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St. Paul man arraigned CASS LAKE SHOOTING By MONICA LUNDQUIST Cass County Correspondent WALKER - A 49-year-old St. Paul man detained in connection with an Aug. 30 shooting at Cass Lake was arraigned in Cass County District Court Wednesday on felony first- and second-degree assault charges.
Clarence James Dickens will face those charges, plus one count of a felon illegally possessing a firearm. Judge Richard Zimmerman set bail at $100,000.
According to information Cass County Sheriff's Department released earlier, Michael Jones, 25, of Cass Lake, suffered gunshot wounds to his hand and calf. Thomas Jones, 26, of Rosemount, suffered a gunshot wound to his groin area.
The court complaint filed against Dickens states Michael Jones was treated at Cass Lake Public Health Services Hospital. Thomas Jones was airlifted to a Duluth hospital.
Law enforcement officials received a 4 a.m. report of an altercation at Cass Lake Town Homes. When officers arrived, they received information that two persons had suffered gunshot wounds and that the suspect vehicle had left the scene headed south, according to the complaint.
Officers located the vehicle at Pine River and followed the vehicle to Pequot Lakes, where the vehicle was stopped. Four occupants in the vehicle were detained and taken to the Cass County Detention Center.
In addition to Dickens, the complaint identifies those in the car as Kelly Ann Boswell, Warren Michael Rogers and Anita Joy Jordan. They said they had traveled to Cass Lake to visit a relative who lived at the town homes, the complaint states.
Dickens and Boswell exited the vehicle in Cass Lake to smoke and so Dickens could check to see if the relative was home. They indicated to officers a number of young males were at the other end of the parking lot.
The complaint indicates Boswell told officers one of the young males ran toward them and confronted Dickens. She said Dickens indicated he did not want any trouble, but a number of young males joined in the altercation.
The male who initially confronted them then punched Dickens in the side of the head. She said Dickens fell to the ground and appeared to be bleeding from his ear, according to the complaint.
Dickens told Boswell to get in the vehicle and that they were leaving. She said she heard multiple gunshots. Dickens hopped into the vehicle as they were leaving. She said he had a 9 mm handgun in his hand.
At some point between Cass Lake and Walker after those in the fleeing vehicle saw multiple squad cars heading north, Dickens reportedly placed the handgun in a ditch by a road sign along the highway. Officers later recovered a 9 mm handgun from that ditch.
Dickens told officers two young males approached him, argued with him, then one punched him in the ear. He said the other young males hit him all over his body. He said he did not shoot anyone or possess a firearm, but had heard gunshots while standing in the parking lot.
He provided law enforcement officers with a drawing of the town homes' parking lot and indicated where he was standing. The complaint states officers found spent shell casings of a 9 mm handgun within feet of where Dickens indicated on his drawing that he had been standing.
Michael Jones told officers he and his brother had been walking in the area and observed the altercation, but decided to walk away. At that point, he said he heard gunshots and felt pain in his calf and hand, but did not realize until later that his brother also had been shot.
The complaint states Dickens has multiple prior convictions for crimes of violence. As a convicted felon, he is ineligible to possess a firearm.
He is scheduled to make his first court appearance with his attorney Sept. 8.
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