConaughey, who graduated from the University of Texas in 1993 and is a regular at Longhorn games, directed his statement to all Texas fans but specifically called out the DKR student section.

McConaughey started complimentary, saying the fans created a great home-field advantage with their passion, but got down to brass tacks about the trash-throwing incident.

“But let’s get real about the bottle bombing the field glitch we had,” McConaughey wrote. “Not cool. Bogey move. Yeah, that call was BS, but we’re better than that.”

McConaughey, who was named UT’s Minister of Culture in 2018, emphasized the importance of showing up as a fan while maintaining class.

“So, going forward let’s clean that kind of BS up and leave that behind us for good,” McConaughey wrote. “Next up, November 9th, when the Gators come to town let’s make sure they feel the heat, can’t hear the play calls, and burn their timeouts—but remember, nothing hits OUR field except that Texas fight.”

Outside of McConaughey’s disapproval, fans who threw trash could face real consequences. The SEC slapped UT with a $250,000 fine Sunday. 

It also tasked the university with using “all available resources” to find the fans who threw things onto the field and ban them from any Longhorn athletic events this academic year.

The University of Texas also issued a statement, saying, “We do not condone the unsportsmanlike conduct that was exhibited by some individuals throwing objects onto the field during last night’s game and sincerely apologize to the University of Georgia players, coaches, and fans, as well as the Southeastern Conference and officiating crew.”