WILLMAR -- Juan Carlos Patino, 32, of Willmar, made his first appearance Tuesday on a felony charge of second-degree assault for allegedly hitting a man over the head with a bottle Saturday. Unconditional bail was set at $50,000, with conditional bail at $7,500. His next appearance is Monday.
According to the complaint, Willmar police officers were called around 2:50 a.m. Saturday to Regency Estates West on a report of an assault. The caller reported that a man had been hit in the head with a bottle and was bleeding. Officers arrived to find blood on the exterior and interior of a home and on items of clothing. They found a man who was unsteady on his feet, covered in blood and bleeding profusely from his head.
A woman, who was also covered in blood, said several people, including Patino, had been drinking at the home earlier in the evening. She said Patino and the victim argued inside the home and then took a fight outside. She said she had seen Patino get an object from his vehicle, hit the man and then smash a bottle over his head. The complaint does not elaborate as to what the initial object was.
The man's injuries included three 1-inch gashes on the top and right side of his head and a 6- to 7-inch gash from his chest into his armpit. He also had two smaller wounds on his ribcage.
