A 41-year-old Glyndon man is accused of returning to a Hawley apartment about an hour after he was told he was not welcome there and then assaulting two people inside, according to the complaint.
Police were sent to the apartment on Nov. 7 after a report that James Patrick Billiot had forced his way in and assaulted several people. The resident told officers she knew him. She said he had been there an hour or so earlier and left after being told he was not welcome. When he came back, another person opened the door to tell him again. The resident said he pushed that person down and began punching a man in the apartment.
The woman who answered the door was in extreme pain, with marks on her chest, neck and left shoulder and a shoulder that looked dislocated, the complaint says. She was taken by ambulance for medical attention. A follow-up found no dislocation or broken bone, but she had her arm in a sling and still reported significant pain. She would need physical therapy to recover.
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The man told officers Billiot said something to the effect of asking whether the man was challenging him and then punched him about six times. The two ended up in a bedroom where the assault continued until a fourth person pulled Billiot off. The man had an eye swollen half shut, a fat lip, scratches and a cut below his eye.
Billiot was arrested at about 7:50 that morning when he returned to the apartment complex. He told officers he did not force his way in, that the woman tripped over boxes when he came in and that he took the man’s approach as a threat, according to the complaint.
He is charged in Clay County District Court in a complaint filed Nov. 9. Two counts of first-degree burglary involving an assault each carry up to 20 years in prison or a $35,000 fine or both with a mandatory minimum of six months. Two counts of third-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm each carry up to five years or a $10,000 fine or both.
