Man accused of trying to drown his mother and sister in lake

Franklin Dickinson (Otter Tail County Jail)

OTTER TAIL LAKE, Minn. (KFGO) – A Shakopee, Minnesota man is in the Otter Tail County jail after a 911 call reporting that he was attempting to drown family members on the northwest side of Otter Tail Lake on Saturday afternoon.

A neighbor and other family members were able to free a 25-year-old woman, the suspect’s sister, and a 64-year-old woman, his mother, before deputies got to the scene. The two women are from New Ulm, Minnesota.

Deputies say Franklin Dickinson, 42, became angry and grabbed his sister by the throat and started to choke her underwater. she lost consciousness. Dickinson’s mother and others tried to help when Dickinson grabbed his mother by the hair and began to pull her toward the water. The sheriff’s office says a neighbor heard the commotion and helped free the women. The younger woman suffered neck, chest and collarbone injuries. She was treated at Lake Region Healthcare. His mother was not did not require medical attention.

Dickinson was arrested on charges that include felony domestic assault by strangulation and assault with a deadly weapon. Battle Lake Police, Battle Lake Rescue, DNR, and Ringdahl Ambulance also responded to the scene.