Assault on brother, drug possession lands probation and fine

Published 10:53 am Monday, December 24, 2012

An Austin man charged for assaulting his brother and possessing synthetic marijuana was sentenced Friday in Mower County Court.

Verne Olson, 25, was sentenced to two years’ supervised probation and fined $300 for gross misdemeanor domestic assault and possession of synthetic weed. Felony domestic assault by strangulation and petty misdemeanor charges for a small amount of marijuana were dismissed.

According to the court complaint, police responded to a call in Austin at about 12:15 p.m. Aug. 12 that one man put his brother in a choke hold, and the victim nearly went unconscious. When police arrived, they arrested Olson and spoke to the 23-year-old victim and a woman who was there. According to the complaint, the victim and woman were with a child who began laughing, which woke Olson. The complaint adds the woman intervened in the fight, and she, the victim and child went to a separate room and called 911.

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Olson asked an officer to retrieve his prescription pills from his bedroom; however, the officer then found synthetic marijuana, according to the complaint.