A Champlin man has been sentenced to consecutive probationary sentences and jail time for physically assaulting, spitting on and threatening law enforcement officers during a traffic stop in Hugo.

Anyeth Deng, 27, was found guilty in May by a jury in Washington County District Court in Stillwater of three counts of felony fourth-degree assault against a peace officer and one count of threats of violence after he assaulted and threatened two Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies during a traffic stop on Sept. 30, 2021.

Washington County District Court Judge Helen Brosnahan on Tuesday sentenced Deng to stayed prison sentences, ranging from a year to 18 months, and imposed consecutive probationary terms, meaning Deng will be on probation for a total of six years, as well as a total of 120 days jail.

Brosnahan “clearly understood the serious nature of Deng’s crimes and gave him the toughest sentence she could under the circumstances,” Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson said Wednesday.

According to the criminal complaint, Deng, driving a black sedan with tinted windows, was pulled over on Frenchman Road in Hugo for having a tinted license plate cover and other equipment violations. When deputies approached the vehicle, Deng was verbally confrontational, the complaint states. Deputies also detected the odor of marijuana.

After Deng stepped out of his car, he refused to remove his hands from his pockets and refused to follow other orders. He became physically aggressive when the deputies attempted to place him in handcuffs, and he punched a deputy in the head and face four times with a closed fist.

While the deputies were taking Deng to the ground to control him, a deputy suffered an injury to his head that resulted in bleeding. Deng continued to be combative after other officers arrived to assist in putting him in the squad car. He “mule-kicked, tried to bite a deputy, spat on both deputies, and damaged the squad vehicle,” according to officials. While being transported to the Washington County Jail in Stillwater, Deng made “repeated graphic and violent threats against the second deputy and his family to be carried out once he was released the next day,” officials said.

“Assault is not somehow less serious because the victims are peace officers,” Magnuson said. “I am very concerned about anyone who believes they are above the law, especially when it involves violence against police or correctional officers. … I am grateful for the jury’s verdict and Judge Brosnahan’s sentence in this case.”

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