A Saint Paul man kicked down the door of a Duluth apartment on Sept. 28 while the resident was asleep inside, then returned a second time as she tried to call for help, according to charges.

Sam James Lemieux Jr., 26, faces a felony charge of first-degree burglary, assaulting a person in a building or on property, court records show.

According to the complaint, Duluth police responded to an apartment building in Duluth on Sept. 28 after a report of property damage. The reporting party told officers that a tall male with afro-like hair had kicked in an apartment door while the occupant was inside. Officers found a man matching that description outside the building and identified him as Sam James Lemieux Jr.

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Officers then spoke with the victim, a female resident, who was worked up and was holding her chest, fearing she might have a heart attack. The complaint states she appeared to be hyperventilating and unable to catch her breath during the interview. The victim told officers she had been sleeping in her bedroom when she was startled awake by someone pounding on her apartment door. She then heard the door break open and saw a male enter her apartment.

When the man walked near the light, the victim recognized him as Lemieux, the complaint says. Lemieux asked the victim where “his girl” was. The victim told police she was afraid Lemieux was going to physically harm her. She was able to find her phone during the ordeal but was too scared to dial 911 for help.

Lemieux eventually left the apartment, but as the victim tried to call someone for help, he returned about 10 minutes later and reentered the apartment, according to the complaint.

Officers observed that the apartment door had been broken into multiple pieces and was completely destroyed. The complaint does not mention any injuries to the victim or whether anything was taken from the apartment.

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Jurisdictional Context

Saint Louis County is Minnesota’s largest county by area, stretching from Duluth to the Canadian border. The Saint Louis County Attorney’s Office prosecutes felonies through the Sixth Judicial District; cases are heard at courthouses in Duluth, Hibbing and Virginia.