Abbotsford Man Appears in Court for Stabbing that Occurred at Marathon County Tavern

Friday, February 10th, 2023 -- 4:00 PM

(Karren Madden, Marshfield News Herald) An 18-year-old Abbotsford man made his initial appearance Tuesday on charges related to a Jan. 22 stabbing outside a Marathon County tavern.

According to Karren Madden with the Marshfield News Herald, Leovigildo C. Hernandez faces a charge of attempted first-degree homicide with use of a dangerous weapon. During his appearance Tuesday, Marathon County Circuit Judge Rick Cveykus set a $250,000 cash bail and ordered Hernandez to have no contact with the victim and not go into any taverns, liquor stores or beer tents.

According to the criminal complaint, at 2:11 a.m. Jan. 22, a caller reported a stabbing outside Perla's Place Bar and Grill, 410 S. Front St., village of Unity. Officers from the Colby-Abbotsford and Spencer police departments, as well as the Marathon County Sheriff's Office responded to the call.

When officers arrived, they found a man sitting in a chair inside the tavern. The man had blood on his face and on the left side of his abdomen, according to the complaint. The business's owner said she had found the man outside and called 911.

The man had two cuts on his abdomen, just below his ribs and one on his cheek. Officers saw two men coming out of the restroom, with one man holding and pointing to the other man, Hernandez.

An officer put handcuffs on Hernandez and noticed he had blood on his hand and a small cut on his finger, according to the complaint. The victim told officers he was at the bar in Perla's with his cousin. Hernandez was there when the victim arrived and he talked to Hernandez.

The victim said he and Hernandez both are from the same small town in Mexico. The victim said he didn't remember anything that happened outside of the tavern, but he suspected it was Hernandez who stabbed him, according to the complaint.

The man said he had borrowed $600 from Hernandez a year earlier, but he had paid back all but $50, according to the complaint. A witness said he was leaving the tavern at closing time and saw the victim talking to Hernandez outside.

The witness was going to give the victim a ride home and called for him to hurry up. The man said he got into his car, then saw people running in the parking lot and the victim laying on the ground, according to the complaint.

The witness said he saw Hernandez stand in front of a car and wave for it to stop, but the car drove around Hernandez and left him behind, according to the complaint. If convicted, Hernandez faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.

He's scheduled for a review of his case today, according to online records.

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