Crime & Safety

Woodbury Man Accused of Assault with a Police Baton

David Loren Solum, 19, allegedly beat another man who owed him money from drugs and a car they purchased together.

A Woodbury man has been charged with second-degree assault after he allegedly used a police baton to beat another man who owed him drug money and cash from a car they had purchased together.

David Loren Solum, 19, faces up to seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine if convicted on the felony assault charge.

According to the criminal complaint:

Find out what's happening in Woodburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies on May 2 were dispatched to a home at the 4900 block of Lily Avenue North in Lake Elmo on an assault report.

They found a man who had a one-inch cut on the top of his head, and red marks and bruises on his body from his underarm down to his shins.

Find out what's happening in Woodburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He told officers he owed Solum money for a car they had purchased together and for marijuana.

The man said he received a text message from a friend to hang out at her Lake Elmo home, and Solum showed up a short time later with several other people. He told police he believed he was set up.

Solum came into the home, asked for his money and began tapping items with the baton before the alleged victim jumped at him and tried to disarm him.

They struggled but eventually separated, and the alleged victim went to the back deck of the home; Solum followed and again demanded his money. When the man said he didn’t have it, Solum began to hit him several times with the baton.

Witnesses confirmed the story.

Two days later, on May 4, police made contact with Solum, who admitted the alleged victim owed him $1,400 from a car they bought together and from an ounce of marijuana Solum had fronted him two months earlier.

Solum told officers there was a struggle but he did not hit the man with the baton. He said he previously owned one but it was lost when his car was impounded two or three months earlier.

He told police he did not know how the alleged victim sustained the injuries. Solum’s listed address is at the 10800 block of Artesian Lane in Woodbury.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.