Hopkins man indicted by Hennepin County Grand Jury

A Hennepin County Grand Jury indicted a Hopkins man for first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree assault and one count of soliciting prostitution, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

The grand jury returned the indictment Jan. 23 against DeQuarn Markeyth Bell, 24, on three separate felony charges. Jury trial is scheduled for March 16 at 9:00 a.m.

According to the criminal complaint, on Sept. 9, Hopkins police were dispatched to a gas station upon the report of a prior domestic assault. There, officers met with the victim, Bell’s girlfriend, who stated that Bell had assaulted her in late-July.

The victim told police that Bell repeatedly burned her with a hot curling iron all over her body, including her face, neck, chest, armpit, back, and leg. There were 14 burn marks in total. The victim also stated that Bell took her phone and keys, preventing her from leaving the apartment after the assault took place. On Sept. 9, the victim was able to escape on foot to the gas station where she called the police, the criminal complaint states.

On Sept. 13, officers executed a search warrant at Bell’s apartment and recovered a curling iron. When the victim came in to the police department to identify the curling iron as the assault weapon, she broke down and began sobbing, the criminal complaint continues.

In addition to Bell burning her face and body, the victim disclosed that he also penetrated her vagina with the hot curling iron. The victim was taken in for a sexual assault examination, revealing that she had redness and scarring to her external genitalia and to the inside of her vaginal opening consistent with being burned with a curling iron, the criminal complaint states.

Bell is currently in custody with bail set at $2M.

DeQuarn Bell Criminal Complaint (PDF)