St. Paul man charged with assault in Watab township

WATAB — A St. Paul man threatened to kill a woman in Watab Township on Friday morning, according to a witness account detailed in Benton County Court records. 

Leslee Marquis Sheppard, 26, faces a felony threats-of-violence charge and two misdemeanor assault charges, according to court documents. 

Benton County Sheriff's deputies were called around 10 a.m. Friday, according to the Statement of Probable Cause, to the 7000 block of Jasmine Loop Northwest in Watab Township. 

The victim denied anything happened and didn't want to cooperate with police, according to the court record. One witness reported Sheppard and the victim slapped each other. 

Another witness told police Sheppard was mad at the victim, because she wouldn't drive him to St. Cloud, according to the court document. "The defendant then made statements that 'I will kill you,' and 'I'll break your neck right here.' This is when the witnesses called for the sheriff's office to respond."

Sheppard was convicted of a domestic assault charge in 2011 in Ramsey County and in 2015 in Pine County, according to court records. 

He had an initial court appearance on Monday and an omnibus hearing scheduled for July 18, according to court records.