2nd Man Pleads Guilty In Mankato Assault

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Less than a week before his trial was set to begin, a man has pleaded guilty to assault in a Mankato fight that left a man seriously injured.

On Wednesday morning, Trevor Shelley pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree assault in connection to the May 2014 fight that left Isaac Kolstad in a coma.

Last year, former Gophers quarterback Philip Nelson pleaded guilty to fifth-degree assault in the case.

The criminal complaint lists accounts from different bystanders. A girl who had been out drinking with Nelson and who, like Nelson, was under 21 said that he became enraged after a bouncer kissed her on the hand.

A friend of the victim's said Kolstad and Nelson were engaged in a "heated exchange," but it was not clear to him whether the fight was actually about Kolstad. The friend said that as he was trying to diffuse the situation with Nelson, someone else knocked Kolstad down. At that point, Nelson pushed past him and kicked Kolstad in the head at least once, possibly twice.

Police said surveillance video shows Kolstad striking Nelson on the shoulder from behind while Nelson and the girl were talking with Kolstad's friend. At that point, a male later identified as Shelley knocks Kolstad down with a punch to the head, investigators said.

Nelson said that he didn't know the person who punched Kolstad, but officers saw that both Nelson and Shelley were friends on Facebook, and had both attended the same high school.

After being identified, Shelley informed police that he hadn't struck Kolstad but, rather, that Kolstad had taken a swing at him.

Shelley will be sentenced on May 13 in a Blue Earth County courtroom. In the meantme, he's ordered to adhere to a number of conditions that include refraining from alcohol and drugs, and staying a reasonable distance from Kolstad's home.