Four football players from Blue Earth Area High School were charged with felonies Monday in connection with an assault that left a teammate unconscious, according to charges filed in Faribault District Court.
Four Blue Earth teens charged with felonies for beating football teammate unconscious
The football players were arrested the day after Blue Earth lost to Pipestone in the state quarterfinals.
November 22, 2017 at 2:40AM
Senior Wyatt Tungland, 18, of Frost, was charged with third-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm and aiding and abetting third-degree assault. Senior Dalton Nagel, 18, of Blue Earth, was charged with a single charge of third-degree aiding and abetting. Senior Blake Barnett, 17, of Blue Earth, and sophomore Caden Ochsendorf, 16, of Winnebago, both were charged with third-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm and aiding and abetting.
Tungland is accused of punching the 16-year-old victim in the face and head while the three other teens held the boy down, and continued to hit him as the victim tried to get up, the charges said.
The alleged assault occurred Oct. 19 at a house party on the 500 block of 3rd Avenue SW. in Winnebago, Minn., a community of about 1,500 southwest of Mankato.
Police in Winnebago began investigating Nov. 9 after they learned of the assault from a school resource officer, said Winnebago Police Chief Eric Olson.
According to the charges:
The investigating officer spoke with several juveniles and learned about a fight that had taken place at a party, and that it had been captured on video.
The victim told police that he had been in a dispute with the 17-year-old before the party. The victim told police he was pushed down at the party, punched in the face and became unconscious. The next day, the victim showed up to football practice with his face swollen and bruised. The teen with whom the victim had the dispute showed him a cellphone video of the attack.
The victim got medical attention, which determined that the attack gave him a concussion. .
The four teens who were charged admitted to hitting the victim in the face and head "with open and closed hands, and continued to hit the victim as he tried to get up."
Police arrested the suspects Friday, the day after Blue Earth lost to Pipestone in the state Class AA quarterfinals.
Due to data privacy restrictions, Blue Earth Superintendent Evan Gough was unable to comment about the students.
The suspects were released from jail on Monday after charges had been filed. Tungland is due in court on Nov. 27. The others are due in court Dec. 4.
Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768
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