Finlayson teen accused of fracturing man's skull with baseball bat

PINE CITY - A party Saturday night in northern Pine County ended with one man in the hospital with serious injuries and a teenager behind bars.

Pine County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an assault in Kerrick around 6:10 a.m. on Sunday, March 7th.  When they arrived they were told a man was hit in the head with an aluminum baseball bat.  The man was transported to Mercy Hospital with what was later determined as a skull fracture.

Officers recovered an aluminum bat with blood on it inside the residence.  They also found two hats that were in the driveway area near a “substantial” amount of blood in the snow.

Witness accounts of how the incident occurred varied, according to the criminal complaint, but their accounts of the events were consistent in identifying the attacker as Austyn Kaufman, 18, of Finlayson.

Police could not immediately locate Kaufman.  He was arrested on Tuesday and charged on Wednesday in Pine County Court.

Kaufman is charged with two counts of second degree of assault.  The first charge is punishable by ten years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.  Count two carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and/or a $14,000 fine.  He is also charged with one count of third degree assault which is punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Bail for Kaufman was set at $10,000.  According to jail records, he posted bail and has been released from the Pine County Jail.

He is due back in court on March 19th.