Duluth man sentenced to 28½ months for attempted arson at Brimson bait shop

VIRGINIA — Michael David Nelson Kunnari, 45, of Duluth, was sentenced November 2, 2026, to 28½ months in prison for attempting to set fire to Brimson Sportsmen’s Corner after confronting the bait shop’s owner about convictions involving child sexual abuse material.

Judge Michelle Anderson denied Kunnari’s request for probation and imposed the upper end of the applicable sentencing-guideline range, according to the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office. She also ordered $826.50 in restitution. The case is filed as 69VI-CR-26-622.

Kunnari entered the business June 27 carrying gasoline in a container, poured it inside and attempted to ignite a tissue with a lighter, prosecutors said. Owner Thor Steenerson stopped him before the fire could be started and chased him from the building with a bat.

According to the supplied sentencing report, Steenerson called 911 and provided a license plate number. Kunnari separately contacted authorities from the Bassett Lake boat landing and said he wanted to surrender. He told investigators he had spent about two weeks considering how to frighten the owner or persuade him to leave before deciding to burn the business.

Kunnari pleaded guilty in August to attempted first-degree arson. Under the agreement described in the report, Assistant County Attorney Aaron Welch agreed not to pursue an aggravated sentence or additional assault charges.

Defense attorney Bruce Williams sought a sentence without prison, citing Kunnari’s alcohol-dependency history, bipolar disorder diagnosis, decision to surrender and acceptance of responsibility. Anderson declined that request. The county’s announcement said the guideline range was 20½ to 28½ months because the arson was an unsuccessful attempt.

The supplied report says Steenerson received a sentencing departure in April 2024 in a separate case involving possession of child sexual abuse material. That sentence included local incarceration, treatment and 10 years of supervised probation. The report attributed the departure to findings concerning serious mental illness. Steenerson’s convictions were separate from the arson case against Kunnari.

County Attorney Kim Maki condemned the attack, saying the owner’s earlier crimes had been prosecuted through the justice system and did not justify violence against him. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office investigated the attempted arson.

Sources: St. Louis County Attorney’s Office — November 2 sentencing announcement; additional plea, defense and case-background details from the sentencing report supplied for this article.