A Foley man has been sentenced for punching a Minnesota House candidate in a bar in 2018.

Court records show Richard Donald Schmit, 54, was convicted of third-degree assault and sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of supervised probation. He was also given credit for one day served and may serve the remainder of his sentence on work release if approved by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office. Two counts of fifth-degree assault were dismissed.

A criminal complaint states the assault happened on Oct. 12, 2018, at a restaurant in St. George Township around 9 p.m., but was reported to law enforcement the next day. The sheriff’s office previously identified the victim of the assault as Shane Mekeland, who was elected to the Minnesota House in November 2018.

Mekeland told authorities he struck his head on the floor and passed out after his bar chair fell backward. The investigating deputy noted that Mekeland did have swelling under his left eye.

Schmit allegedly told police he had consumed “six or seven bottles of beer” prior to the incident, according to the complaint. He also told police Mekeland sat next to him and started campaigning, and he “used his right hand to jab” at Mekeland’s face after he made a comment about the middle class.