Itasca County Man Found Guilty of Three Offenses

On Friday afternoon an Itasca County jury found Vernon Kingbird Jr. guilty of the offenses of Felony Second Degree Assault, Felony Obstructing Legal Process or Arrest and Gross Misdemeanor Obstructing Legal Process or Arrest.

The jury acquitted Kingbird of the Felony offense of Use of Deadly Force Against a Peace Officer. The offenses stem from an incident on February 28, 2016, during which Kingbird confronted officers with a tactical knife at the Timberwolf Apartments in Deer River, Minnesota. Kingbird engaged in a standoff with Deer River Police Officer Mike Cowan for approximately seven minutes. During the standoff, Kingbird threatened to come after Officer Cowan with the knife and refused to put down the knife. Itasca County Deputy Jake Olson later arrived at the scene and deployed his Taser to subdue Kingbird. Kingbird continued to physical resist the officers after being tasered, prior to eventually being handcuffed and taken into custody.

Defendant Kingbird’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 6, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. Kingbird is currently being held in the Itasca County Jail.