WILLMAR -- A 24-year-old Willmar man made his first appearance Monday on a felony charge of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly attempting to stab a woman during an argument.
Unconditional bail was set at $75,000 for Daniel Loera in Kandiyohi County District Court. Conditional bail was allowed at $6,000 cash only. How- ever, due to probation violations on a previous theft conviction for stealing construction tools and a trailer last winter, Judge Donald M. Spilseth ordered that Loera be held until a hearing.
His next appearance on the new charges is Monday. Loera is also charged with a gross misdemeanor for interfering with a 911 call and misdemeanors for domestic assault, assault and damage to property.
According to the complaint, Willmar police were called around 6:45 p.m. Oct. 25 to a home along Dana Drive Southeast to respond to a domestic incident. A woman flagged down the officer and reported that Loera, with whom she has a baby, had attempted to stab her. She said they had recently broken up and that he had been over to visit the baby. She had left the residence and told him to gather his things. They argued and he pulled a knife from his pocket and poked it at her in a stabbing motion twice. The woman was able to avoid being stabbed, but the blade made contact with her body. She said the attempted stabbing came while she was holding another child, who is 18 months old.
The woman said she walked away and called 911, but that Loera had broken her cell phone. She had gone to a neighboring home to call authorities again. The investigating officer also found broken household items in the residence.
