Court news: Detroit Lakes man accused of threats with knife

DETROIT LAKES — Lamont Lee Cervenka, 54, of Detroit Lakes has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony second-degree assault (dangerous weapon), felony threats of violence, misdemeanor fifth-degree assault and misdemeanor DWI.

According to court records, shortly after 2 a.m. on Sept. 21, officers were called to a residence just outside of Detroit Lakes on the report of a disturbance where a suspect had threatened a man and woman with a knife.

The two were in a vehicle on their property, and Cervenka is accused of driving a red Subaru into their driveway, then running up to their vehicle and yelling at the woman (his ex-wife) about a conflict with his mother.

He hit their window two or three times with a knife that had a black handle and a silver blade. They called 911 and Cervenka left, but then returned. He told the man that "I'm going to f…ing kill you; you're going to regret this." The woman said she was fearful that Cervenka was going to stab her.

Officers found Cervenka parked in a nearby church parking lot. Two hypodermic needles were found in the car, and a folding knife was found in the open position in the passenger seat area. A steak knife and a "Sawzall" blade were in the trunk.

At the jail, he performed poorly on field sobriety tests and admitted to smoking fentanyl approximately 18 hours earlier.

On Sept. 22, he posted $500 cash bail and was released under conditions that include no contact with the victims and no drugs or alcohol use – except prescribed medications and the methadone program, so long as he complies with the program.

A settlement conference is set for Feb. 22, and if no agreement is reached a jury trial will begin Feb 28.

Nicholas George Savig, 39, of rural Lake Park has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony second-degree drugs and felony fifth-degree drugs.

According to court records, on Sep. 23, a Becker County sheriff’s officer responded to a report of a driving complaint on Highway 10. He located the vehicle, saw it cross over the centerline, and pulled it over. Savig was the driver, and the officer saw him trying to stash something inside the vehicle. Savig admitted he had marijuana in a lunchbox.

A search of the lunchbox turned up marijuana, along with a brown pouch containing two sheets of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). One sheet had 100 tabs and another half sheet had 50 tabs. Savig admitted that it was LSD and was arrested.

On Sept. 26 he posted $2,000 cash bail and was released. He failed to appear for an omnibus hearing on Oct. 31, and on Nov. 11 District Judge Micheal Fritz issued an arrest warrant and ordered the $2,000 bail forfeited.

On Nov. 8, the bail money was reinstated and he was released, pending a March 6 omnibus hearing.

Tyler Anthony Overstreet, 22, of Audubon, has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony domestic assault by strangulation and two misdemeanor charges of domestic assault.

According to court records, about 5:43 a.m. Sept. 20 a Becker County deputy was dispatched to a residence in Audubon on a report of an active domestic assault.

Overstreet is accused of waking up his girlfriend about 1 a.m., hitting her and accusing her of cheating. He allegedly hit her several times and then threw her down, causing the woman’s head to hit the tile floor. She said she got to the hallway where she fell, and once she got back up, Overstreet pushed her and held her up against the wall while he choked her.

She said that he was squeezing her neck "pretty hard" and she could not breathe for a moment. He then put her in a choke hold, but she was able to get out. He pushed her into the stove in the kitchen. She was able to call 911 and went outside. The deputy photographed bruising on her neck and more marks on the right side of her neck.

Overstreet admitted to pushing the woman several times before she called 911, and as the deputy was putting him in the squad car, Overstreet told him, "maybe I took it too far."

He was released without bail, under standard conditions, on Sept. 2, and a plea hearing is set for Jan. 17.

Iain Andrew Johnson, 37, of Louisville, Kentucky has been charged in Becker County District Court with two counts of felony DWI.

According to court records, on Sept. 19, he was pulled over on North Shore Drive in Detroit Lakes for license plate registration tabs that had expired in 2020.

The vehicle was slow to pull over and stop, and while speaking with Johnson, the officer could smell a distinct odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle. The officer asked Johnson several times to perform field sobriety tests and Johnson stated he did not want to. He also refused a preliminary breath test.

After being arrested, he volunteered to do field sobriety tests, performed poorly, again refused to take a PBT, and was re-arrested.

The officer found a cold half empty can of Redd's Wicked Black Cherry alcoholic drink in the vehicle. At the jail, his blood alcohol level tested at .23 percent, nearly three times the legal limit.

Johnson was convicted of DWI on Dec. 10, 2021 in Wisconsin, and on Nov. 4, 2015 and Nov. 26, 2013 in Kentucky. His Kentucky driver’s license was suspended.

On Sept. 20, he posted $1,000 cash bail and was released with conditions that included being hooked up to an alcohol monitor prior to release and at his own expense.

A remote hearing was set for Nov. 21, and a warrant for his arrest was issued Oct. 27 by Judge Gretchen Thilmony.

On Nov. 21 he posted $500 cash bail and was released under the previous conditions.

An omnibus hearing is set for March 13, and Johnson has the option to appear in person or remotely.