WILLMAR -- Luis Miguel Solis, 21, of Pennock, was arraigned Wednesday on felony charges of assault and damage to property for allegedly ramming a Willmar apartment building with his vehicle.
Solis was charged in Kandiyohi County District Court with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, first-degree damage to property and a misdemeanor for fifth-degree assault. Jessica Ann Nichols, 19, of Willmar, was also arraigned on a felony for aiding an offender for concealing Solis when police came looking for him Monday. She is identified as Solis' girlfriend in court documents.
Unconditional bail for Solis was set at $70,000, with conditional bail at $6,000 cash, provided he have no contact with Nichols or the alleged victims or location of the incident.
Nichols was released on her personal recognizance and ordered to have no contact with Solis. Both make their next court appearance on May 19.
According to the complaint, police were called Friday to the 500 block of 16th Street Southwest on a report that a vehicle had crashed into a house. Two people there told officers that Solis and the man had exchanged text messages and then got involved in a physical altercation. The man later received another threatening message from Solis. A short time later, two vehicles pulled onto the front yard of the apartment and Solis was driving the vehicle that rammed into the building. The people stated they had to run into the building to avoid contact with the vehicle.
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The couple stated that Solis' vehicle rammed the building four times, struck the other vehicle, driven by a woman they thought was Nichols, and another parked vehicle. They gave a description of both vehicles and a license plate number for the vehicle Solis was driving.
A large portion of the concrete block wall was completely collapsed and a computer, desk and other objects in the apartment were damaged. A city building inspector determined that the building was no longer safe or habitable. Officers found a license plate for the vehicle in the rubble. The car registered to a relative of Nichols.
An officer drove to the relative's home to ask about the vehicle. Nichols was there and allegedly said that she didn't know where Solis was and that he may have taken the car because he had his own key. The officer also saw the other vehicle, with fresh damage to its left side and fluid leaking onto the ground.
Both Solis and Nichols were arrested around 8:40 p.m. Monday after Willmar police went to her home to find Solis. They arrived and saw a person in the upstairs window that they recognized as Solis. Nichols met the officers at the door. She repeatedly denied that Solis was there, and continued to deny that he was there even after officers repeatedly advised her that she would be charged with a crime if she was not truthful with them.
Officers talked to another man at the home, who allowed them to search the residence. He advised that Solis was there and that he had been attempting to persuade him to turn himself in to officers. Solis was found hiding in the attic of the building.
When interviewed after her arrest, Nichols admitted to lying to officers and said she thought she would "get away with it."
After his arrest, Solis told officers that he and friends had been at Nichols' home drinking and using cocaine. He said he learned that the man was a snitch and went to confront him. He admitted that they got into a fight and exchanged punches. He then said he believed the man killed his dog and later claimed he did not remember anything else that happened and woke up next to a rock somewhere. According to the complaint, he admitted he ran his car into the building but had done so after everyone was in the apartment. He also said he found his dog not far from his home the next day.
Damage to the building was estimated at $10,000 and damage to the man's personal property at $600. Court documents did not place a value or damage estimate on the parked vehicle that was struck during the incident.
