WILLMAR -- Two teenagers made their first court appearances Monday on charges stemming from an incident Saturday that left two Willmar police officers injured.
One officer was treated for injuries at Rice Memorial Hospital and released.
Philomene Rose Skinaway, 17, of Willmar, faces a felony charge of fourth-degree assault of a peace officer, plus misdemeanor charges of underage consumption and fleeing an officer.
She also faces petty misdemeanor charges of drug and paraphernalia possession.
Skinaway was ordered held at Prairie Lakes Youth Program. Her next appearance in Kandiyohi County District Court is Oct. 25.
ADVERTISEMENT
Felony charges against 16- and 17-year-old juveniles are public record.
Hector Keith Guerrero, 18, of Willmar, is charged with a gross misdemeanor for obstructing the legal process and misdemeanors of fleeing and underage consumption. Unconditional bail was set at $3,000 with conditional bail allowed on his personal recognizance. His next appearance is Nov. 1.
According to Willmar police, a third person, a 15-year-old boy from Willmar, was arrested after the incident on charges of fourth-degree assault of a peace officer, fleeing an officer, underage consumption, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia. The teen allegedly assaulted a Willmar police officer as the teen was being loaded into an ambulance.
He was held at Prairie Lakes. Felony charges against juveniles under age 16 are not public record.
According to the court documents, Willmar police officers were called around 10:45 p.m. Saturday to the area of Becker Avenue and Charlotte Street Southeast on a report of three people walking and attempting to carry another person. When officers arrived, the group attempted to run away, with the 15-year-old falling down multiple times because of his intoxicated state.
An officer who approached the 15-year-old was allegedly attacked by Skinaway, who cursed the officer, threw his flashlight away and punched him in the face. She kicked and fought with the officer, scratched his face and drew blood from his mouth with her sharp fingernails. The officer was pushed into the side of a garage, injuring the right side of his ribcage and causing him to have difficulty breathing. He was taken to Rice Hospital and doctors determined the ribs were bruised but not broken.
Skinaway refused to identify herself, but officers recognized her from previous contact and from tattoos on her neck. She was taken to Prairie Lakes and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.037 in a preliminary breath test. A search of her purse revealed 6.2 grams of marijuana and paraphernalia.
Another responding officer chased and caught Guerrero as he ran away. Guerrero was verbally abusive and swore at the officer as he was being detained. He refused to give his name and smelled of alcohol.
ADVERTISEMENT
Guerrero allegedly resisted the officer's attempts to get him into a squad car as Skinaway was attacking the other officer. With the assistance of a Minnesota State Patrol trooper, Guerrero was eventually secured into the car. He was identified by his driver's license in his pocket.
The young man also allegedly cursed and made derogatory comments and racial slurs at the officer as he was being taken to the Law Enforcement Center. He claimed that the group was helping the 15-year-old get to the hospital, even though they were eastbound on Becker Avenue and the hospital was directly to the west. He admitted drinking and his blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.142 percent in a preliminary breath test. By comparison, the legal threshold for driving while impaired is 0.08 percent.
