A Cottage Grove man was sentenced last week in Becker County District Court on a felony charge of aiding and abetting-third degree assault-substantial bodily harm.
Derek Ronald Clevenger, 22, of 7420 Illies Ave. S., Cottage Grove, was ordered to serve 75 days in jail and up to three years of supervised probation. He may serve the first 45 days of his sentence on electronic home monitoring, at his own expense.
Clevenger was also fined $500, for which he may do community service work, and must also pay his portion of over $30,000 in restitution owed to the victim.
Clevenger and Casey Pablo Castillo were both charged in connection with an Aug. 8, 2009 incident at WE Fest.
According to court records, at 5:14 a.m. on that day, deputies responded to the report of a fight at the Hilltop Campground. They found a man, referred to in court records only as BJH, lying on his back in the driving area between the north and south rows of campsites.
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His face was covered in blood and he was taken by ambulance to St. Mary's Innovis hospital.
The next day, security personnel contacted deputies with two possible suspects in the case -- Clevenger and Castillo.
A woman allegedly told officers she had been in the back seat of a vehicle with Castillo when BJH entered the vehicle and began grabbing at Castillo.
Allegedly, Clevenger pulled BJH out of the vehicle and Castillo began to wrestle with him. Clevenger kicked BJH in the neck.
Castillo moved away from the area, but Clevenger allegedly continued to kick and beat BJH until others at the scene screamed at him to stop.
BJH's face was covered in blood and Clevenger and Castillo allegedly agreed they didn't want him to die near their campsite and dragged him about 50 feet away, where he was found.
BJH told officers he mistook Castillo for a friend of his and entered the vehicle and grabbed him to get him to come back with him to their campsite.
BJH suffered multiple injuries in the assault, including severe facial swelling, multiple cuts that required stitches, and multiple facial fractures.
