36-year-old Chamberlain man charged after allegedly assaulting man

Nov. 30—CHAMBERLAIN, S.D. — A Chamberlain man was arrested and charged following an alleged assault outside a Chamberlain residence in October.

Colten Dolphus, 36, was charged with multiple aggravated assault charges after he and his girlfriend allegedly attacked a group of people who were sitting on their porch on Sunday, Oct. 30.

Authorities responded to a call from Mitchell Dispatch at approximately 7:35 p.m. regarding an active fight having broken out at a residency with possible weapons or firearms. The responding officer quickly identified two victims of the altercation, one male and one female, and several eyewitnesses.

According to case file notes, Dolphus, his girlfriend, Christina Hawk, and another male individual had allegedly walked up to the group of people, asked if they were looking for a fight and kicked one of the individual's dogs. Dolphus then allegedly began beating the male victim with a long, blunt object, while Hawk allegedly went after the female victim.

Court documents note that Dolphus and the other male allegedly bent the male victim over an air conditioning unit and "hit him in the face multiple times" with what the victim described as a "shiny" object and what another eyewitness claimed was a large stick. Dolphus also allegedly used a set of keys as "brass knuckles" during the altercation.

The male victim was discovered to have multiple lacerations across his face and the back of his head, while the female victim suffered a small laceration above her right eye and a large laceration on her knee from allegedly attempting to fight back against Hawk and falling down. Both victims were transported for medical treatment.

Dolphus and Hawk were located and arrested the following day. Both were taken into custody and questioned.

Dolphus said he and Hawk had been attending a child's birthday party at a local bowling alley when a man allegedly pulled into the parking lot and began harassing them. According to Dolphus, the man threatened both with a framing hammer and a bat. They both identified this man as the male victim during the altercation later that night.

When questioned about why they sought out the victims, Hawk said that she, Dolphus and a friend had just been out for a walk.

However, Dolphus claimed that they were mad at the victim for his behavior in front of the children that were at the bowling alley. Dolphus allegedly admitted to striking the victim, but could not recall how many times he struck him.

Dolphus was charged with four counts of aggravated assault, all classified as Class 3 felonies, as well as two simple assault charges, both Class 1 misdemeanors. If convicted, Dolphus could face up to 15 years imprisonment and up to $30,000 in fines.

Dolphus is in custody following another incident in which he allegedly stole a firearm from a man's vehicle. Dolphus faces more felony charges, including grand theft and theft of a firearm, as well as multiple misdemeanor charges stemming from the intentional damage to property.