WILLMAR -- Jennifer Jane Garling, 39, of Atwater, made her first court appearance Wednesday on a second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon charge for allegedly stabbing a man with a steak knife early Tuesday morning.
Unconditional bail was set at $100,000 with conditional bail at $25,000. Her next appearance in Kan-diyohi Co-unty District Court is Jan. 10.
Garling al-so faces a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault.
According to the complaint, Atwater police and Kandiyohi County Sheriff's deputies were called ar-ound 1 a.m. Tuesday to the 500 block of Second Street South. They found Garling attempting to leave in a vehicle with a 6-year-old child.
Officers located a man inside the home with blood running down his arm. He said that Garling had stabbed him, and a 14-year-old child had witnessed the incident.
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Garling claimed the man had slammed her into a door and that she'd taken the knife to protect herself.
The child interrupted Garling's statement and told her not to lie, adding that the man was attempting to get away from Garling when he was stabbed. The child called a relative who called 911 to report the incident.
Garling was subsequently arrested. The man was taken by ambulance to Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar for treatment of the wound on his arm. In a statement taken at the hospital, the man said he'd gone to a local bar while Garling was being abusive to the children. He said Garling followed him there and then back home. He said Garling had broken windows at the home and assaulted him, but quit when one of the children woke up.
A deputy took a statement from Garling, who claimed she'd been assaulted. She said the man had a knife and she'd gotten it away from him.
