A Redby man has been charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon after allegedly beating his uncle with a baseball bat.
Joey Durrell Kettle, 32, was charged Monday in Beltrami County District Court. He is currently in custody at the Beltrami County Jail where he is being held on $20,000 bail.
At approximately 8:50 a.m. Sunday, Bemidji police officers were dispatched to a report of a dispute in an apartment on the 300 block of Minnesota Avenue.
At the scene, officers saw Vincent Kettle, 47, of Cass Lake, coming down the stairs of the apartment. According to the criminal complaint, Vincent Kettle was covered with blood and carrying a baseball bat. He told officers that he had been assaulted by his nephew - Joey Kettle - with the bat.
Emergency personnel were called to attend to Vincent Kettle, who was bleeding heavily from a wound on his head, according to the police report. He was transported to North Country Regional Hospital where he was treated for his injuries and later released.
ADVERTISEMENT
Officers went to the apartment where the incident allegedly occurred and spoke with the female renter. She said Joey Kettle had taken a baseball bat and assaulted Vincent Kettle, according to the complaint.
Officers also spoke with a 13-year-old boy who said the woman and Joey Kettle had gotten into an argument and that Vincent Kettle attempted to protect the woman. The boy said Joey Kettle then took a baseball bat and, after smashing a chair that Vincent Kettle was using to protect himself, struck Vincent Kettle at least twice on the arm and twice on the head, the complaint states.
While still at the hospital, Vincent Kettle told authorities that he was trying to protect the woman from Joey Kettle. He said that Joey Kettle threatened to kill him and then took the bat and assaulted him.
Joey Kettle was placed under arrest at the apartment and transported to the Beltrami County Jail. According to the complaint, officers noted that he appeared to have been consuming alcoholic beverages prior to the incident.
If convicted, Joey Kettle faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $20,000.
His next court appearance is scheduled for March 20.
