Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Howard Lake, Lester Prairie, Winsted, Watertown, Mayer, New Germany, Waverly, MN and the surrounding area

Otsego man arrested for assault in fight outside Watertown bar


WATERTOWN, MN – Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson reports that Feb. 17 at about 11:23 p.m., sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a fight at the Riverside Bar in Watertown. The victim was reported to be lying in the street, unconscious,  according to a press release from the Carver County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived to find a group of people surrounding the victim, Derrick Douglas Sommerfeld, 32, of Bloomington, attempting to provide first aid. A deputy asked for the whereabouts of the alleged assailant and was told Sommerfeld had not been assaulted, but had simply fallen. Deputies provided emergency first aid until paramedics from Ridgeview Ambulance arrived along with personnel from Watertown Fire and Rescue. Sommerfeld was subsequently transported to HCMC to be treated for life threatening head injury, according to the release.

Deputies began their investigation by closing the bar to secure the scene, later serving a search warrant at the bar to review video evidence. They identified witnesses who reported that Sommerfeld had been assaulted by one of his siblings. According to witnesses, Sommerfeld and his sibling were fighting when the suspect punched Sommerfeld, knocking him to the ground and rendering him unconscious, according to the release.

The suspect, a 36 year old man from Otsego, whose shirt had been ripped and stained with blood, changed into a clean shirt provided by a bartender, and left the scene. A short while later, the suspect returned to the scene, wearing the shirt provided by the bartender. He approached a deputy and acknowledged involvement in the physical altercation. He was arrested for First Degree Assault and transported to the Carver County Jail to be held for Court.

Sheriff’s deputies continue to investigate this incident.

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