Duluth's rubber ball fetish burglar at it again

Photo by stevendepolo

We're still trying to figure out why slashing giant rubber exercise balls is so sexually satisfying, but one Duluth man has a serious fetish he can't seem to give up. There must be something about running that long phallic blade through the thin rubber skin and watching the ball slowly deflate that really gets this guy jazzed.

The man has a professed sexual fetish for slashing rubber exercise balls and he is accused of burglarizing yet another place to satisfy the urge, police say.

Christopher Neil Bjerkness, 31, allegedly broke into the St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic West building in Duluth to slash the balls with a sharp knife. And this isn't the first time. Police have issued a warrant for his arrest, but have been unable to locate him. Anyone check the local gyms by chance?

His previous record, according to the Duluth News Tribune:

Bjerkness was convicted in 2005 of first-degree criminal damage to property after making an unauthorized entry into the Sports and Health Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth on several occasions between February and September of 2004 and damaging inflatable exercise balls.

In pleading guilty in that case, Bjerkness also admitted slashing balls at the St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic Center for Personal Fitness. The fitness center reported to police that 40 balls had been slashed.

According to the criminal complaint, Bjerkness also was convicted in 2006 of third-degree burglary for entering the Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center and damaging inflatable exercise balls there.

Experts say he has an unusual attraction to inflatable exercise devices. For real? During probation, Bjerkness underwent psychological counseling and an doctor said he had no intentions of getting better and "continues to be a risk to society".

Watch out, exercise balls. You could be the next victim.