Man dies after he's hit in face Saturday at Mille Lacs fishing resort

A 44-year-old Brooklyn Center man has been arrested in connection with a fatal assault early May 14 at a Lake Mille Lacs resort, shortly after the opening of the fishing season.

A statement from the office of Mille Lacs County Sheriff Brent Lindgren said deputies were sent to Nitti's Hunters Point Resort around 1 a.m. Saturday, after three 911 calls reported an unresponsive person at the resort 9 miles north of Isle on the lake's eastern shore.

Police found 46-year-old David Taute unconscious. A Mille Lacs Health System ambulance took the Prior Lake man first to a hospital in Onamia, then airlifted Taute to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale. He died later in the morning.

Investigators say there had been a confrontation between Taute and another man around closing time at the resort. Police found and interviewed the suspect, who admitted hitting Taute in the face.

Surveillance video confirmed the assault, the sheriff's office said. Authorities aren't saying what sparked the confrontation or why the two men were at the resort.

An autopsy was performed Sunday. The suspect, who has not yet been charged, was arrested for first and second degree manslaughter. The case remains under investigation.

Authorities are asking anyone who saw the incident to contact the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office.