Willmar man accused of using drill in assault against ex-girlfriend

Mark Wasson, West Central Tribune, Willmar, Minn.
·1 min read

May 20—WILLMAR — A Willmar man is facing a felony assault charge after allegedly using a power drill during an assault against an ex-girlfriend.

Manuel Lisandro Perez Mendez, 40, appeared Tuesday before Eighth District Judge Jennifer Fischer for felony second-degree assault and misdemeanor domestic assault for the May 15 incident.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Kandiyohi County District Court, after his ex-girlfriend rebuffed Mendez's attempts to reconcile their relationship during a drive May 15 in Kandiyohi County, he allegedly hit her multiple times in the face with a closed fist.

The woman fought back, at which point Mendez is accused of grabbing a drill from the vehicle's floorboard and putting it into her side and starting it, leading to a struggle over the drill.

Following the alleged assault, they returned to a residence in Willmar where the woman called police.

Law enforcement observed what appeared to be bruising on her upper right forehead and an abrasion consistent with a drill bit on her upper right hip area.

The woman and Mendez both told law enforcement that the relationship ended after the woman found out Mendez had been cheating with another woman.

Mendez told police that while he did try to rekindle the relationship May 15, the woman became upset, threw a can and put the drill to her neck. He said they then struggled over the drill when she put it on her own hip.

Mendez was released on $25,000 bail Wednesday and a domestic-abuse-no-contact order was granted. He has also been assigned a public defender.

His next court date is a pre-trial hearing Aug. 10.

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