A Hill City man has pleaded guilty to five counts of first degree assault on a police officer with deadly force and one count of misdemeanor domestic assault.
According to the criminal complaint, 44-year-old Roy Miller was initially facing five counts of attempted murder in addition to the assault charges.
The complaint states that in February, an Aitkin County deputy responded to a domestic assault call. Miller’s residence was in Itasca County, and the victims arrived at the child’s father’s home in Aitkin County after the assault.
Miller assaulted both his wife and his stepson, according to the complaint, which left them both covered in blood with multiple bruises.
The complaint says that the stepson “was so scared that eventually he ran from Miller’s residence wearing only his underwear and his feet were still burning from the ice and snow outside.”
The boy’s mother picked him up further down the road after she made her escape, after Miller hit the window of her vehicle with his head, shattering it.
The victims indicated to law enforcement that Miller kept several guns, and the stepson told officers he was scared that Miller would “pull out a gun and shoot them both.”
Multiple Itasca County deputies responded to the Miller house in an attempt to make contact with him, and Miller fired several shots at the officers, with the officers returning fire.
Miller’s sentencing is scheduled for December, but as part of his plea agreement he could receive anywhere from 14 to 16 years in prison. Miller remains in custody pending sentencing.
