Police: EC woman cuts boyfriend's neck with knife during argument

Dan Holtz, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·2 min read

Jul. 30—EAU CLAIRE — An Eau Claire woman cut her boyfriend's neck with a knife during an argument, authorities say.

The woman thought the man was cheating on her, police said.

Dawn R. Ferguson, 47, 625 1/2 N. Barstow St., was charged this week in Eau Claire County Court with felony counts of aggravated battery and bail jumping, and misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Ferguson is scheduled to make her initial court appearance on Tuesday.

According to the criminal complaint:

Eau Claire police responded to a residence in the 600 block of North Barstow Street on July 17 for a report of a domestic incident where a male had his throat cut.

An officer arrived to find a man with a cut on the left side of his neck. He was bleeding minimally. The man was taken by ambulance to Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire.

At the hospital, the man told police he and Ferguson had been living together for about 10 months. The man said they had been fighting for the past three weeks since they had gotten into an argument in Illinois.

During the argument, Ferguson struck the man in the head, got into his truck and pulled away. Ferguson was subsequently arrested for drunken driving and blamed the man for the arrest.

The latest argument, the man said, was about an old text message Ferguson saw. She thought the man was cheating on her.

Ferguson pulled out a knife during the argument. The man said he said something along the lines of "If you're going to do it, do it, but you better hit my jugular."

Ferguson then cut his neck. The man yelled at her for cutting his neck and went outside to call police.

A second officer spoke with Ferguson, who was very distraught and smelled strongly of intoxicating beverages. The officer tried to interview Ferguson but her responses did not make sense due to her level of intoxication.

Inside the couple's residence, officers found the room where Ferguson had been with the man. The room had a fan knocked over and drug paraphernalia on the table. There were also two knives on the table and red dots that appeared to be fresh blood on the chair in the room.

Ferguson was free on a signature bond for a pending felony case in Eau Claire County. Conditions of the bond required Ferguson to maintain absolute sobriety and not commit new crimes.

If convicted of the felony charges, Ferguson could be sentenced to up to 13 years in prison.