Walker man charged in Ponsford stabbing, nearby resident charged with aiding suspect

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – A man from Walker, Minnesota has been charged with felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in Becker County District Court stemming from June stabbing that occurred in Ponsford.

According to the Detroit Lakes Tribune, on June 29 at 2:30 a.m., first responders discovered a male victim in a bedroom doorway of a Ponsford residence with blood on his clothes and immediately applied pressure to stab wound on the victim’s chest.

The victim identified the person who stabbed him as 25-year-old Marcus Lee Waybenais of Walker who he also said he had been living with for about 9 months. The victim was later transported to Essentia Health St. Mary’s in Detroit Lakes for treatment.

According to court records, a search was then initiated to find Waybenais by law enforcement, which brought them to a nearby trailer and camper that had been parked on a property.

There, law enforcement encountered 66-year-old Nancy Joanne Kettle, of rural Ponsford, who told officers that the suspect was not hiding in the trailer.

After Kettle told law enforcement she had to “get two dogs,” she disappeared inside the trailer for several minutes, which caused law enforcement to grow suspicious.

A search was performed on the trailer and law enforcement discovered Waybenais hiding in a bedroom.

Kettle also admitted to being with the suspect and taking a knife from him that was allegedly used in the stabbing. She then turned the knife over to law enforcement as evidence.

Both Waybenais and Kettle were arrested at the scene

Waybenais is currently in-custody at the Becker County Jail awaiting and Sept. 6 plea hearing.

Kettle has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony aiding an offender to avoid arrest including harboring or concealment.