A Stillwater father accused of hitting his 16-year-old son with brass knuckles during an argument on May 21 was convicted of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, tampering with a witness and violating a no contact order.
Court documents state that Bobbi Jo Yates called the Stillwater Police Department on the evening in question and told officers he heard his son was allegedly stealing from a local store when he should have been at a track meet.
The son told officers that Yates was angry at him when he got home because he had taken his bike to school. Both Yates and his son admitted to fighting, but Yates struck his son with brass knuckles that officers found in a stairwell behind their apartment door.
As Yates remained in custody he violated his no contact order seven times by calling his son’s guardian and asking the guardian to convince the boy to change his statement, according to court documents. He also threatened his son, saying if he didn’t change his statement he’d send him to live with his mother out of state, with whom he hasn’t had contact for many years. Yates also threatened to drink himself to death, to withhold his son’s birth certificate and to revoke the voluntary placement work to cause his son to be placed with his mother in Philadelphia.
Yates received 21 months in prison for the assault charge, but execution of the sentence was stayed with 7 years probation. For tampering with the witness, Yates must serve 90 days with credit for 70 days served. For violating the no contact order, Yates must serve 90 days with credit for 70 days.
In total, Yates was sentenced to 270 days in jail with credit for 70 days. Yates must also pay a $300 fine and surcharge and fees. He must have no contact with his son or the residence and must attend anger management classes, take a psychological exam and attend mental health programs and Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings three times a week. He is also prohibited from possessing weapons.
Two assault convictions for Lake Elmo man
Nick Randael Villarreal, of Lake Elmo, man has been convicted of two separate and unrelated counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in both cases.
The most recent incident occurred on Sept. 26. Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of an assault. The victim reported that as he was standing by the Lake Elmo Market with another party, Villarreal drove up in his car and started accusing the victim of tampering with or stealing his lawn ornaments.
The victim said that Villarreal slapped him with a brass pipe in the head, stomach and on the hand, which resulted in lacerations. The man the victim was near confirmed that he had seen the pair fighting. Deputies responded to Villareal’s home on the 130 block of Cimarron. After residents in the home told police that Villarreal wasn’t there, deputies found him in the home. They found a copper pipe inside Villarreal’s vehicle.
For this assault, Villarreal was sentenced to 60 months in prison with 39 days credit and must submit a DNA sample and pay a $50 fine plus surcharges.
The other incident occurred Dec. 23, 2012. Deputies responded to a call regarding an interrupted burglary at Villarreal’s home.
A search of the residence revealed a digital scale in the rear bedroom, a glass jar of marijuana which field tested positive, another glass jar found in a shoebox, three large marijuana pipes, drug notes in the living room, residence documents, 386 grams of marijuana in the bedroom, a loaded 12-gauge shotgun and an ammunition can with shotgun shells. Villarreal admitted that the gun and marijuana were his, according to court documents. A previous assault conviction prohibited him from owning a gun.
Inmate charged with assaulting prison guards
An inmate at the Oak Park Heights correctional facility, Jason Ray Dominguez, faces fourth-degree assault charges for allegedly assaulting corrections officers in connection with an Aug. 14 incident at the jail.
Officers informed Dominguez that he was being transported to segregation due to his alleged involvement in an inmate-on-inmate fight.
Officers asked the inmate to put his right arm out to be restrained because he has a prosthesis on his left arm. The prosthesis was removed, a pen was taken from his pocket and the inmate’s watch was removed.
According to the charges, Dominguez said, “If I’m going to the hole, I might as well make it worthwhile,” or something similar. Then he allegedly struck one of the corrections officers in the nose. Dominguez was taken to the ground by another and continued to hit, bite and spit at the officers, charges say.
Both officers were treated — one for facial trauma and neck strain, while the other had multiple superficial abrasions, a right eye injury and a thumb strain.
According to court documents, Dominguez admitted to refusing directives, resisting staff and injuring staff.
Woman gets probation after drugs found
An Inver Grove Heights woman, Jamie Rae Fischbach, was given probation after an incident that took place around July 11.
Oak Park Heights Police ran her plates at the Holiday Gas Station near Osgood Avenue. Upon running the plates, officers discovered that they didn’t belong to the car in question.
When officers asked the driver and passenger about the mismatched plates. The driver told officers that they had taken Fischbach’s plates off her old car and put them on her new car.
Fischbach admitted to not having insurance on the car or a current license because it was suspended for unpaid fines. She was informed that her car would be towed. An inventory search of the vehicle revealed a CD case in the trunk that had a digital scale with six Q-tips, two syringe caps, one baggie with the corner cut off, nine needles in a Nike Air shoe, a purple and blue container with Dilaudid pills, 7 milligrams of Vyvanse pills, one 60-milligram morphine pill, one 15 gram morphine pill and other unidentified pills. Fischbach said the Nike shoe was hers but claimed she had no knowledge of the contraband.
Compiled by Avery Cropp – avery.cropp@ecm-inc.com
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