Bemidji Man Charged After Refusing to Leave Hospital

Bemidji (trfnews.i234.me) — Michael Herman Defoe faces a gross misdemeanor trespass charge in Beltrami County.

The charge follows an incident at a Sanford hospital in Bemidji on July 23, 2026.

Prosecutors allege Defoe refused to leave after hospital staff asked him to depart.

The allegations are detailed in a Beltrami County District Court complaint.

Police Called to Bemidji Hospital

Bemidji police responded after staff reported Defoe would not leave the hospital.

A responding officer told Defoe that staff wanted him off the property.

The officer also told him that he was required to leave.

Defoe refused to depart, according to the complaint.

He reportedly told police that he had nowhere else to go.

Court records state Defoe had previously been ordered to leave Sanford property.

The complaint does not describe any violence during the July 23 encounter.

The charge concerns the alleged refusal to leave after being directed to depart.

Prosecutors listed several previous Minnesota convictions in the complaint.

Those records include multiple trespass convictions dating from 2018 through 2025.

The filing also lists a 2025 indecent exposure conviction.

It includes several earlier trespass cases from Beltrami County.

Those prior convictions do not prove the new allegation.

However, prosecutors cite them in connection with the charge level.

Minnesota law normally treats this refusal-to-leave trespass offense as a misdemeanor.

A repeat-offense law can raise certain misdemeanor crimes to gross misdemeanors.

That enhancement can apply when a court finds two or more qualifying prior convictions.

The complaint cites that provision in Defoe’s case.

Defoe is charged with trespass for allegedly refusing to leave another person’s premises.

The complaint lists a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail.

It also lists a possible fine of up to $3,000.

The case is filed as 04-CR-26-1707 in Beltrami County District Court.

Readers can review Minnesota’s trespass law online.

The repeat-offense provision is also available from the Minnesota Revisor.

Information about Sanford Bemidji Medical Center is available online.

Public records may be available through Minnesota Court Records Online.

The current charge is an allegation and does not establish guilt.

Defoe is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News.