Three men are charged after a man outside a Saint Cloud convenience store was punched from behind, threatened with a knife and a small bat and kept from his backpack Oct. 30, according to criminal complaints.
Philipbert Kube Dugbe, 19, is charged in Stearns County District Court with attempted first-degree aggravated robbery. Isaiah Christopher Onsomu, 23, faces the same count plus a count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. Kevin James Michael Hollingshead, 18, is charged with aiding and abetting attempted first-degree aggravated robbery and aiding and abetting misdemeanor fifth-degree assault. The complaints against Dugbe and Onsomu were filed Nov. 2. The complaint against Hollingshead was filed Nov. 3.
According to the complaints, Saint Cloud police were sent to a reported assault outside the 9th Avenue Xpress on 9th Avenue North. The victim told officers four men attacked him as they tried to rob him. He said one of them hit him from behind, threatened him with a small beige baseball bat and tried to take his backpack. Officers identified that man as Dugbe. The victim said another man pulled out a black folding knife and threatened to kill him. Officers identified him as Onsomu.
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A witness who was talking with the victim told officers he saw one of the men punch the victim in the back of the head and saw one of them pull out a knife, the complaints say.
Video from the store shows Dugbe striking the victim from behind and walking over to the other three men, according to the complaints. Onsomu took a bat or pipe from Dugbe’s backpack and handed it to Dugbe. The two then approached the victim as Onsomu pulled what appeared to be a knife from his pocket. Hollingshead moved to block the victim’s way out on one side while a fourth man, who is not charged, blocked another. Dugbe stood over the victim’s backpack and would not let him near it.
The video shows the victim holding a metal object, apparently to protect himself, as he took out his phone to call police. Dugbe then threw the backpack back at him. The four walked away appearing to laugh, the complaints say.
Officers found the group nearby. Dugbe told officers the victim had taken items that belonged to him and that he punched him during an argument when he went to get them back. He said he had a small wooden bat with caution tape on it. Onsomu said the victim had a pipe and that he was defending himself. He denied having a knife. Hollingshead told officers he was not involved in the argument but said a small bat he had earlier was put in Dugbe’s backpack.
Officers found a black folding knife with a purple handle that matched the victim’s description. A resident turned in the small bat, according to the complaints.
Attempted first-degree aggravated robbery carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $17,000 fine. Second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon carries up to seven years and a $14,000 fine. When the complaints were filed, a judge ordered Dugbe and Onsomu detained. Hollingshead was summoned to court.
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Jurisdictional Context
Stearns County encompasses Saint Cloud and is the largest county in central Minnesota. The Stearns County Attorney’s Office handles felony prosecutions through the Seventh Judicial District at the Stearns County Courthouse in Saint Cloud.
