Plymouth, WI (WHBL) – To be clear, the victim told Plymouth police that no one laid a hand on her. But, three witnesses have a very different account of what transpired in the Walton Drive, Walmart parking lot last Wednesday afternoon.
For starters, this story is not just about a case of alleged domestic abuse. Nor is this a story about a man who may have anger issues, or a woman possibly in denial. This is a story about three women in a Plymouth Walmart parking lot who witnessed an assault on a person they did not know, and they chose to not look the other way.
It was around lunchtime, and the witnesses could have gone on with their day, but, they didn’t.
Carin Thompson, and her mother, Marilyn were in their vehicle about to leave Walmart. That’s when they heard a man and woman arguing inside a nearby car. Carin, and Marilyn waited to leave because the argument began to escalate. According to these women, the man, identified as 28 year old Hanson Vue, began tossing cash out of the driver side window, then, started choking his female passenger.That was the line. The mother, and daughter called 911.
At the same time, a third woman, who was parked one aisle away, heard the commotion and ran over to assist the victim - while also calling police. Kathleen Bellin was advised by a dispatcher that police had already received calls, and were enroute. Kathleen engaged the victim to offer support, when she noticed an infant in the back seat. She says the woman was crying and told her, “He always does this.”
Vue exited the vehicle, and went back inside the store – keys in hand. The victim, (and child) followed. Carin, the first 911 caller, remained in her car to wait for police. Her mother followed the troubled couple into the store, she says, to keep an eye on victim and help her - if she needed.
A criminal complaint obtained by WHBL news states that when police caught up with the female to question her, the victim denied that Vue hit, or threatened her in any way. It should also be noted that the officer who questioned the victim says he did not observe any bruising or marks on her neck- but she was emotional.
Plymouth police tracked down Vue, inside the store, and he claimed that he was the assault victim, and tried to protect himself from the woman. But remember, there were three witnesses. Police took Vue into custody on domestic abuse, weapon, and drug possession charges after allegedly finding a switchblade knife, and crystal meth in his pockets. The combination of charges could land Vue in prison for up to eight years, if convicted.