Assault with a deadly coffee cup; man sentenced to 60 days for attack

A Cass Lake man has been sentenced to 60 days in the Beltrami County Jail for stabbing a man with a coffee mug.

Mark Daniel Cree, 28, of Cass Lake assaulted David Richard Cole, 27, of Red Lake on Oct. 9 in Bemidji, according to court documents.

According to a Bemidji Police Department incident report, the two men became engaged in an argument after they had thrown up Gangster Disciples gang signs. One account of the incident also mentions Cree trying to “grab up” Cole’s “woman.”

At one point during the argument, Cree became upset and struck Cole in the head with a coffee mug. The mug shattered and Cree then used the handle of the mug to stab Cole in the leg.

Bemidji Police officers responded to a report of a man, Cole, seeking medical attention at the Sanford Bemidji Medical Center emergency room at early Oct. 10. Cree was located at a residence on Delton Avenue Northwest in Bemidji later that day.

Cree was charged with one count of felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. He plead guilty to, and was convicted of, gross misdemeanor fifth-degree assault Monday.

Cree was sentenced to a total of 365 days, of which he must serve 60 days. The remaining sentence is stayed for two years while he is on supervised probation. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.