Cannonball Man Pleads Guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 01, 2010 |
BISMARCK—United States Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on December 1, 2010, Joel C. Gohl, 35, of Cannonball, North Dakota, pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge Patrick A. Conmy to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon.
On February 16, 2010, Gohl and the victim were together consuming alcoholic beverages at Gohl's home in Cannonball. When Gohl and the victim began to argue, Gohl requested the victim leave the residence. The victim did not comply and swung at Gohl. Gohl then stabbed the victim in the chest with a knife.
The charge of assault with a dangerous weapon carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Indian Affairs - Standing Rock Agency.
Sentencing for Gohl has been scheduled for April 7, 2011, in United States District Court in Bismarck, North Dakota, at 10:00 a.m.
Assistant United States Attorney Rick Volk is prosecuting the case.