Starbuck resident arrested for alleged bat assault

SWIFT FALLS -- A Starbuck man was arrested early Sunday after allegedly attacking another man with a bat in Swift Falls.

Ricky Kimble, 34, of Swift Falls, is in critical condition at St. Cloud Hospital after being struck in the head.

John Evans, 24, of Starbuck, was arrested and is being held on a charge of second-degree assault.

According to Swift County Sheriff John Holtz, the incident occurred around 3 a.m. Sunday in the 300 block of Danelz Avenue in Swift Falls.

Authorities were notified that Kimble had been struck in the head with a bat and needed an ambulance.

Kimble was taken to Swift County-Benson Hospital and later transferred to St. Cloud Hospital.

Holtz said it appears alcohol was a factor in the altercation. "The incident is still under investigation at this time," he said.

Swift County deputies and a Benson police officer responded to the scene as well as Swift Falls First Responders, Swift County Benson Ambulance and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.