MINOT – What started as a minor misdemeanor in Minot Municipal Court has evolved into a B felony charge with a hefty penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
Karleon Gregory, Minot, made an appearance before Judge Gary Lee in North-Central District Court Tuesday afternoon on a charge of Simple Assault-Peace Officer or Correctional Officer. For Gregory, who is confined to a wheelchair, it was his third assault charge on law enforcement.
Gregory’s initial charge stemmed from his arrest on a Municipal Court warrant on July 24, 2022, for a misdemeanor offense. According to an affidavit filed with the court, Gregory initiated an altercation with Minot Police, including biting, the breaking of one officer’s hand, and an attempt to seize an officer’s firearm.
Additional officers arrived on the scene to remove Gregory from his wheelchair and place him in handcuffs. Gregory was taken to the Ward County Jail, but that was not the end of his encounters with law enforcement.
On February 6, 2023, Gregory was charged with Aggravated Assault-Serious Bodily Injury-Law Enforcement for an altercation inside the jail, a Class B felony. He was charged again on August 12, 2023, for Simple Assault-Peace Officer or Correctional Officer, Class C felony, for engaging in a fight with a Corrections Officer inside his jail cell that left the officer with cuts and scratches before Gregory was subdued.
During Tuesday’s court hearing Gregory sat silent while Lee advised him of his rights and detailed the latest charge against him. Lee kept in place an existing $10,000 bond set last year by Judge Richard Hagar. Gregory’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 21.
