Minot Ryan wrestling champ ordered to spend graduation in jail
Associated Press
MINOT, N.D. – A five-time high school wrestling champion has been ordered to serve 10 days in jail, missing his high school graduation, after pleading guilty to charges that he tried to buy alcohol with a fake ID and assaulted a clerk.
Kenneth Levi Haugen, 18, a senior at Minot Ryan high school, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of misrepresentation of age and simple assault.
Authorities said Haugen tried to buy alcohol at the Grog Shop in Minot last Sept. 5, and assaulted the clerk who confiscated a fake identification card. Police said a security videotape showed Haugen knocked down the clerk and struck her until he had retrieved the card.
Haugen’s attorney, Richard Hagar, was out of his office and not immediately available for comment Thursday. He said earlier that the teenager made a mistake he regrets.
Northwest District Judge Douglas Mattson ordered Haugen to report to jail at 5 p.m. on May 20, the last day of classes at Minot Ryan, and remain jailed until May 30 at 5 p.m. After that, he will be on probation for 18 months.
Mattson wrote that Haugen had decided to use his athletic ability for “violent criminal purposes.”
“This court finds it is appropriate to order the Defendant to serve 10 days of incarceration during the scheduled time of the graduation ceremony, “the judge wrote.
Haugen won his fifth state Class B wrestling title over the winter in the 152-pound class, becoming the state’s career wins leader in the sport.
Mattson also ordered Haugen to pay fines totaling $475, attend an alcohol program and perform 60 hours of community service.
The charges carried a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Minot Ryan Superintendent Kevin Harmon said earlier that the school handled Haugen’s punishment internally, but he declined to provide details.
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