Blackduck man being held for alleged sex assault in Mahnomen

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

June 15, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

MAHNOMEN -- A Blackduck man was jailed Sunday in Mahnomen County concerning the sexual assault of a Bemidji woman, a Mahnomen County Sheriff's Department spokesman said Monday.

Murphy Alfred Thomas, 21, was arrested early Sunday at the motel connected to the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, and he should face charges today in Mahnomen County Court.

Thomas is charged with third degree criminal sexual misconduct for allegedly assaulting an 18-year-old Bemidji area woman in one of the motel's rooms late Saturday or early Sunday morning.

Thomas is being held in the Mahnomen County jail until he appears in court, according to the sheriff's department spokesman. He was supposed to be arraigned Monday, but it was delayed and more than likely will take place today, the sheriff's official added.