PRESS RELEASE
May 16, 2016
Death Investigation
Mille Lacs County Sheriff Brent C. Lindgren reports that on May 14, 2016 at approximately 1:06 AM, the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office received three 911 calls regarding an unresponsive person at Nitti’s Hunter’s Point Resort located at 5436 479th Street, East Side Township, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota.
Mille Lacs County Deputies, Isle Police, and the Mille Lacs Health Systems Ambulance responded to the scene. Deputies found David Taute, 46 years old of Prior Lake, MN, unconscious and being loaded into an ambulance.
Deputies at the scene learned that Taute had been in a confrontation with David Stay, 44 years old of Brooklyn Center, MN just outside the resort around closing time. Deputies and the Investigator at the scene were able to locate and interview Stay at the resort and Stay admitted to assaulting Taute by striking him on the left side of his face. Deputies were also able to independently view video recorded surveillance video from the resort which confirmed the physical assault confrontation between Stay and Taute.
David Taute was transported by Ambulance to the Mille Lacs Health System in Onamia, MN and he was then transferred by medical helicopter to the North Memorial Hospital located in Robbinsdale, MN where he later died that morning.
Following Taute’s death Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office Investigators and Deputies arrested David Stay around 06:05 AM May 14th, 2016 where he was staying; Nitti’s Hunter’s Point Resort, and booked David Stay into the Mille Lacs County Jail on Manslaughter in the First Degree Subd. 2; Whoever violates section 609.224 and causes the death of another or causes the death of another in committing or attempting to commit a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor offense with such force and violence that death of or great bodily harm to any person was reasonably foreseeable, and murder in the first or second degree was not committed thereby.
Stay was also booked for Manslaughter in the Second Degree Subd. 1; by the person's culpable negligence whereby the person creates an unreasonable risk, and consciously takes chances of causing death or great bodily harm to another.
The body of David Taute was transferred to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s for an autopsy which was performed on May, 15, 2016. The results of the autopsy are pending and will be released at a later time by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
This case remains under active investigation by the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office at 320-983-8250
Mille Lacs County Sheriff
Brent C. Lindgren