A St. Paul woman is facing three felony charges following the reported assault of a Nobles County Sheriff’s Office deputy in Bigelow last week.
Amaya Terese Dawson, 21, faces one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of third-degree assault that resulted in substantial bodily harm and disarming a peace officer, all felony offenses.
The Nobles County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched at approximately 9 a.m. April 12 to the 1400 block of Broadway Street to investigate a suspicious person. According to the criminal complaint, the deputy initially approached Dawson, who was laying on a bench and covered in a blanket with a large suitcase next to the bench.
Dawson reportedly declined to answer the deputy’s questions directly and refused an offer of a ride to a warmer location. The deputy eventually moved the suitcase, attempted to pull back the blanket and again attempted to ask Dawson questions before removing the blanket. That’s when Dawson reportedly jumped off the bench and grabbed the deputy by the hand, at which point the deputy fell to the ground and called for assistance from other officers.
The deputy’s taser was deployed during the incident, as the criminal complaint states that the deputy can be heard telling Dawson to let go of the taser via body cam footage. Both the deputy and Dawson were later taken to Sanford Worthington Medical Center, and the deputy was determined to have a broken finger and abrasions to the right eye.
If convicted, Dawson faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both for the second-degree assault charge. The maximum penalties for disarming a peace officer and third-degree assault are each five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. Dawson is scheduled to make her initial court appearance on April 26.
