Former Minnesota Sheriff Awarded $600K In Alleged Assault

UNDATED -- A Texas jury has awarded $600,000 to a former Minnesota sheriff who said he was assaulted at a National Sheriffs' Association conference in 2017.

Rich Stanek was Hennepin County sheriff at the time he attended the event in Reno, Nevada, at the Atlantis Resort and Casino. He accused John Guandolo, a retired Marine who resigned from the FBI in 2008 and lives in Dallas, of shoving him and punching him in the face.

Guandolo founded Understanding the Threat in 2012, a consulting firm to advise law enforcement. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports he has been criticized for anti-Muslim views, and wrote a post in 2016 criticizing Minnesota officials including Stanek.

The Dallas County jury ruled for Stanek late Friday after an eight-day trial.