ALBERT LEA, Minn. – A North Iowa man is pleading not guilty to attacking another man in a Freeborn County bar.

Christopher Lon Rogers, 40 of Northwood, Iowa, is charged with 3rd degree assault. According to the criminal complaint, Rogers was at Hunter’s Bar in Myrtle on June 14, 2017, when he punched the victim in the face and caused him to fall. The Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office says surveillance video from the bar shows an exchange of words between the two men, then Rogers walked over and struck him.

A deputy called to the scene says the victim was found lying on the floor of the bar patio with a pool of blood around his head. The deputy said the victim’s head was lying on a roll of paper towels that was getting soaked in blood.

The victim was transported to Mayo Clinic for treatment of head injuries.

Rogers was charged in November 2017 and entered a not guilty plea to 3rd degree assault on Monday. His trial is set to begin on October 23.