Man charged with felony assault after attacking woman at Buffalo River State Park

CLAY COUNTY, Minn. (Valley News Live) – A man is facing felony charges after authorities say he assaulted a woman inside a camper at Buffalo River State Park, then fled on a bicycle before a K9 unit tracked him down.

James Michael McArdell, 37, is charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and felony domestic assault.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Clay County District Court, a park ranger heard a woman screaming inside a camper at the park just before 9 a.m. on June 16 and called 911. The ranger reported that a man had biked away from the scene.

When deputies arrived, a woman told them McArdell had shown up at her campsite the afternoon before. The next morning, she told him to leave after a verbal argument. He refused.

The complaint states McArdell began destroying items inside the camper. When the woman went back inside to confront him, McArdell jumped on her, held her down, and punched her repeatedly in the head with a closed fist. The woman grabbed a nearby crescent wrench to defend herself, but McArdell took it from her and struck her in the wrist with it.

The complaint says McArdell blocked the woman from leaving the camper multiple times. He fled only when she got the door open and he spotted the park ranger outside on the phone. The woman reported lumps on her head and a sore wrist.

Officers located McArdell several hours later. According to the complaint, he fled into tall grass when he saw law enforcement, and a K9 unit was used to track him down.

Court documents show McArdell has two prior domestic violence convictions from 2023 in North Dakota. At least one was a felony for assaulting the same victim. The prior convictions elevate the current domestic assault charge to a felony under Minnesota law.

McArdell is detained at the Clay County Jail pending further proceedings.

Second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon carries a maximum of seven years in prison, a $14,000 fine, or both. The felony domestic assault charge carries up to five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.