Cottonwood man charged with Windom assault

Talk about it

WINDOM — A Cottonwood man accused of burglary and assault is facing the possibility of a maximum 20 year prison sentence after allegedly kicking in the back door of a residence attached to the Windom Family Inn while yelling and swinging what appeared to be a metal pipe.

Wesley Duane Torke Jr., 27, is charged in Cottonwood County District Court with first-degree burglary-assault of person on property, two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, terroristic threats and fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance.

The complaint states a Windom Police officer was dispatched at 10:21 p.m. July 29 to a burglary in progress. He was told the suspect was fleeing the scene. Two men said they saw a man wearing jeans and no shirt run into a wooded area.

At the scene, the property owner said the suspect, later identified as Torke, had left his motorcycle at the scene. The license plate on the newer model Harley-Davidson came back as belonging to Torke, but stated the motorcycle was a 1979 model.

The officer noted a cracked frame on the back door, as if someone had kicked it in.

A witness, the owner’s son, said he was working at the computer when he heard a loud bang and looked up to see a man standing in the kitchen holding the alleged pipe and swinging it in the air. Torke allegedly demanded to know what the son was doing in “his” house. The owners heard the yelling and came in, ordering their son into a bedroom. In a written statement, the son stated Torke was whipping the pipe around and screaming “come at me” over and over.

The boy’s mother told authorities the man threatened to kill them, then chased her and her husband into the lobby area and then outside.

The motorcycle was transported to the law enforcement center and the vehicle identification number run through the state computer, where it came up as “not on file.” In talking to a Lyon County deputy regarding the motorcycle, the officer learned there were questions on the legality of the sale of the Harley from a dealer in Madison and that Torke has been reported missing since July 22.

In a discussion with Torke’s father, the officer was told Torke was on methamphetamine. While inventorying the bike, the officer found a baggie with a substance that tested positive for meth.

On July 30, an individual called and reported a man fitting Torke’s description sitting by the main entrance to the high school. Authorities arrived and arrested Torke, who said he did not know what the officers were talking about. He allegedly stated he did not know where the Windom Family Inn was located. When told his motorcycle had been left at the scene, he said the bike was home in his garage.

Torke’s father later called the law enforcement center asking to get his son’s motorcycle back. When the officer explained the plates on the bike belonged to Torke, but the bike was believed stolen, Torke’s father asked the officer to describe the bike. He then stated that did not sound like the bike his son owned.

Torke was charged in June with receiving stolen property and theft of a motor vehicle in Chippewa County. That case is still pending. He has previous convictions for domestic assault, fleeing a peace officer and tampering with a motor vehicle.

Tags: news, cottonwood, burglary, windom, assault, crime