Minnesota Legislative Candidate Accusing Man of Assault [VIDEO]

DUELM -- A candidate running for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives is accusing another man of punching him in the face at a Benton County bar.

Sheriff Troy Heck says Shane Mekeland, who is running for District 15B which covers Benton County and parts of Sherburne County, was at a bar and restaurant in St. George Township Friday night talking politics with another man.

Mekeland told authorities the two of them were having a friendly conversation, when it ended abruptly, after the man took offense to a statement Mekeland made concerning the "middle class."

Mekeland says the man punched him in the face, causing injuries.

Heck says the suspect was identified but his name has not been released, because he has not been arrested or charged with a crime at this time.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.