BEMIDJI - A northwest Minnesota man was convicted Thursday in federal court of aggravated sexual abuse from a March incident on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.
Dana Lee Cobenais, 23, of Ponemah, a small town on the shores of the Lower Red Lake, was convicted after a three-day trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle, according to a release from the St. Paul office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.
A sentencing date has not been set.
According to court documents, on March 14, a woman (identified in court as Jane Doe) said she had spent part of the day with Cobenais. When she decided to leave, he got into her car and would not leave until she agreed to give him a ride.
During the ride, Cobenais became angry and punched the woman several times in the face. He then proceeded to sexually assault her before getting out of the vehicle.
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The woman drove away, but her vehicle ran out of gas near Redby, court documents said.
Red Lake Police responded to a call for help and saw that the woman was bleeding extensively and she was taken to the emergency room, where surgery was performed because of her extensive vaginal injuries, the release said.
