Warrant issued, Friese fails to appear for sentencing for police assault

WILLMAR - An arrest warrant was issued Monday for a 23-year-old Kandiyohi man who failed to appear for sentencing on two felony charges related to assaulting three Willmar police officers in December.
Cody Lee Friese was to be sentenced Monday morning by District Judge Donald Spilseth in Kandiyohi County District Court. Friese had pleaded guilty in March to the charges of fourth-degree assault of a police officer.
Friese was charged for assaulting Sgt. Mike Markkanen, Officer Sam Neubauer and Officer Tony LaPatka at a Willmar residence. Markkanen suffered a concussion from blows to the head. According to previous information from Police Chief David Wyffels, both Markkanen and Neubauer were treated and released from Rice Memorial Hospital and LaPatka did not seek medical attention for his injury.
The charges were filed after Dec. 19, when the Police Department was advised by the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office that there was an arrest warrant for Friese for violating a no-contact order. Neubauer went to a relative’s home and found Friese, who fought with the officers and hit Markkanen in the back and the head, the complaint states. The officers called for assistance and Friese was finally restrained after the other officers arrived. The complaint says that Laptka was head-butted by Friese when Friese lunged at him after he had been handcuffed.