Bemidji Man Charged After Assaulting Deputy, Interfering with 911 Call

Lief Randolph Lussier, 36, of Bemidji has been charged with misdemeanor domestic assault and interfering with a 911 call following a reported domestic assault in Beltrami County, according to a criminal complaint filed in Minnesota District Court.

The charges against Lussier mark the formal judicial step after what court records describe as a domestic assault incident. Interfering with a 911 call is a distinct offense under Minnesota law, carrying its own separate count alongside the domestic assault charge. The criminal complaint was filed in Beltrami County, and the case is proceeding through the Minnesota District Court system.

Separately, a Beltrami County deputy received a minor arm injury during an arrest on Aug. 22 after being dispatched to the 600 block of Lake Avenue NE following a call of a verbal argument. During the call, dispatch could hear a male yelling and a female crying, according to a release from the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office.

A deputy arrived and made contact with a 34-year-old man from Bemidji. The man aggressively approached and engaged in a physical struggle with the deputy, who was able to gain control and arrest the man; the deputy received a minor injury to his arm during the struggle.

While the man was being transported to jail, he repeatedly hit his head on the rear partition of the squad car, causing a cut to his head, and was then transported to Sanford Bemidji Medical Center for treatment.

The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office was assisted at the scene by the Bemidji Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bemidji Ambulance. The Sheriff's Office did not release the arrested man's name at the time of that incident report.

The age listed in the sheriff's release for the Lake Avenue NE arrest, 34, differs from the age of 36 listed for Lussier in court charging documents. Whether the two reports concern the same individual has not been confirmed through court records or law enforcement statements, and the cases should be treated as separate until that connection is established.

The Lussier case is the most recent in a series of domestic-related filings in Beltrami County. Under Minnesota law, interfering with a 911 call, which can involve physically blocking or otherwise preventing an emergency call from being completed, is charged separately from underlying assault offenses and can carry its own jail exposure even at the misdemeanor level. Lussier has not been convicted; the charges in the criminal complaint are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.