River Falls battery suspect steals truck, goes for joyride

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A 20-year-old local man allegedly punched his girlfriend in the face five times before getting away on foot at 233 W. Cascade Ave. last Thursday, June 28, after 1 a.m. Police searched all over but couldn’t find their suspect. The man had found an unlocked pickup truck with keys in the ignition in the 500 block of North Clark Street. He got in, drove off, stopped for gas at the downtown Holiday station, then drove off again toward St. Cloud, Minn., stopping to pull over for a nap.

The man then drove back to River Falls later that morning in the same truck. He then hid out in Glen Park because he knew the cops were after him.

He’s also accused of sending threatening text messages and leaving threatening voice mails to the girlfriend who claimed he assaulted her.

The man was finally arrested after his phone call was traced to Cudd’s trailer court. The man had called police to ask how much trouble he was in.

Enough trouble, as it turns out, to be taken to county jail in Ellsworth and later charged by the Pierce district attorney with not only battery and vehicle theft but strangulation. Two of those are felonies.

River Falls police also:

--Arrested a 35-year-old local man for domestic battery Sunday night at 223 E. Maple St. An office arrived and found the suspect outside the rental house. He said nothing was going on but his hands were bloody. Inside, the alleged victim, his girlfriend, also bloody, said the man had punched her in the face, dragged her by the hair, slapped and choked her. She fought back to defend herself. Her nose looked broken; her neck had marks. The man was taken to county jail in Ellsworth.

--Arrested a 61-year-old local man for shoplifting at Family Fresh Market, 303 S. Main St., Tuesday morning, June 26. The suspect was stopped by store workers after allegedly dragging a large box of squirt guns down the aisles, out the rear service door and into the loading dock area. Police were called. The man, who was barefoot, said he wanted water soakers because people were squirting him with water guns and he needed to arm himself for protection. Asked if he was on some kind of medication, the suspect informed the officer that his favorite country singers were Willie Nelson, Clint Black and Reba McEntire. The man had already been cited for shoplifting at Family Fresh and this latest incident violated a no-trespass order for that store. The shoplifting case was sent to the district attorney.

There’s more. Please read Police Beat in the July 3 print edition of the River Falls Journal.

Tags: river falls, crime, wisconsin