Sheboygan, WI (WHBL) - Details are emerging surrounding the stabbing that happened on Sheboygan’s North Side on Friday, October 30, 2015.
It turns out that a casual night among friends led to severe drunkenness, and then the stabbing.
The victim, now identified as Richard J. Thalheim, suffered a stab wound to his right hand after an alleged encounter with a homeless man turned violent. In a criminal complaint filed in Sheboygan County court, Thalheim refers to 36-year-old Michael A. Swain, the homeless man, as a friend.
Thalheim tells Sheboygan police that he was hanging out with friends at Vreeke’s Tavern early Friday morning when he received a phone call from Swain, whom he says hangs out at Worker’s Water Street Park. Thalheim says that he and Swain made plans to hang out at the Tavern before the bar closed.
Swain arrived at the bar just before closing time, so he and Thalheim walked over to Thalheim’s North 10th Street apartment. This is where their hang out apparently took a violent turn.
Both men had been drinking, according to the criminal complaint, and Thalheim says that he was heavily intoxicated-admitting to having an 18 pack of beer and a couple of shots throughout the day.
He told police that in the moments leading up to the stabbing, Swain began to boss him around and the two began to fight. He alleges that Swain doled out a couple of fist blows before pulling out the knife and stabbing him. But Thalheim also told police that he was too drunk to remember some specific details about the assault. Swain fled the scene following the assault.
When asked about his acquaintance with Swain, Thalheim claims that he helped Swain out prior to the stabbing by providing food, clothing, and doing his laundry.
Sheboygan police spotted Swain at Worker’s Water Street Park on Saturday, October 31, and arrested him on one count of substantial battery, also two drug related charges.
Swain denies hanging out with Thalheim, or stabbing him. He could face more than 10 years in prison on the combined charges, if convicted.