Oatis charged with assault, interfering with 911 call

Alex Mitchel Oatis, 24, Little Falls, was charged in Morrison County District Court with one felony count of assault and one gross misdemeanor count of interfering with an emergency telephone call.

The charges stem from an April 8 incident, when two officers of the Little Falls Police Department received a report of an assault occurring at a residence on Riverwood Drive in Little Falls. Officers arrived at the scene and met with the victim. The victim stated that she was assaulted by Oatis. She stated that she was seated in a chair in her apartment and Oatis threw a laundry detergent container at her, and it struck her on the side of her head. The victim complained of pain and bruising to the side of her head, according to the report.

After being struck, the victim attempted to call 911 and told Oatis that she was trying to contact law enforcement to report the assault. The victim stated that Oatis grabbed the phone from her hand, preventing her from calling 911. Per the report, the victim stated that after Oatis stepped into another room, she ran out of her apartment to a neighbor’s apartment in order to use the neighbor’s phone to call law enforcement.

According to the report, the officers located Oatis seated in the victim’s apartment. One officer asked Oatis if he hit the victim in the head with the jug. Oatis allegedly acknowledged doing that.

An examination of Oatis’ criminal history shows he was previously convicted for felony violation of a No Contact Order in March 2022. He was also convicted of felony assault in September 2021. The prior convictions enhance the current offense to a felony.

If convicted on the felony charge, Oatis faces up to five years imprisonment and/or a $10,000 fine. If convicted on the gross misdemeanor charge, Oatis faces up to one year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine.