POLK COUNTY, MN (trfnews.i234.me) — On January 7, felony assault charges against Daniel Lawrence Mengedoth, a 53-year-old dentist from Fargo, were dismissed in Polk County, Minnesota. Mengedoth had been accused of stabbing a man during a poker game at a hunting cabin near Fosston on February 24, 2023.
Initially, Mengedoth faced charges of felony first-degree assault causing great bodily harm and felony second-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm. The second charge was later amended to felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to the statement of probable cause, a Polk County sheriff’s deputy responded to Essentia Hospital in Fosston, where a man had presented with stab wounds to his face and hand. Witnesses reported that during a snowmobiling weekend at a nearby hunting cabin, Mengedoth, unprovoked, attacked one of the men with a knife during a poker game. The victim sustained a laceration on his right ear and a deep cut on his left hand, resulting in tendon and nerve damage requiring surgery.
Law enforcement located Mengedoth at the cabin, where he was arrested. He reportedly stated that he had been drinking all day and did not recall the incident but would believe witnesses who said it occurred.
On January 6, a motion to dismiss the criminal charges was filed by the prosecution at the express request of the victim and his family. The following day, the court approved the dismissal without prejudice, allowing for the possibility of future charges related to the incident.
I’m Chris Harper, reporting for trfnews.i234.me