A resident at a Brooklyn Center group home assaulted a staff member and took his cell phone before returning to the scene with a friend, prosecutors say.
Jason Alan Leupke, 52, faces three charges in Hennepin County District Court: theft of movable property without consent and two counts of fifth-degree assault.
According to the complaint, Brooklyn Center police were dispatched to the group home on October 26, 2026, after a 911 hang-up. While officers were en route, they learned that a resident had assaulted a staff member and left the scene.
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Officers spoke with the staff member, who reported that Leupke assaulted him and took his cell phone. The complaint states that officers did not observe any physical injuries on the victim.
The victim told officers that Leupke later returned to the group home with a friend. The victim told Leupke’s friend to leave due to past issues with drinking and narcotics use at the group home. The victim stated that Leupke began pushing and punching him. The victim was able to bring Leupke to the ground and pin him there.
While pinned, Leupke grabbed the victim’s cell phone, which was a few feet away. The two separated, and the victim went downstairs to use the office phone to call 911. The complaint says Leupke followed and began assaulting the victim again, attempting to take the office phone to prevent the victim from calling 911.
Leupke then went upstairs and kicked another resident, who had witnessed part of the assault, according to the complaint.
Officers arrested Leupke a short distance from the group home. The complaint states that Leupke had the victim’s cell phone in his possession at the time of arrest. Surveillance footage from the group home largely corroborated the victim’s account of the events.
The charges include theft for taking the victim’s cell phone and two counts of fifth-degree assault for the alleged attacks on the staff member and the resident.
The complaint was filed October 27 in Hennepin County District Court.
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Jurisdictional Context
Hennepin County is Minnesota’s most populous jurisdiction. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office handles felony prosecutions across Minneapolis and 44 other cities; the Fourth Judicial District presides over felony arraignments and trials at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.
