A Fargo man was arrested Monday, Nov. 30, for gross sexual imposition.
Darrell Lee Azure, 47, is accused of holding a woman against her will and forcing a sexual act on her in a Grand Forks hotel on Monday, Nov. 30. He faces charges of gross sexual imposition, terrorizing, felonious restraint and domestic violence.
If convicted of gross sexual imposition, the most serious charge, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole.
Grand Forks Police were dispatched to the Knights Inn, 1211 N. 47th St., early Monday morning after Fargo police learned that a woman was being held against her will in one of the rooms, according to court documents.
Police made contact with Azure and the woman without incident, documents said, and the woman was transported to Altru. She told police that, after staying in the hotel together for three days, Azure had headbutted and punched her, and refused to let her leave.
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"I can't ... leave and, if you leave, I'm going to ... kill you," she recalled Azure saying, according to the affidavit. "If I'm go (sic) to jail, I will still come and find you and ... kill you."
After he fell asleep, the woman said she attempted to use her phone. Azure woke up, threatened to "teach (her) a lesson" and sexually assaulted her, causing her to be injured.
When questioned by police, Azure denied the claims. He told police that the sex was consensual and he didn't know why she would make claims against him, according to documents.
The affidavit noted visible injuries on the woman's face and right arm. At the time of his arrest, Azure had an active warrant for his arrest from the U.S. Marshall Service for a probation violation in a case in which Azure is charged with aggravated sexual abuse by force.
An order was filed in federal court in that case last week on Tuesday, Nov. 24, deeming Azure mentally unfit to stand trial and ordering him to be hospitalized in the custody of the North Dakota Attorney General for no more than four months.
Azure made his initial appearance for the gross sexual imposition and related charges on Monday morning. He is next scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing and arraignment on Jan. 4. A final dispositional conference in the case has been scheduled for March 18.
