A Cohasset man struck another man with a piece of wood, breaking his arm and then drove a van toward two people in a Deer River yard, according to charges.
Jack Leroy Daniel Drumbeater, 41, faces felony charges of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon causing substantial bodily harm and third-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm.
According to the complaint, law enforcement responded to a medical call at about 7:15 p.m. on Friday, August 7, 2026, in the 30000 block of County Road 139 in Deer River. The reporting party told officers that Drumbeater had struck a man with a van and then left the scene in a grey or silver van with a Michigan license plate.
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Officers found the victim sitting on the ground, yelling in pain and holding his left arm. The victim said he had been hit with a wooden post in the arm and also struck with a generator. He told officers his arm was broken and explained that the assault happened after he smashed the window of Drumbeater’s van.
A witness told deputies that Drumbeater returned to the property that day to pick up a trailer and drop off food. When Drumbeater and the witness arrived, the victim confronted Drumbeater and threw a cooler at the van, breaking the windshield. Drumbeater then grabbed a piece of wood and hit the victim twice, according to the witness. The witness said she got out of the vehicle to intervene and was then run over by the van.
A juvenile witness reported seeing the van drive toward the victim and the witness, causing both to “go flying.” The juvenile then heard the victim crying for help. Another witness said he saw Drumbeater hit the victim with the wood in the arm and torso, then get back in the van. That witness tried to stop Drumbeater and was hit in the face.
Drumbeater then drove away, striking the grill and generator and also hit the victim and the witness with the driver’s side bumper, according to the witness.
At the hospital, the victim told deputies that Drumbeater tried to hit both him and the witness with the vehicle. The victim said he was not struck by the van but confirmed the witness was. Medical records showed the victim suffered a fractured left ulna and a dislocated radial head.
The complaint says Drumbeater has pending charges for third-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, felony motor vehicle theft and felony fifth-degree controlled substance possession from an incident on August 22, 2026.
The charges were filed October 2 in Itasca County District Court.
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