BLUE EARTH, Minn. — Two people have been sentenced Tuesday in the assault of a state trooper in December 2018.
Montrell Smith and Anthony Enriquez pleaded guilty to the first-degree assault of Trooper Doug Rauenhorst.
The incident occurred while the co-defendants fled a traffic stop with Rauenhorst partially in the vehicle. Rauenhorst sustained serious injuries after being forced out of the vehicle while it traveled at high speeds, prosecutors said.
Enriquez and Smith were apprehended at a bar in Albert Lea.
According to the Faribault County Attorney, Enriquez admitted to assaulting Rauenhorst and possessing marijuana during a plea hearing on Jan. 31, 2020, and Smith also admitted to assaulting Rauenhorst during a plea hearing Jan. 6, 2020. They were sentenced to 86 and 84 months in prison, respectively.
Rauenhorst told the court in an impact statement how the incident affected his life: “When I arrived home, my family and I began to notice my effects the assault had on me. I had difficulty remembering conversations I had and if I had done daily activities. During my treatment at the Mayo Brain Unit in Rochester, the staff helped me realize how significantly the injury had affected my brain. I was a lot slower at reading and comprehending the information I read. I forgot entire conversations."
