Christopher Neil Bjerkness faces sentencing Nov. 29 in a felony burglary case after a plea agreement was reached Wednesday in St. Louis County District Court.
Known as the "Ball Slasher," the 33-year-old Bjerkness originally pleaded not guilty to breaking into the Chester Creek Academy fitness center in May. Bjerkness has several previous convictions for breaking into facilities to slash exercise balls -- an action described as a sexual fetish.
Bjerkness told police he was riding his bike from church May 8 when he needed to go to the bathroom, which is why he entered a school run by Northwoods Children's Services.
Bjerkness, 33, told police that he was "just trying to find a bathroom." He said he was able to slide a window open at the academy at 714 W. College St., and crawl in.
A motion detector alerted staff that someone had entered. A staff member told police that a man later identified as Bjerkness was found in the play therapy room, and an investigating officer observed several large exercise balls in the area. A school employee told police that the window Bjerkness entered wouldn't have been open. The officer found the window lock broken.
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Bjerkness has past convictions for burglaries into fitness and physical therapy settings where he has damaged exercise balls.
