Charges Upgraded to Attempted Murder for Man That Allegedly Drowned Sister

Franklin Dickinson. (OTCDF)

Battle Lake, MN – The charges for the man accused of assaulting and attempting to drown his sister in Otter Tail Lake have been upgraded to attempted murder.

42-year-old Franklin Dickinson of Shakopee made his first court appearance Wednesday morning, where he was formally charged with 2nd degree attempted murder, two counts of felony domestic assault by strangulation, and misdemeanor domestic assault.

Otter Tail County deputies say that around 4 p.m. Saturday (August 30th), the Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from rural Battle Lake saying Dickinson was attempting to drown family members in Otter Tail Lake. Before law enforcement arrived, a neighbor and other family members were able to free the 25-year-old and 64-year-old victims and bring them to safety.

Prosecutors say that Dickinson had become angry and grabbed his sister by the throat and began choking her underwater. At some point, the sister lost consciousness and was being held at the bottom of the lake. The pair’s 64-year-old mother then intervened, and Dickinson began strangling her and pulling her hair down towards the water.

A male neighbor told deputies he heard the commotion and was able to intervene enough to free the women, who were treated on scene by EMS. The paramedics say the 25-year-old sister sustained neck, chest, and collarbone injuries and was taken to Lake Region Healthcare for what is believed to be minor injuries.

Dickinson was talked out of the water by Otter Tail County deputies, who say Dickinson was making strange statements, and mentioned that he killed his sister. Deputies say that when they told Dickinson that his sister was safe, he seemed relieved. Court documents say Dickinson admitted to choking his sister and said he didn’t know why he did it.

Deputies say the sister told them that while the family was swimming, Dickinson had made an out of character comment, and she told him to calm down, at which point he charged at her. Dickinson told deputies that he had a THC seltzer that day, but he had never had any kind of bad reaction to THC products.