DEADWOOD, S.D. — A Sturgis man has pleaded not guilty to an aggravated assault charge from an incident that happened at a Deadwood casino in February.
Geoffrey Fossen, 63, was indicted by a Lawrence County grand jury in March and charged with aggravated assault.
According to court documents, on Feb. 13 at about 2:05 p.m. police were dispatched to Cadillac Jack’s Casino for a subject who threatened people with a knife. When police arrived, they made contact with casino staff who pointed out a man later identified as Fossen.
Due to the allegation and the visible knife sheath, police conducted a Terry search of Fossen’s person and removed four knives from his possession.
Police reviewed video of the alleged offenses and from the investigation, learned that shortly before 2 p.m., Fossen had approached a male victim and after a brief alarming conversation, Fossen produced a razor from his pocket and stated he had a razor and showed it to the victim before walking away.
Fossen also allegedly pulled a knife and pointed it at a man and his daughter the day before.
All subjects involved indicated they did not feel as if Fossen was going to stab them, but they were alarmed and disturbed by his behavior and felt he may hurt another person. Fossen was arrested and transported to the Lawrence County Jail.
He is currently free on bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 19. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
