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Shane Joseph Prosen and Devon Huddleston, both 23, were both charged with first-degree assault causing great bodily harm and two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. The first-degree charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years and two months in prison if convicted.
Both men made their first appearances in Winona County District Court on Monday and were held in jail on $250,000 bail.
Assistant Winona County Attorney Kevin O’Laughlin said Prosen was an “extreme risk to public safety” because he “laid in wait” before hitting the victim several times in the head with a hammer. He said Prosen not only admitted the attack to law enforcement, but also said he had thoughts of shooting people. Prosen had received treatment while in the military for mental issues and was a self-proclaimed “cutter,” meaning he probably used to cut his wrists, O’Laughlin said.
Prosen appeared nonchalant during his court appearance and said almost nothing.
O’Laughlin made a similar case against Huddleston saying he waited at the top of the stairs outside the victim’s apartment with a baseball bat. He said Huddleston was a flight risk because he doesn’t have a permanent address and is awaiting deployment as a member of the National Guard.
Huddleston said his current situation would cancel that deployment and he would live in Lewiston, Minn., with his father while his charges were pending. His face reddened as the hearing went on, and he appeared to have been close to tears by the end.
Judge Terrence Walters set unconditional bail for both men at $250,000, citing public safety as his primary concern. No conditional bail was set for either man.
According to the police report, Prosen, Huddleston and the 28-year-old victim had an argument in the victim’s home in the 800 block of West King Street in the early morning hours of July 27.
Prosen and Huddleston left the residence but later returned brandishing weapons, Deputy Chief Paul Bostrack said.
According to the report, Prosen hit the victim in the head several times with the hammer and then punched and kicked him while he was on the ground. Huddleston waited outside the apartment with a baseball bat during the attack.
Police were dispatched to the home at 4:34 a.m., and the victim was transported to Community Memorial Hospital by ambulance. He was later airlifted to a Rochester, Minn., hospital by helicopter, Bostrack said. He said the victim suffered several skull and facial fractures and is facing other “very significant” medical problems.
Police followed leads on the case over the next couple of weeks and arrested Prosen at about 1:15 p.m. Friday while he was at work, Bostrack said. Huddleston was arrested a few hours later in the Twin Cities area, also while at work, police said.
Both men remained in custody at the Winona County Jail on Monday evening and were scheduled to return to court Aug. 27.
Contact Kevin Behr at (507) 453-3524 or kbehr@winonadailynews.com.
