## Facts

- In November 1986, 17-year-old D.S.F. went to Minnetonka High School to pick up his girlfriend.
- D.S.F. had previously withdrawn from the school due to problems with the school.
- A hall monitor (school staff) told D.S.F. he was not permitted to remain at school and directed him to leave.
- Upset, D.S.F. struck a locker with his fist while walking down the hallway.
- D.S.F. encountered three students walking in the opposite direction.
- Without speaking to any of them, D.S.F. grabbed one student by the arm and punched him in the lower jaw with a closed fist.
- D.S.F. did not speak to the victim before or after the punch and left the school soon afterward.
- The victim was bleeding from the mouth; friends took him to the nurse’s office, and an ambulance transported him to Methodist Hospital.
- The victim suffered a jaw broken in four places and underwent about three hours of surgery in which his teeth were wired shut and the jaw bones were wired together.
- After the wires were removed about six weeks later, the victim continued to experience tooth sensitivity and pain with physical activity; one front tooth was chipped, and the doctor was uncertain whether additional tooth loss would be permanent.
- The state filed a delinquency petition alleging third-degree assault.
- After trial, the juvenile court found the petition proved beyond a reasonable doubt and adjudicated D.S.F. delinquent.
- At disposition, the court ordered $581.13 in restitution and a 90-day out-of-home placement in the Hennepin County Home School Alpha Program, followed by probation.
- D.S.F. appealed, challenging both the sufficiency of the evidence supporting intent for third-degree assault and the dispositional decision rejecting less restrictive alternatives.

## Issues

1. Whether the evidence was sufficient to prove D.S.F. intended to commit third-degree assault (i.e., intended to cause bodily harm) beyond a reasonable doubt.
2. Whether the juvenile court abused its discretion by ordering a 90-day placement in the Hennepin County Home School Alpha Program, rather than a less restrictive disposition.

## Decision

- The Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed the delinquency adjudication for third-degree assault.
- The court held the evidence was sufficient for the fact-finder to infer intent from D.S.F.’s conduct and the natural consequences of delivering a forceful, unprovoked punch to the victim’s jaw.
- The court affirmed the disposition ordering a 90-day placement in the Hennepin County Home School Alpha Program, followed by probation, concluding the juvenile court did not exceed its dispositional discretion.
- The court determined the juvenile court considered less restrictive options, explained its reasons on the record for rejecting them, and selected a structured placement tied to rehabilitation needs and community safety.
- The court left in place the restitution order of $581.13 for the victim’s out-of-pocket expenses.
- Review was later denied by the Minnesota Supreme Court (Feb. 17, 1988).

## Legal Principles

- In reviewing sufficiency of the evidence in a juvenile delinquency adjudication, an appellate court views the record in the light most favorable to the adjudication and asks whether a fact-finder could reasonably find the elements proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
- Intent to cause bodily harm may be inferred from a person’s actions and the natural and probable consequences of those actions; direct evidence of intent (such as verbal threats) is not required.
- Juvenile courts have broad discretion in choosing a disposition; appellate courts generally affirm if the disposition falls within statutory authority and the record supports the court’s rationale.
- A juvenile court may order an out-of-home placement when it considers less restrictive alternatives and reasonably finds them inadequate in light of the offense and the child’s needs.
- Restitution may be ordered in juvenile proceedings when supported by the record as compensation for the victim’s proven losses.

## Conclusion

The court affirmed D.S.F.’s delinquency adjudication for third-degree assault because the unprovoked, forceful punch and resulting serious injury allowed an inference of intent to cause bodily harm, and it also affirmed the 90-day Alpha Program placement and restitution because the juvenile court considered less restrictive options, stated reasons for rejecting them, and selected a structured placement supported by the offense severity and rehabilitative needs.


In the Matter of D.S.F., 416 N.W.2d 772 (1987)