Mercer man walks free after attempting murder?

It seems that the Iron County Police Department takes assault with a deadly weapon/attempted murder pretty lightly these days, or maybe it just helps to have family on the force?  Hey, I didn’t want to have to go there, but letting the assailant walk the streets after stabbing someone 3 times, almost killing him, well it kind of makes you wonder what’s up, you know?  Good job Iron County PD, you really did it this time!  Oh and “great police work” on securing the crime scene and protecting the evidence.  I guess they also thought it was ok to open the crime scene up to the general public already too, like it’s some kind of gory fun house or something, and I don’t suppose they’re charging for admissions yet, or are they?  There was absolutely no police work done, not one police officer came to the scene, not even to see the victim off when the ambulance arrived.  This wouldn’t happen anywhere else in our country.  Yep, great job ICPD!

 

The story:

 

I’m leaving the names of the victim and witnesses out of the story, because I can.  It’s a small town anyway and everybody knows who’s who.  The point is why the hell isn’t Iron County PD treating this, a multiple stabbing almost resulting in death, like a criminal act?!  And why in God’s name is the perpetrator still walking around town like nothing happened?  Why didn’t an officer show up at the scene to check on the victim first, or show up at all?

 

On the evening of March 20^th, 2009, in Mercer, WI, some of the local boys, which were life long buddies, gathered at Jimmy Kohegyi’s house to watch a game on TV.  Everyone was on the couch watching the game and having a good time, well almost everyone...  Jimmy was up to his crazy antics again, more so than usual it turns out, and decided to grab a can of aerosol air freshener and proceeded to repeatedly spray his guests with it.  Now, everyone knows Jimmy to be a little screwy, it’s possible that’s where the nickname “crazy Jimmy” came from, but no one knew he would ever take things this far and change the lives of these four Mercer boys forever.  So after ignoring several pleas to stop spraying the air freshener on everyone he was finally confronted by one of the guests, a North Woods Artist who I will name “Art” for his privacy.  “Art” told Jimmy to stop several times and after getting sprayed in the eyes with the burning chemicals “Art” reached for the can of spray and that’s when Jimmy became violent.  He wasn’t handing it over without a fight, suggesting it was his house and that he could do anything he wanted to do, which also seems to include wrestling his guests, swinging his fists and punching them, and oh yes, even stabbing them.  At this time everyone realized that Jimmy wasn’t just goofing around, it wasn’t just horseplay, Jimmy was seriously hostile and so one of the other guests attempted to remove Jimmy from “Art”, but no one suspected what would happen next.  Jimmy grabbed a butcher knife, approximately 8 in. in length, and charged towards “Art”, who in defense swung a beer bottle at Jimmy hitting him on the head.  The attempt to stop Jimmy was unsuccessful and Jimmy lodged the knife into “Art”, once in the forehead, once down the front of the neck (missing his aorta by only a ¼ in.), and once in the back while the victim was down.

 

Now I don’t know what was going on in Jimmy’s head, no one really ever does, but attempted murder on your own friend?  Everyone was in shock, but Jimmy was obviously aware of what he did and was frantically begging “Art” not to press charges, as he was bleeding out on the kitchen floor mind you.  Jimmy was not at all concerned about calling an ambulance for his friend who was dying in his own house, nope he was very aware of what he had done and his mind was already fixed on trying to save his own skin and also in delaying the witnesses from calling for help.  Unfortunately some of the witnesses were also more concerned for Jimmy’s freedom, others were just in shock, and so the ambulance and police were not notified right away.  Jimmy fled the scene on foot to his sisters’ house, which just so happens to be the Under Sheriff of the Iron County PD, and then towards his parents’ house.  Fortunately for his sister and their parents, they were out of town visiting family out west when this happened.  Not so fortunate for the Sheriff’s boyfriend though, Officer Darrell Petrusha (also an officer on the Iron County Police Force), who was dispatched when the call came in and who later found Jimmy near his parents’ home.  It seems that Officer Petrusha suddenly forgot how to do his job?  The weapon, which was still lodged in “Arts” back and pulled out by one of the witnesses, was not immediately confiscated.  In fact there wasn’t even a police officer at the actual scene at all, not even when the victim was taken away in the ambulance, mistake #1.  The crime scene was never secured or closed off, mistake #2.  Local high school kids were walking freely in and out of the house, gawking at the large amounts of blood found inside, mistake #3.  Also, Jimmy was never taken into custody, although Officer Petrusha knew exactly where to find him, he was never detained and is actually back in his recently cleaned house... need I say more on what bad police work looks like?  Don’t get depressed Mr. Petrusha... I hear McDonalds is hiring, that should turn your frown upside down!

 

It seems that the ICPD can take a few lessons from Mike Byrd, a Crime Scene Investigator out of the Miami-Dade Police Department.  In his report for ‘Duty Descriptions for the Crime Scene Investigator’ he states that,”It is important that the first officer on the crime scene properly protect the evidence. The entire investigation hinges on that first person being able to properly identify, isolate, and secure the scene. The scene should be secured by establishing a restricted perimeter.”  He goes on to say, “Once the scene is secured, the restrictions should include all nonessential personnel.”

 

Isn’t it just grand when you have to call in the higher ups to investigate the investigators?

 

The Iron County Police Department did absolutely nothing.  The victim was alone and bleeding to death when the ambulance arrived on the scene.  There was no police officer there whatsoever to check on the victim, but they were surely quick on their feet about trying to get the victim to sign papers and read him his rights, when he was the one who was stabbed, just as soon as he got out of surgery!  It seems that the Loon Capitol of the World is more like the “Doomed Capital”, if you’re on the Iron County Police Force that is.

The actions of the ICPD are totally unacceptable and should not be ignored.  Please email your complaints to the Department Head, Bob Bruneau, at: irso@ironcountywi.org