more soda
from a taxidermy shop. Walter walked into Rickey’s Ridge
Taxidermy Studio, locked the front door behind him, told the
proprietor that he was being held hostage, and asked him to
call the police.
    When Kruger heard sirens approaching, he sped away from
the scene in the truck. (The trailer and cow had been ditched
earlier.) Multiple squad cars gave chase, but Kruger initially
managed to shake their pursuit. By this time, an advisory
bulletin had been issued, local schools had been locked down,
and area residents had been warned to stay in their homes;
sheriff’s deputies from four different counties and a state patrol
aircraft were involved in the effort to capture Kruger. Kruger
stopped at two other residences where he, among other things,
6           of the .22-caliber shotgun and the ammunition that
Bonnie Forseth had purchased for him from Gander Mountain
at his behest on June 6, 2013. Count Two charged that Kruger
had possessed the same shotgun and ammunition between
August 14 and August 28, 2013. Count Three arose from the
lengthy crime spree of September 10, 2013, and charged him
with the possession of three separate firearms during the
course of that day.
    Kruger pleaded guilty to Counts Two and Three pursuant
to a written plea agreement. At the change of plea hearing,
Kruger professed some uncertainty as to when exactly, during
the two-week period in August 2013 referenced in Count Two
of the indictment, he had possessed the .22-caliber rifle and
ammunition he had purportedly purchased for his father. The
government’s proffer focused on the end of that period,