City police respond to altercation at Liquid Assets

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After authorities told two men who were reportedly being disorderly to leave a Dickinson bar 15 to 25 times Sunday morning, the men were released to go to the residence of Police Chief Chuck Rummel, who had also been at the bar.

Brent Rummel, 29 — who is Chuck Rummel’s son — along with Jason Carpenter, 29, were intoxicated at Liquid Assets at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday and allegedly causing problems, according to a Dickinson Police report.

Chuck Rummel said though the situation involved his son, he didn’t get special treatment.

“If anybody else’s father would have been there in this same instance, even if a dad was there and said ‘Look, I’ll take my kid home,’… officers would have let that happen,” he said.

Chuck Rummel added he didn’t tell officers to not arrest them, saying it was the officer’s discretion.

Brent Rummel was allegedly trying to start fights at the bar, according to the report. Dickinson officer Thomas Grosz watched a bar employee tell Brent Rummel he was not welcome at the establishment. The employee motioned with his hand and Carpenter reportedly swatted it away.

“I put my hand on Jason’s chest and told him not to touch Kale (the employee),” according to the police report filed by Grosz.

Carpenter then used expletive language with the officer, according to the report.

“I repeatedly, approximately 15 to 25 times, advised them to leave the premises but they stopped near a vehicle…” Grosz said in the report.

Carpenter then became belligerent, according to the report.

“I placed my hand lightly on his left shoulder to guide him out of the parking lot, but he tensed his upper body and leaned toward me,” Grosz said in the report, adding he feared a physical altercation.

Carpenter was then reportedly handcuffed, and Grosz radioed for assistance.

The Liquid Assets employee reportedly put Brent Rummel on the ground and held him there. Grosz left Carpenter with off-duty officers who were on the scene, according to the report, and then handcuffed Brent Rummel.

“After handcuffing the two males, I radioed that they were in custody and advised other units that their assistance was no longer needed,” Grosz said in the report.

Stark County Sheriff’s Department and North Dakota Highway Patrol officers reportedly responded to the incident, but neither department would release information Friday.

Brent Rummel and Jason Carpenter were reportedly placed in police cars and Grosz was then met by Chuck Rummel.

“After a short discussion, it was decided that the two males would be transported to Chief Rummel’s residence as he had agreed to assume responsibility for them,” Grosz said in the report.

Chuck Rummel said officers treated the incident like a detoxification situation.

“In detox situations, you’re supposed to take them home, find somebody who will be responsible for them, and that’s exactly what they did,” Chuck Rummel said. “I was still there, so I said, ‘I’ll take responsibility,’ and home we went.”

Grosz reported the men were “in custody”, but authorities say that doesn’t mean arrested.

Stark County Sheriff Clarence Tuhy said handcuffing a person also doesn’t necessarily mean they will be arrested.

“If it’s for their own safety or anybody’s safety around. They may be put in handcuffs and detained, but it all depends on the circumstances,” Tuhy said.

Dickinson Lt. Dave Wallace agrees.

“It can be an officer safety issue,” Wallace said. “It just depends on what the circumstances are, but not necessarily does it mean that because they’re in handcuffs they’re under arrest.”

NDHP Capt. Tony Huck also said an officer saying someone is “in custody” doesn’t necessarily mean they are under arrest.

Chuck Rummel said he believes people are mistaking the incident for another physical altercation which he said occurred at Liquid Assets that night.

“That’s the one that really got everybody’s attention,” he said. “That’s the one where officers were called to a fight.”

Wallace said he has heard there were other altercations, but couldn’t be sure because police were not involved.

“We didn’t get called and we didn’t investigate anything of that nature,” Wallace said.

A police report was released Friday, after The Press had requested information on the incident multiple times since Monday. Chuck Rummel said Grosz had been off work earlier this week and he didn’t write it until he came back.

“When there isn’t any arrest, then there isn’t any rush for a report,” Chuck Rummel said.

He said the report will be sent to the Stark County State’s Attorney’s Office for consideration of charges, but said it had not been sent by Friday afternoon.

D.J. Charbonneau of Liquid Assets said he was not sure what happened that night.

Mayor Dennis Johnson said he didn’t have enough information to comment Friday evening.

Brent Rummel and Jason Carpenter’s phone numbers are not listed.

Tags: news, local, liquid, assets, rummel