A woman grabbed a knife and threatened to “cut” two people during a fight inside a Saint Paul apartment, then cut a man’s finger as he tried to disarm her, according to charges.
Fuchsia Jerylonda Middleton, 24, of Saint Paul, faces charges of first-degree burglary and two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. The charges were filed August 24 in Ramsey County District Court.
According to the complaint, officers responded to a domestic call at a Saint Paul apartment at about 6:28 p.m. on August 22 after reports of a knife fight inside one of the apartments. Police spoke to the victim, who said Middleton came to her apartment and started a verbal argument that turned physical.
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Middleton allegedly grabbed the victim by the hair and struck her before going to the kitchen, retrieving a knife and approaching with the knife raised above her head. The victim told police she believed Middleton was going to stab her.
The victim’s boyfriend told officers he was visiting her and their child when he heard Middleton arguing with someone outside. The argument continued inside, where Middleton allegedly pulled the victim by the hair through a hallway to a bedroom.
When he tried to intervene, Middleton punched him several times in the head and attempted to hit him with a closet tension rod. He said Middleton also pulled his hair and struck him with a glass.
After briefly leaving, Middleton returned to the apartment, took a knife from the kitchen and approached the boyfriend, raising her arm as if to “slash.” He grabbed her wrist and forced her arm down, at which point she cut his finger.
Middleton then tried to bite his arm and repeatedly threatened to “cut” both him and the victim, according to the complaint. She also threatened to bring a man back to attack them.
The boyfriend told the victim to grab their child and leave to call 911. Once they left, he was able to take the knife from Middleton, who then left the apartment because police were responding. Officers recovered the knife, described as about 6 to 8 inches long, used during the assault.
Police encountered Middleton’s boyfriend arriving at the scene and attempting to push past officers into the apartment. He resisted officers as they tried to restrain him.
Middleton returned to the scene agitated and told police she was angry because the victim, who had been watching Middleton’s dog, had left it with another dog in another apartment. Middleton admitted grabbing a knife and said her arm hurt from the struggle. When arrested, she threatened to assault the victim again.
Police reviewed a phone video showing part of the struggle, including the boyfriend holding Middleton’s wrist down and stating, “she got a knife.”
About This Charge
Minnesota classifies assault by degree under § 609.221 (first), § 609.222 (second), § 609.223 (third), § 609.2231 (fourth) and § 609.224 (fifth). First-degree assault, alleging great bodily harm, carries up to 20 years in prison. The lower degrees range from misdemeanor up to 10-year felony exposure depending on weapon use and harm.
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Jurisdictional Context
Ramsey County encompasses Saint Paul and is served by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul; the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office operates the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood.
