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Kia Farhang

Assault charge for man who spat on prosecutor

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Authorities in Ramsey County on Wednesday charged a St. Paul man convicted of sex trafficking late Tuesday with spitting on a prosecutor.

Johnathan Bernard Edwards, 25, is charged with fourth-degree assault for the incident. That could net him an extra two years in prison on top of the maximum 20-year sentence he faces for trafficking a 15-year-old girl.

A Ramsey County jury found Edwards and Kauser Mohamoud Yusuf guilty of posting pictures of a 15-year-old girl on a classified website and collecting the money paid to have sex with her.

Edwards yelled an obscenity at prosecutor Karen Kugler and spat on her as judge Joy Bartscher read the jury's verdict Tuesday night, according to the assault charge filed against him. Ramsey County Sheriff's deputies tackled Edwards after he jumped onto a table.

Prosecutors filed the assault charge in Ramsey County District Court, which is where the incident allegedly occurred. Officials plan to turn the case over to another jurisdiction to avoid a conflict of interest.

Edwards has four other felony convictions for theft, possessing ecstasy, selling marijuana and domestic assault, according to the charge.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi noted in a press release that no one was injured during the incident.